practical 1

This study guide outlines the key taxa and biological characteristics you need to recognize and correctly identify for Practical 1.

I. Kingdom Animalia

Be able to recognize and identify the following phyla and their sub-classifications:

  • Phylum Porifera: Sponges

  • Phylum Cnidaria: Jellyfish, sea anemones, corals

  • Phylum Platyhelminthes: Flatworms

  • Phylum Nematoda: Roundworms

  • Phylum Mollusca: Snails, clams, octopuses

  • Phylum Annelida: Segmented worms (earthworms, leeches)

  • Phylum Arthropoda: Insects, arachnids, crustaceans, myriapods

  • Phylum Echinodermata: Sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers

  • Phylum Chordata:

    • Subphylum Cephalochordata: Lancelets

    • Subphylum Urochordata/Tunicata: Tunicates, sea squirts

    • Subphylum Vertebrata:

      • Class Myxini: Hagfishes

      • Class Petromyzontida: Lampreys

      • Class Chondrichthyes: Cartilaginous fish (sharks, rays)

      • Class Osteichthyes: Bony fish

      • Class Amphibia: Amphibians (frogs, salamanders)

      • Class Reptilia: Reptiles (snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodiles)

      • Class Mammalia: Mammals

II. Kingdom Plantae

Be able to recognize and identify the following phyla and their sub-classifications:

  • Phylum Bryophyta: Mosses

  • Phylum Marchantiophyta: Liverworts

  • Phylum Lycophyta: Clubmosses

  • Phylum Pteridophyta: Ferns

    • Subphylum Equisetophyta: Horsetails

    • Subphylum Polypodiophyta: True ferns

  • Phylum Cycadophyta: Cycads

  • Phylum Ginkgophyta: Ginkgo

  • Phylum Pinophyta: Conifers (pines, spruces)

  • Phylum Magnoliophyta: Flowering plants (Angiosperms)

    • Monocots vs. dicots: Understand the distinguishing features.

III. Lichens

  • Lichens: Recognize them as a symbiotic association involving two kingdoms (fungus and alga/cyanobacterium).

Other Animal Characteristics to Know

For each animal phylum, be prepared to identify or describe the following:

  • Presence or absence of a body cavity: Coelomate, pseudocoelomate, or acoelomate.

  • Body symmetry: Asymmetric, radial, or bilateral.

  • Developmental pathway: Protostome or deuterostome.

  • Type of skeleton: Exoskeleton (e.g., arthropods), hydrostatic (e.g., annelids), cartilage (e.g., chondrichthyes), or mineralized bone (e.g., osteichthyes, mammals).

Animal Fun Facts

  • Be aware of the etymological meanings of some phylum names and other interesting facts about specific groups.

Our Plant Characteristics to Know

For each plant phylum, be prepared to identify or describe the following:

  • Vascular tissue: Presence or absence (xylem and phloem).

  • Seeds: Presence or absence.

  • Flowers: Does the plant produce flowers (yes/no)?

  • Dominant generation: Is the sporophyte or gametophyte generation dominant?

Plant Fun Facts

  • Know the parts of a flower.

  • Identify which plant phyla are classified as gymnosperms.