Introduction of the Vertebral Column

The vertebral column (also called the backbone, spine, or spinal column) consists of a series of 33 irregularly shaped bones, called vertebrae. These 33 bones are divided into five categories depending on where they are located in the backbone.

The first seven vertebrae are called the cervical vertebrae. Located at the top of the spinal column, these bones form a flexible framework for the neck and support the head. The first cervical vertebrae is called the atlas and the second is called the axis. The atlas' shape allows the head to nod "yes" and the axis' shape allows the head to shake "no".

The next twelve vertebrae are called the thoracic vertebrae. These bones move with the ribs to form the rear anchor of the rib cage. Thoracic vertebrae are larger than cervical vertebrae and increase in size from top to bottom.

After the thoracic vertebrae, come the lumbar vertebrae. These five bones are the largest vertebrae in the spinal column. These vertebrae support most of the body's weight and are attached to many of the back muscles.

The sacrum is a triangular bone located just below the lumbar vertebrae. It consists of four or five sacral vertebrae in a child, which become fused into a single bone after age 26. The sacrum forms the back wall of the pelvic girdle and moves with it.

The bottom of the spinal column is called the coccyx or tailbone. It consists of 3-5 bones that are fused together in an adult. Many muscles connect to the coccyx.

Annelida - Locomoção

Hydrostatic skeleton

A hydrostatic skeleton or hydroskeleton is a structure found in many cold-blooded organisms

and soft-bodied animals consisting of a fluid-filled cavity, the coelom, surrounded by muscles.

The pressure of the fluid and action of the surrounding muscles are used to change an organism's shape and produce movement, such as burrowing or swimming.

Some examples are soft bodied animals such as sea anemones and earthworms.

Hydrostatic skeletons have a role in the locomotion of echinoderms (starfish, sea urchins), cnidarians(jellyfish),annelids (earthworms), nematodes, and other invertebrates.

Sea anemones
caterpillar
leech
earthworm
jelly fish
sea cucumber.

- Hydrostatic skeletons consist of fluid-filled closed chambers.

- Internal pressures generated by muscle contractions cause

i. movement as well as

ii. maintain the shape of the animals, such as the sea anemone and worms.

The sea anemone has one set of longitudinal muscles in the outer layer of the body, and a layer of circular muscles in the inner layer of the body. The anemone can elongate or contract its body by contracting one or the other set of muscles.

Extracted. TQ

Learn Bio Via gempurbio blog

It is surely interesting...once a month, bring your students to learn Bio in a different approach or style....by using ICT.....and it is gempurbio.blogspot.com. My pet project .

..And that was what I did ...again with my form 5 Helpilia girls. I follow this class from form 4...and now they are in Form 5... they are my pet students I supposed !..

And the lesson took place for two periods...They accessed my posts on Chapter Transport~ The chapter which they have just completed ..It is supposed to be a revision...and they were required to ask questions via Formspring...and they asked many questions....and I was trying to answer as many as I managed in a limited given time.

It was so fast...they wished to stay longer in the Lab Comp....

Form 4 Task

A simple task for the form four girls to prepare:

1. A Table of organelles, structure and its function.

2. Compare and contrast ~Animal cell and plant cell

..My new form 4 girls !

Transpiration

Transpiration In Plants

Plant Cells and Plant Tissues

Types of Plant Cells:

• Parenchyma Cells. These cells are the most general of plant cells. They consist of thin flexible cell walls. They contain a large central vacuole and can carry out most of the metabolic functions of the plant. Mesophyll cells of the leaf are parenchyma cells. The fleshy tissue of most fruits also contain much parenchyma.
• Collenchyma Cells. These cells have a much thicker primary wall than the parenchyma cell. Grouped in strands or cylinders they support young plants.
• Sclerenchyma Cells. Function in support of the plant. They contain a thick secondary wall containing lignin. For all intent and purpose these cells function best when dead.
• Tracheids. These are water conducting elements. These cells are dead and are found along with vessel elements making up the plants xylem.
• Sieve-tubes. These function in carrying food throughout the plant. They are kept alive and nourished by companion cells. These are found in the plants phloem.

Tissue Types:

• Dermal Tissue. generally a single layer of cells. They are tightly packed and covered with a transparent, waxy, material called the cuticle.
• Vascular Tissue. functions in support and transportation of food and water throughout the plant.
• Ground Tissue. makes up the bulk of a young plant. It fills the space between the dermal and the vascular tissues.

Systems in Plants

SYSTEMS IN PLANTS :

1. Root Systems: Roots anchor the plant, absorb minerals and water,conduct water and nutrients, and store food. These are two types of root systems.

• Taproot System: This system consists of a single main vertical root with many smaller side roots. Examples of this type of system are: carrots, turnips, and dandelions. They serve as excellent reserves for food and anchor the plant well.
• Fibrous System: This system consists of many small lateral roots that spread out just below the soil's surface. The plants containing this type of root system has excellent exposure to water in the soil. It helps anchor the plant and helps prevent soil erosion.
• Adventitious roots are roots that grow from plant structures other than the roots

2. Shoot System: The shoot system consists of vegetative shoots which produce leaves and floral shoots that end with the flower.

• Stems contain areas where side branches and leaves develop from.
• Leaves: Leaves carry on photosynthesis. Their position and shape allow them to absorb the maximum amount of sunlight as possible. The leaf consists of the flattened portion called the blade, the edge or the margin, the petiole, and the veins.

-Extracted.

Atherosclerosis Versus Arteriosclerosis

The terms atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis are frequently used as though they are the same condition. While both conditions are types of coronary artery disease, and may lead to the need for heart surgery, they are not the same.

Arteriosclerosis:

Arteriosclerosis is hardening of the arteries. This condition not only thickens the wall of arteries, but also causes stiffness and a loss of elasticity. Over time, the arteries become harder and harder as they are slowly damaged by high blood pressure. Arteriosclerosis may be presentin any artery of the body, but the disease is most concerning when it attacks the coronary arteries and threatens to cause a heart attack.

Atherosclerosis is the most common type of arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, and caused by plaque building up in the vessel. Over time the plaque causes thickening of the walls of the artery. Stiffness and a loss of elasticity also result.

Arteriosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries, occurs when the arterial walls thicken and then harden as calcium deposits form. If the coronary vessels are affected, this is known as coronary artery disease.

Atherosclerosis is another type of hardening of the arteries in which lipids, particularly cholesterol, build up on the side arterial walls. Risk factors for atherosclerosis include cigarette smoking, a high fat/high cholesterol diet, and hypertension.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/what-is-the-difference-between-arteriosclerosis-and-atherosclerosis#ixzz1DZHwlbVM

TQ

Transpiration

Hemolisis y Crenacion

Red Blood Cells in an Isotonic Environment

Red Blood Cells in Hypotonic Solution

Red Blood Cells in a Hypertonic Solution

Onion Cells Plasmolysis

How to Maintain a Healthy Heart

How to Maintain a Healthy Heart | eHow.com

Consist of suggestions of ways to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system. You might find this article useful for your Paper 2 essay. Make it even simpler by summarising it into point form so that it is easier to memorise the facts!

Happy revising!

Heart basic anatomy

Hello guys:

You might need these selected Diagrams to help you memorising the location of the basic structures in human heart. As for your SPM level, the followings are required to be identified. Not forgetting the location of the 2 nodes : SAN and AVN..

**Take note of the positions of SAN and AVN..

***Mitral valve =bicuspid valve

Aortic valve and pulmonic valve = semi lunar valve

Happy revising!

Bacteria~ A prokaryote

Bacteria~ Structures

How Do Bacteria Clean Waste Water? | eHow.com

How Do Bacteria Clean Waste Water? | eHow.com

Open Circulatory System

The Open Circulatory System is a system in which fluid (called hemolymph) in a cavity called the hemocoel bathes the organs directly with oxygen and nutrients

and there is no distinction between blood and interstitial fluid;

this combined fluid is called haemolymph.

Muscular movements by the animal during locomotion can facilitate hemolymph movement, but diverting flow from one area to another is limited. When the heart relaxes, blood is drawn back toward the heart through open-ended pores (ostia).

Hemolymph fills all of the interior hemocoel of the body and surrounds all cells.

Hemolymph is composed of water, inorganic salts (mostly Na⁺, Cl^-, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺), and organic compounds (mostly carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids).

The primary oxygen transporter molecule is hemocyanin.

Single Circulatory System

Fish have a single circulatory system in which blood passes once around the body before returning to a two-chambered heart.

BUT...

In birds and mammals, there is a double circulatorysystem – the lung or pulmonary circuit and the body or systemic circuit.

Blood is first pumped from the heart to the lungs and back to the heart, before being pumped to the remainder of the body and back.

The heart is therefore a double pump and is divided into two halves.

Double Circulatory System

1. Double Circulatory system consists of the pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation.

2. It is called Double circulatory system BECAUSE the blood passes through the heart TWICE for each circuit of the body.

3. Its advantage:

Oxygenated blood returns to the heart to be pumped again before being distributed to the rest of the body. This INCREASES the pressure of the blood and the rate of flow, thereby SPEEDING UP the delivery of oxygen to the tissues and organs !

Closed Circulatory system

Closed circulatory system is where blood flow within a confined blood vessels.

Please name all classes of animals which have Closed Circulatory system..