Overarching Question: How does the human body work to keep you alive? Guiding Question: How does a Sea star’s body systems work to keep it alive? Sea Star Classification Kingdom: Animal Phylum: Echinoderm (Echinoderm means spiny skin) Class: Asteroidea Sea Star Symmetry Echinoderms are characterized by radial symmetry Several arms (5 or more, mostly grouped 2 left - 1 middle - 2 right) radiating from a central body. The body actually consists of five equal segments, each containing a duplicate set of various internal organs. Sea Star Body Systems Sea Stars have some body systems in common with Homo sapiens (human beings). Sea Star body systems are: Digestive system Circulatory and Respiratory system Movement system Reproductive system Nervous System Sea Star Body Systems Defined: Body System Digestive system Circulatory system Respiratory system Movement system Reproductive system Nervous system Your Definition Sea Star Body Systems Defined: Body System Digestive system Your Definition Respiratory system -breaks down food -absorbs nutrients -transports food and oxygen to and from the cells -takes in oxygen for cell respiration Movement system -helps a sea star move Reproductive system -makes more sea stars (offspring) Nervous system -sends and receives messages to the body Circulatory system Sea Star Coloring Guide: Lets water into the Madreporite Water vascular system Ray Arm Anus Ring Canal Eyespot Senses light Breaks down & absorbs nutrients Radial Canal Stomach Digestive Gland Produces digestive juices to help a sea star break down food Mouth Tube Feet Suction cups that help Sea stars move & eat Ampulla Which organs belong to what sea star body system? Body System Digestive system Circulatory system Respiratory system Movement system Nervous system Organs Involved Which organs belong to what sea star body system? Body System Organs Involved Digestive system Mouth, stomach, digestive gland, anus Circulatory system Madreporite, stone canal, ring canal, radial canal, lateral canal Respiratory system Madreporite, stone canal, ring canal, radial canal Movement system Ray, Madreporite, stone canal, ring canal, radial canal, lateral canal, tube feet/ampulla Eyespot Nervous system Sea Star Scenario Sea Stars are commonly referred to as Starfish, but they actually are not fish at all but echinoderms. Starfish characteristically have five arms extending from a central disk like a star, hence the common name Starfish. Represented by over 2,500 species, families, some species can be important to a home aquarium. Sea stars are found in all oceans and prefer rocky places as well as sandy regions in reefs, and very few are found in deep water. Most prefer to live alone, except for when they find a mate for sexual reproduction. Although sea stars can reproduce sexually, they can also reproduce asexually. They do this by regenerating lost arms, and under the best conditions, the lost arm will become a complete sea star as well. Each arm or ray of a sea star has two rows of tube feet that are used for attaching to things, moving, and respiration (gas exchange). Movement in a sea star happens because of its hydraulic system of water-filled channels, called the water vascular system. The mouth and stomach of a sea star is located on the underside of the animal in the central disc. Before food is absorbed, the stomach is often pushed out of the body and placed over the food to digest it. Smaller Starfish eat the microalgae found on rocks and in home aquariums. Larger starfish eat other starfish, clams, and some sea anemones. The Sand Sifting Sea Star efficiently consumes mass amounts of uneaten food. A great addition to any reef tank, this nocturnally active sea star will move large amounts of sand as it burrows in search for food. The Sand Sifting Sea Star should be fed a variety of fish foods into the sand. Otherwise, the sea star will quickly clean an aquarium of left over food, and then starve, and eventually begin to decay.
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