Kingdom Animalia Review

1. What are the major characteristics that distinguish animals from plants?

2. Why is it not sufficient to classify animals simply as multicellular heterotrophs?

3. A student submits a diagram of an embryo with the three germ layers labelled. The title reads “Diagram of sponge embryo.” Do you mark it right or wrong? Explain.

4. As animals became more complex, why was the development of a coelom important?

5. Why are sponges classified as part of the animal kingdom?

6. Why is it helpful for an organism to be able to reproduce both sexually and asexually?

7. Jellyfish do not swim toward their prey. Rather, they capture prey that swims or drifts into their stinging tentacles. How is this behaviour related to their body plan?

8. Why is bilateral symmetry an important development in the evolution of animals?

9. How has the digestive system of planaria been improved over that of the jellyfish?

10. Earthworms have more light sensitive cells in the anterior and posterior segments than in other parts of the body. How is this advantageous?

11. How have the digestive systems of the roundworm and segmented worm been improved compared to that of flatworms?

12. What is meant by segmentation? How is segmentation an evolutionary advantage?

13. Why are open circulatory systems found mostly in animals that are small?

14. Why are gills necessary in more complex organisms such as molluscs?

15. Why does the presence of an exoskeleton require the presence of jointed appendages?

16. What are the advantages and disadvantages of an exoskeleton?

17. The compound eyes of insects are better at detecting motion than fine detail. How might the ability to detect motion be advantageous for an insect?

18. What is a tracheal respiratory system? Why is it an advantage?. Why is this especially important for flying insects?

19. Why are bilateral symmetry, muscle segmentation and the presence of a coelom not sufficient to classify an organism as a chordate?

20. How is circulation through two circuits (as in amphibians, birds, and mammals) superior to circulation through just one (as in the fishes)?

21. Why are amphibians considered to be transitional between fishes and terrestrial vertebrates?

22. What adaptations allowed amphibians to colonize the land?

23. What features of the frog restrict them to living near the water?

24. State the advantage and disadvantage of using the skin as a respiratory surface.

25. The blood that enters the lungs of an amphibian has relatively (more, less) oxygen than the blood that enters the gills of a fish. The reason for this is that the blood that goes from an amphibian's heart to its lungs is _____ . The blood that is carried to all organs of a fish's body is _____ . The blood that is carried to the fish's gills is _____ . The blood that is carried to the organs of an amphibian is _______.

26. Why is the three chambered amphibian heart not as efficient as a four chambered heart?

27. Why did the development of the amniotic egg require animals to use internal fertilization?

28. How did the amniotic egg allow reptiles to dominate the terrestrial environment?

29. Why do organisms which display internal fertilization not produce large numbers of eggs?

30. What is the major protein component in reptilian skin? What does this suggest about the evolution of birds and mammals?

31. What could happen to a reptile that could not find any shade?

32. How does the reptilian heart differ from the amphibian heart?

33. How does the limb position of reptiles differ from that of amphibians and mammals.

34. Many reptiles have clawed toes while amphibians do not. How might this be an advantage to them?

35. Mammals usually eat several times a day. Why are reptiles often able to go long periods without eating?

36. There is an old expression that says someone with a small appetite “eats like a bird.” Why is this expression inaccurate?

37. How has the respiratory system of birds developed over that of other vertebrates?

38. What are the advantages of being an endotherm?

39. State the relationship between the time a young mammal spends with it's parent and the complexity of it's behaviour as an adult.

40. Imagine that you are on a fun ski weekend when you discover a frozen specimen of a prehistoric terrestrial vertebrate. Because you have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding, you absolutely MUST classify it. What characteristics would you examine to place the specimen in the correct class?

41. The muscle that supports the internal organs of humans seems to be designed for an organism that walks on four legs. What does this suggest?