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In this lab, we gained a better understanding of a female frogs anatomy. This was achieved by us dissecting a frog with a partner. In this case, my partner was Nathan and we completed this lab in around two weeks.
The first week mainly consisted of us observing the exterior parts of a frog and gaining a better understanding as to why they have certain features. For example, we observed the frogs mouth and eventually opened it to discover the tongue that was connected at the front of the mouth. This was intriguing because it was unlike a human tongue which is attached at the back of the mouth. After thinking critically, we came to the conclusion that this was an advantage for frogs because it gave them the opportunity to lengthen their tongues in order to catch their prey and feed off of them to survive. This was one topic we looked at in week one.
The second week was when we began to explore the many different body systems in a frog. This helped us to understand how these systems work together to create a living and functioning frog. One system that we explored was the respiratory system. We first began by cutting an inch into the cheeks so that we were able to fully open the mouth and observe the nostrils and gullet opening. We then turned the frog onto its back and cut along its sides in order to open it up and detect the lungs. These key parts connected through the glottis which allowed the frog to breath. Since this is not enough oxygen intake for frogs, there is a gas exchange between the skin which allows the frog to get air and pump blood. This was one part that the second and final week of this lab entailed.
Content
External Anatomy - the frog has many different aspects and traits. These include the rough and scaly skin, bilateral symmetry with the legs and head, and their webbed hind feet. This is important because this improved model of a frog has adapted overtime so that it could suit its environmental needs. It is important to understand the external anatomy because it can help us acknowledge their lifestyle and the evolution of a frog.
Comparison of Frog and Human Mouth - this concept is important because it shows us a new way of looking at the differences of the frogs lifestyle and choices compared to a human. The frog and human mouths are different because the frogs tongue is attached at the front of the mouth while the humans tongue is attached at the back of the mouth. This allows the frog to catch resources outside of the mouth. Also, the frogs mouth is more complex with parts such as the gullet and glottis.
Internal Anatomy - we took a look at the internal anatomy of a frog to lengthen our knowledge in this lab.
Skeletal System - unlike a human, the frog does not have a patella which may allow it to jump higher and have a lower risk of injury.
Muscular System - the Gastrocnemius helps the frog bend and straighten its legs to jump higher. This allows the frog to jump higher diagonally than a human and gain more power to adapt to its lifestyle.
Circulatory System - a Frog heart has less chambers than a human heart and their Atrium is a different size than the humans Atrium.
Respiratory System - they use the lungs, nostrils, and mouth cavity to aid in respiration. They also exchange gas between their skin because it is not enough air intake with just the other three parts.
Digestive System - we observed the gallbladder, pancreas, and stomach to see how the digestive system is connected and interacts with each other.
Reproductive System - frogs reproduce externally which is an advantage because the eggs are on the outside but this also means that they are at danger and many do not survive due to lack of protection.
Excretory System - there is one excretory opening in a frog that gets rid of waste and has babies. It also produces hormones to regulate the body.
Nervous System - the skull protects the skin and parts of this system are the brain and spinal cord.
These systems were explored in this lab and we learned about how they function in a frogs body.
Reflection
In conclusion, I think that my communication skills improved in this lab because I was required to communicate with my partner while completing this in order to refrain from missing a step or cutting the frog in an inaccurate place. Also, I think that my critical thinking skills came into play because there were many times where the answer was unknown but we had to use our prior knowledge and research to come to a conclusion. This caused some deeper thinking that I have been lacking in past labs. While I excelled in these areas, I want to improve in others. For example, I want to improve on collaborating more because I was not as hands on with the frog as Nathan was and left the cutting and dissecting to him. I also feel that I could have been more creative with my short responses and potentially gotten full credit if I went into depth with them. Overall, this lab was very educational and helped me to grow in many different ways.
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