Lab+9+-+Comparative+Vertebrate+Anatomy

=__Lab 9 - Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy__=


 * The reason the date on this lab is wrong is because when I did lab 11, some of the tree photos replaced my "Cutting" and "Muscle Action" photos. Dr. B told me to go in and change, but my photos are no longer saved)

__Exercise 1 - Dissection of Wing__ **(**NOTE**: I am very sorry, but for some reason when I upload the pictures the wiki is cutting off a section of the photo; you can't "see" the phalanges, but I promise they're there!)**


 * __Picture 1: Cutting__**


 * __Picture 2: Muscles / Bones__**


 * __Picture 3: Action__**


 * __Exercise 2: Comparative Anatomy of Arm v. Wing__**
 * When comparing human anatomy to bird anatomy, a few things remain the same, while some are dissimilar. First, the humerus, radius and ulna are all relatively the same between humans and birds, although the bird humerus is slightly shorter than that of a human (along with the other two). The major differences between the two reside in the carpals, metacarpals and phalanges. In birds, the carpals become sort of "fused" into the carpal joint (depicted above), and the metacarpals do too, into the section depicted above. In contrast, in humans, the metacarpals are quite distinct from one another and connect to the phalanges (14 of them---2 for the thumb, 3 for the fingers). Humans also have 5 metacarpals. Birds only have 3-like phalanges (shown above), and then an alula, which sort of resembles the thumb. Thus, the "hand" or Manus of the bird, looks more "elongated" and fused than that of a human.**


 * __Exercise 3: Comparative Anatomy of Bone Structure__**


 * 1.&2.) The internal structure of the bird bone is quite different from that of the human. First, the bird's looks quite a lot more hollow, which is most likely due to the fact that birds need to be lighter to fly. They do, however, have quite intricate and "light" structure so that it is sound, and is able to support the bird and still fly at the same time. Human bones, on the other hand, are quite a bit more dense, and this is due to the fact that throughout evolution, they have evolved to stand on two feet, and have always been active (running, hunting, high-impact exercises). Consequently, human bones are a lot more dense to withstand this impact, and look not as "hollow" as birds, who need to be lighter to fly.**


 * 3.)**
 * a.** Bones**: Bones are more than just solid components of our bodies; the insides are made of intricate, complex and changing substances that record growth history and important clues about longevity. They change as the body they are within grows, and give clues as to whether or not it is growing fast or slow. They also are made up of minerals, proteins, cells, blood vessels and nerves (complex!). Cite**


 * b.** Growth rates: **Generally speaking, if a bone is more organized it grows more slowly. Moreover, environmental factors also contribute to bone growth, for example if it's cold outside, it might thwart bone growth. Growth rates are measured by mass changes, which occur over time. These are depicted by an "S" curve, which demonstrate how sometimes, bones grow more rapidly than at others. When measuring the growth rate, then, the exponential stage is when growth occurs most rapidly.** **Cite**

c. Longevities: **Similar to understanding growth rates, longevities are found by examining the rates of bone vascular and fiber composition. The longevity also allows the creation of the S-chart, as described above, which graphs the growth of living animal.**

d. Growth strategies: **Growth strategies can be discerned by the S-chart and the bone's complex composition; the more organized it is, a "slower" growth strategy can be found, and likewise, these various clues compile to form the S-chart, from which we can chart the bone's growth over time, it's different growth rates, it's longevity, and therefore how it will do that (it's strategy).**