Structure and Functionof Living Things

Part II: ANIMALS

You know that plants have special structures that perform specific functions...

So do people and animals!

You know that all living things are made of cells.

Cells form tissue,

tissues form structures.

cell tissue structure: leaf

There are also many different kinds of animal cells,

tissues,and structures.

Plants and animals both have structuresfor moving oxygen and carbon dioxide

in or out of their cells;

Plants and animals both have structures for absorbing nutrients and energy from food;

Plants and animals both have structures for circulating water, sugar and nutrients

to all of their cells;

Plants and animals both have structures for moving in response to physical needs

or changes in the environment.

I. Respiration

The act or process by which an organism

exchanges gases with its environment.

You know that plants give off oxygen (O2)that animals need,

And animals give off carbon dioxide (CO2)

that plants need.

Plants have stomatathat allow CO2 to enter the plant and O2 to exit the plant.

CO2

O2

The stomata also allow water to be released from the plant in transpiration.

H2O

Like plants transpiring, we breathe out water, too.

That’s why you see fog in your breath on a cold day.

In a process called respiration, many animals use either

lungs or gillsto absorb oxygen

from air (lungs) or water (gills).

gills

lungs

The lungs or gills put O2 into the blood

that will be circulatedto all the cells of the body,

and remove carbon dioxide (CO2)from the blood.

O2

O2

CO2CO2

Tell your neighbor:How are these things alike?

How are they different?

TEACH IT!

Gills allow animals to absorb O2 from water;

Lungs allow animals to absorb O2 from the air.

Stomata allowplants to absorb CO2 from air.

Did you say...

Alike: they all move O2 and CO2 in or out of an organism.

II. Digestion

The process by which food is broken down

and absorbed by the body.

You know that a plant uses its choloroplasts to make food (sugar)

through photosynthesis, and its

roots, xylem and phloemto absorb water and nutrients

from the soil.

Plants are called autotrophs, which means self-feeder.

Animals must eat other organisms to get energy.

They are called heterotrophs, which means other-feeder.

Show on your fingers how many heterotrophs are pictured:

Heterotrophs: 4 (Autotrophs:2)

Whether it eats plants, other animals, or both,

an animal’s digestive systembreaks down its foodinto usable nutrients

and energy for its cells.

The process works like this:

1. Food is collected in the mouth,where digestion begins mechanically, by chewing, and chemically, with saliva (suh LIE vuh).

1.

2. The food goes down the esophagus(ee SOF uh gus) to the stomach, where more chemicals break down the food further. 2.

3. The food passes through the intestines, (in TEST ins) which absorb nutrients and water from the food before it passes out of the body.

3.

TEACH IT!

Tell your neighborhow these two picturesshow similar activities.

How are they different?

Did you say...

The person (a heterotroph)must eat something else and absorb the nutrients

and energy through her

digestive tract.

The plant (an autotroph)makes its own food

through photosynthesis;

Both organisms are feeding their cells.

III. Circulation

The continuous motion by which

the blood travels through all parts of the body

under the action of the heart.

A plant’s xylem and phloemare special vascular tissues

that transportwater, nutrients and food to all the cells of the plant.

Your own body has vascular tissue, too.Veins and arteries in people are like

xylem and phloem in plants.

Just as xylem and phloemrun different directions in plants,

veins and arteriesrun different directions in our bodies.

veins travel TO the heart,

arteries travel FROM the heart.

You’ve heard of sap in trees and other plants.In Vermont, maple tree sap is made into maple syrup.

It’s full of sugar!

Just as sap containswater and sugar and nutrients for the plant,

blood contains all of the things that our bodies need to stay alive.

WARNING:if you are squeamish,

don’t look at the next slide!

Blood and sap collection...

But in even the tallest tree, sap rises through the xylem and descends through the

phloem without help.

Animals need something to keep their blood moving.

They need a pump.We call it a heart.

Try and find your heartbeat...Can you feel it?

If not, try your pulse.You might feel it best on your neck.

The heart pumps blood through

arteries (red) to bring oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body;

veins (blue) bring used blood back to the heart.

Tiny capillaries connect arteries to veins to keep the cycle going.

TEACH IT!

Tell your neighborhow the circulatory system

is similar in both pictures and how it is different.

Did you say...

veins arteriescapillariesbloodheart

XylemPhloemsap

Both plants and animals have systems to circulate water, food and nutrients to their cells.

IV. Locomotion

The ability to move from one location to another.

Every living organism responds to changes in its environment, or its own physical needs, by moving in some way.

Plant movement includes phototropism,

hydrotropism, and geotropism.

Plants can’t walk around in search of sunlight or water,

but auxin in the tissues of the roots, xylem and phloem

allows the plant’s parts to turn or grow towards the things it needs.

auxin, a chemical

Animals also have structures that allow them to move

when they need to.

muscles bones

Bones provide protection and support, while muscles allow movement.

A human skeletal systemhas a variety of bones

including the skull, which protects

the brain,

the ribcage, which protects

the heart and lungs,

and a segmented spinewhich protects the spinal cord

while allowing the body to stand upright.

knee

Different bones meet at joints, which are places where our body can bend and twist.

Muscles pull the bones back and forth to make them move.

FINAL WRAP-UP

Can you match the structure with its function?

A. Circulation

B. Respiration

C. Digestion

D. Locomotion

1

1

2

3

A. Circulation

B. Respiration

C. Digestion

D. Locomotion

1

1

2

3

Answers:

The End