Pre-Lab: Sea Star Dissection

What type of animal is a sea star?

• A bony fish

• A freshwater aquatic invertebrate

• A marine invertebrate

• A marine vertebrate

What is the function of the numerous spines found on the skin of a sea star?

• To aid in movement

• To extract oxygen from seawater

• To provide defense

• To help with feeding

Which of the following systems is present in a sea star?

• A circulatory system with a heart and blood

• A water vascular system

• A complex nervous system with a brain

• Gills for breathing

What forms the internal skeleton of a sea star?

• Cartilage

• A network of rod-shaped ossicles

• A bony structure similar to fish

• A chitinous exoskeleton

What provides support for a starfish's body?

• A hard outer shell

• Ossicles embedded in the skin

• A cartilaginous skeleton

• A hydrostatic skeleton

Which of the following correctly describes the path of food through a starfish's digestive system?

• Mouth -> Pyloric Stomach -> Cardiac Stomach -> Pyloric Ceca

• Mouth -> Cardiac Stomach -> Pyloric Stomach -> Pyloric Ceca

• Mouth -> Pyloric Ceca -> Cardiac Stomach -> Pyloric Stomach

• Mouth -> Cardiac Stomach -> Pyloric Ceca -> Pyloric Stomach

Where does chemical digestion primarily occur in a starfish?

• Cardiac stomach

• Pyloric stomach

• Pyloric ceca

• Anus

What is the correct order of water flow through the water vascular system of a starfish?

• Madreporite -> Ring Canal -> Stone Canal -> Radial Canals

• Madreporite -> Stone Canal -> Ring Canal -> Radial Canals

• Stone Canal -> Madreporite -> Ring Canal -> Radial Canals

• Ring Canal -> Stone Canal -> Madreporite -> Radial Canals