In terms of both numbers of species and numbers of individuals, i...

Question

In terms of both numbers of species and numbers of individuals, insects are the most successful land animals. Write a paragraph explaining how their exoskeletons help them live on land. Are there any disadvantages to having an exoskeleton?

Accepted Answer

Welcome back. Here's our next question. What is the primary advantage of having a hydrostatic skeleton such as in hydra and earthworms. Well, if you didn't recall right off the top of your head, what a hydrostatic skeleton is they give you this example of hydra and earthworms. So you can sort of imagine their structure, especially the hydra as being sort of having a fluid filled cavity. And indeed hydrostatic skeleton is a cavity filled with water, a closed cavity inside an organism. And this is advantageous for aquatic animals and land animals that crawl or burrow by peristalsis. Peristalsis being contraction and relaxation of muscles in a wave like motion. We have peristalsis in our intestines to move food through the intestines. So animals that crawl along imagine a little worm inching along or burrow through these muscle movements. Having that hydrostatic skeleton gives them the flexibility to allow that to move them through spaces. So let's look at our answer choices here and we have choice A. It provides protection from predators. Well, no hydrostatic skeleton definitely does not provide protection from predators as it leaves these organisms very soft and vulnerable. Choice. B says it helps for faster movement. Well that's not going to be correct. Um Those kind of burrowing movements are not going to be very fast compared to what can be achieved with bony or cartilaginous skeleton. Choice C says it gives flexibility and this is the main advantage the hydrostatic skeleton. Um It allows changes of shape as those animals can fit in very different crevices and again allows a burrowing movement, crawling movement through? Just muscle contractions. Um The water obviously can flow into different shapes and it also allows, for instance, in the hydra, the hydro can actually ingest food larger than its gut cavity because that flexibility that its hydrostatic skeleton gives it, and we'll just look last at choice D it protects from desiccation and that is not correct. That would not be an advantage given by that hydrostatic skeleton. So once again, what's the primary advantage of having a hydrostatic skeleton? Such as in hydrant earthworms choice? See it gives flexibility. See you in the next video.

In terms of both numbers of species and numbers of individuals, insects are the most successful land animals. Write a paragraph explaining how their exoskeletons help them live on land. Are there any disadvantages to having an exoskeleton?

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