GRASSHOPPER DISSECTION ANALYSIS: 1. Label the external features on the diagram below.
2. The sex of my grasshopper is: male. I know this because: the grasshopper did not contain the eggs that the female needs for reproduction. 3. What is the function (not structure) of each of the mouth parts: Labrum: Acts as the first boundary for the grasshopper's mouth Labium: Holds in saliva and keeps the mouth closed when chewing food. It basically functions like a lip. Maxilla: Moves food into the mouth using three "prongs". Mandible: Act as teeth in order to chew food, before it travels to the pharynx. Hypo pharynx: Works like a tongue to move food around the mouth. 4. Label the internal structures on this female grasshopper.
5. Complete the following table.
6. What have you learned from this lab about grasshoppers? About arthropods? I have learned that grasshoppers have their heart near the back of their dorsal side- closer to the posterior than the anterior. I find this surprising as in humans, we have our heart on the ventral side, closer to the anterior than the posterior. This shows how organisms have evolved over time. In arthropods, I have learned that they generally have an open circulatory system, which I found it interesting, as it means blood moves from the heart to a large sinus cavity. This again shows how organisms have evolved, since vertebrates generally have closed circulatory systems.