Tag Archives: research

My Work, Process, Research

Animal Research: Sea Anemone!

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So the creature my group was assigned to was the relationship between the sea anemone and other animals, mostly the hermit crab and the clownfish. They share a symbiosis relationship which means that, it is a mutually beneficial relationship from both parties in close physical association.

The structure of the sea anemone

To understand how the anemone bonds with the hermit crab and clownfish, it is first important to understand the structure of the anemone, how it moves, defends and other actions it may take.

  • surrounded by numerous tentacles,  studded with nematocysts and are actively used in food capture and defence.
  • the nematocyst, or stinging capsule, similar to that of a jellyfish.
  • they have single sack-like body cavity that performs digestive, nutrient absorption and, gas exchange functions.
  • this single opening  is the mouth, through which food, water, and gametes must pass.
  • several kinds of muscles can be found, and are used to contract and bend the column in various directions.
  • the pedal disk, used by burrowing anemones to anchor in soft substrate.

So we can conclude there are numerous movements which the anemone takes which is, the stinging action by the tentacles, the column that contracts for digestive functions or just bending into directions and finally the pedal disk which sort of anchors the anemone or while it moves around.

Symbiosis with clownfish

The clownfish is the only fish that doesn’t get affected by the sea anemone stinging tentacles as they have a special mucus that protects them. They get accustomed to the sting as they lightly brush their bodies against the tentacle.

Symbiosis with hermit crab

As for the hermit crab, it is intelligent enough to find sea anemones to hook onto its shell for extra protection against predator. This makes the sea anemone seem as though it has a moving house! It doesn’t need to stay in one position waiting for food as the hermit crab does all the work for it.

I also came across two very interesting documentaries on the sea anemone so do take a look. Thanks for reading!

Research

Sound & Touch : Research

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Before jumping into the project, it is only fair to know basically how do humans hear and feel.

Sound

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Credits: https://www.sc.edu/ehs/training/Noise/hearing.ht

When we hear a sound, this is what actually takes place:

  1. Sound waves enter the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate.
  2. Vibrations pass through 3 connected bones in the middle ear
  3. This motion sets fluid moving in the inner ear.
  4. Moving fluid bends thousands of delicate hair-like cells which convert the vibrations into nerve impulses.
  5. Nerve impulses are carried to the brain by the auditory nerve
  6. In the brain, these impulses are converted into what we “hear” as sound.

 

Touch

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Credits: http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/anatomy/touching.htm, http://hubpages.com/education/The-A-Z-of-Medical-Terminology

Your somatic sensory system is responsible for your sense of touch. The somatic sensory system has nerve receptors that help you feel when something comes into contact with your skin, such as when a person brushes up against you. These sensory receptors are generally known as touch receptors or pressure receptors. You also have nerve receptors that feel pain and temperature changes such as hot and cold.

Q: Whats the similarity between frogs and us?!

A: Both frogs and human have the same organ parts! We both have eyes that can see underwater. We both also have vocal chords and also many other organs which have similar purposes.