Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Support and Movement Notes PDF
Support and Movement Notes PDF
Support and Movement Notes PDF
their functions.
SUPPORT AND MOVEMENT Supportive tissues enable a
IN PLANTS AND ANIMALS plant to maintain its correct
posture.
Support-It’s the ability of Enables plants to withstand
organisms to bear their external forces such as
weight and maintain their strong winds and animals
body forms climbing on them
Movement- It’s the
displacement of parts of the Arrangement of tissues in
body of an organism e.g. stems
growth Movements of A stem plays an important
plants and limbs of animals. role in support in a plant.
Locomotion- It’s This is due to the presence
Movement of the whole of support tissues which
organism. provide mechanical
Necessity for support and support. These tissues are;
Movement in plants (i) Parenchyma
Movement enables plants to They are spherical or
adjust to the environment elongated. They form the
e.g. growth of pollen tube major component of the
to bring about fertilization. cortex and pith.
Enables the plants to obtain When turgid they become
resources from the tightly packed and rigid,
environment like light, thus enable a plant to attain
water and nutrients-Tropic an erect posture.
and nastic Movements. They provide the main
Enables plants to escape or support in many herbaceous
avoid harmful stimuli such plants such as tomatoes and
as high temperature. Irish potatoes. However
Supportive tissues enable a when such plants lose water
plant to hold delicate on a hot dry day, the cells
organs like leaves and become flaccid and loosely
flowers where they can packed. This causes the
Page 1 of 26
plants to droop a It’s the main constituent of
phenomenon called wilting. wood.
(ii) Collenchyma cells
Not all stems develop
collenchyma.It always
occur towards the outside
beneath the epidermis.
Their walls are thickened
with cellulose especially at
the corners to provide o
mechanical support. o Xylem vessels
Collenchyma cells contain They are thick walled tubes
living protoplasm and their with lignin deposited
walls are not lignified. unevenly in rings, spirals or
Collenchyma tissue is patches on their walls.
important in providing Their main function is
mechanical support in transport but because their
leaves, herbaceous plants walls are thick and
and young woody plants. lignified, they give strength
and support to the stem.
They are found in
angiosperms.
o Xylem tracheids
Page 2 of 26
The tissue is relatively soft thickened or lignified walls.
and easily crushed. Plants Therefore they are referred
with this kind of stem are to as strengthening tissues.
usually small and do not These tissues are;
grow very tall. collenchyma,
Mechanical strength in such sclerenchyma, xylem
stems is directly related to vessels and tracheids. Even
the turgor pressure of the when completely dry, these
living cells of which it is cells remain strong and
composed. maintain their shape.
Some herbaceous plants are They develop thick, strong
known to obtain support by trunks and branches and
twinning round other plants those plants live for many
e.g. passion fruit stems and years.
morning glory e.g. Stems of woody plants
grow in height and in
diameter from year to year.
Stems of woody plants
when young exhibit
herbaceous characteristics
in terms of support but as
they mature they undergo
Others support themselves secondary growth that leads
by use of tendrils e.g. to development of elaborate
Pumpkins tissues e.g. bark covering
their trunks.
Activity1; To observe
wilting in plants
o Materials
-Herbaceous plant-Irish
potatoes/Sonchus
-Woody shrub-Sodom
(ii) Woody stems apple/Mexican marigold
They have support tissues o Procedure
whose cells have stiff,
Page 3 of 26
Uproot a young herbaceous Look for mates and
plant and a woody shrub breeding grounds.
within the same span of
time. Types of skeleton
Lace the two plants on the Hydrostatic skeleton.
laboratory bench for 30 Exoskeleton
minutes. Endoskeleton
Observe the appearance of Exoskeleton
stem and leaves of; It’s a characteristic of
herbaceous plant members of the phylum
Woody shrub Arthropoda and is made up
Account for the appearance of a substance called chitin.
of the shoot in the two Chitin is secreted by
plants above. epidermal cells and hardens
Support and Movement on secretion.
in Animals This Exoskeleton supports
Animals have a firm and and protects inner delicate
rigid framework for support tissues.
known as a skeleton. It’s waterproof and
Functions of skeleton. therefore prevents
Supports the weight of the excessive loss of water
animal’s body. from the body tissues.
Gives the body its shape. Exoskeleton provides a
Provides surface for surface for attachment of
attachment of body muscles body muscles which is
to facilitate movement essential for movement.
Internal organs are attached Chitin is not evenly
onto the framework or distributed i.e. it is thin at
suspended from it. the joints to allow for
-Animals move from place efficient movement.
to place to; NB Exoskeleton limits
Search for food. growth. To overcome this
Escape from predators or limitation it is therefore
hostile environment. periodically shed, a process
called moulting (ecdysis).
Page 4 of 26
Endoskeleton They have a streamlined
It is a characteristic feature body which reduces
of all vertebrates. resistance against
It’s made up of living movement and enables it to
tissues i.e. cartilage or cut through the water
bones, hence these tissues easily.
grow steadily within the It has an inflexible head
animal. that enables it to maintain
o Functions forward thrust.
Supports the animal’s body The scales of the fish
weight. overlap and are pointed
Gives the body its shape. backwards to allow the
Protects inner delicate water to pass over the fish
organs e.g. heart, lungs, easily without any
brain from mechanical obstructions.
injury. The fish also secretes
It provides surface for mucus which covers the
attachment of body muscles body and this reduces
when they contract or relax friction during movement.
to bring about movement. The fish has a flexible
The long and the short backbone on which
bones of the skeleton segments of muscle blocks
produce the blood cells. (myotomes) are attached.
Calcium and phosphate o
deposits on the bones cause
hardening of bone tissue
therefore bone acts as a
reservoir of Calcium and
phosphate ions in the body.
o Locomotion in a
finned fish –Tilapia
-The finned fish are The fish has strong tail
adapted for movement. In muscles which contract and
the water in the following relax to bring about
ways; undulating movements.
Page 5 of 26
Some fish posses a swim
bladder between the
vertebral column and the
gut. It provides fish with
the buoyancy and also
helps the fish to adjust its
vertical position in relation
to depth in water.
The fish posses a lateral o Paired fins- Pectoral
line system along the length and pelvic fins
of their body that enables it
-They have the following
to detect vibrations and functions;
changes of pressure in o Maintaining balance
water thus enabling the fish o Braking-When the
to respond suitably. Paired fins are
The tail has a large surface extended rapidly
area which increases the forward at right
amount of water that is angles to the body.
displaced resulting in an o Changing direction-
increase in the forward Each Pectoral fin can
thrust. be used independently
They have two types of fins of its opposite
i.e.; member hence act as
Paired fins-Pectoral and pivots around which
pelvic fins the fish can turn
(ii)Unpaired fins-Dorsal, rapidly.
ventral and caudal fins
Control pitching of the
fish i.e. the tendency of the
fish to plunge down head
first e.g.
Page 6 of 26
Freshly killed finned fish in
a tray.
A pair of forceps
o Procedure
-Examine the fish provided
and identify the following
o Unpaired fins- features;
caudal, Dorsal ,and Scales
ventral (anal)fins Fins-caudal, ventral,
-They have the following Dorsal, pelvic and Pectoral
functions; fins
Reduce rolling i.e. fish Note the shape of the fish’s
rolling to one side. body.
Place the fish to lie on its
side on the bench. Stroke
the fish from the head to
the tail using your fingers
and from the tail to the
head. Record your
Reduce yawing i.e. lateral observation in relation to
deflection of the body. the arrangement of the
scales.
Draw and label the fish.
o Activity 2; To
calculate the tail
power of fish
NB Caudal fin propels the Requirements
fish forward and steers fish Freshly killed finned fish in
while in motion. a tray
o Activity 1; To Means of measuring(in
examine external millimeters)
features of a finned Procedure
fish Obtain a Freshly killed
o Requirements finned fish.
Page 7 of 26
Measure its body length
from the mouth to the tail
tip.
Measure the length from
the tail tip to the anus.
Calculate the percentage
length of the tail to the rest
of the body.
Tail power is given by;
o Support and
Movement in
mammals
In mammals the bones and
muscle work together to
bring support and
movement.
The skeleton system in
mammals is divided into (1) Axial skeleton
two parts i.e.; This consists of the
o Axial skeleton following;
o Appendicular (a)Skull
skeleton It consists;
(i) Cranium
It encloses and protects the
brain. There are
perforations on the cranium
to allow blood vessels and
Page 8 of 26
nerves to pass to and from a keel which gives a large
the brain. surface area for attachment
(ii) Lower jaw (mandible) of pectoral muscle (flight
and upper jaw muscle)
(maxilla) NB At the lower end, the
It articulates (forms a joint) sternum and ribcage offer
with the upper jaw surfaces for attachment of
(maxilla) through a hinge muscles of the back and the
joint. abdomen.
At the posterior end of the (d) Vertebral column
cranium are two smooth The Vertebral column
rounded protuberances, the consists of bones called
occipital condyles, which vertebrae. The number of
articulate with the atlas vertebrae varies from
vertebra to form a joint species to species e.g. in
which permits the nodding human there are 33
of the head. vertebrae.
X The vertebrae are separated
(b) Ribcage from each other by
It encloses the thoracic cartilage called
cavity protecting delicate intervertebral disc which
organs e.g. heart and lungs. has various functions i.e.
The cage is made of ribs Acts as cushion that
articulating with vertebral absorbs shock and reduces
column to the back and the friction.
sternum to the front. At the It makes Vertebral column
articulating points, the ribs flexible by allowing for a
have cartilage. certain degree of movement
(c)Sternum between the vertebrae.
It supports the ribs and The Vertebral column has 5
protects the organs in the types of vertebrae
thoracic cavity. -Cervical vertebrae
In flying vertebrates the -Thoracic vertebrae
sternum is very prominent -Lumbar vertebrae
and often modified to form -Sacral vertebrae
Page 9 of 26
-Caudal vertebrae The vertebrae articulate
The vertebrae have got with each other anteriorly
common basic plan e.g. and posteriorly by facets
called zygapophysis.
At the anterior (front) and
posterior (back) of each
vertebra is a pair of smooth
facets for articulation of
successive vertebrae.
Facets at the anterior parts
are called prezygapophyses.
They face upwards and
inwards.
The parts of a vertebra are; Facets at the posterior part
Centrum-It’s a solid are called
structure of the vertebra. It postzygapophyses. They
supports the weight of the face downwards and
vertebrae’ outwards.
Transverse process-Are Cervical vertebrae
lateral in relation to They are found in the neck
Centrum while the neural region. There are 7 cervical
spine is dorsal to the vertebrae.
Centrum. All Cervical vertebrae have
These two are projections vertebraterial canals in the
which offer surfaces for transverse process for the
muscle and ligament passage of vertebral artery
attachment. and vertebral nerves.
Neural canal-It’s a The first two cervical
centrally running passage vertebrae called atlas and
for the spinal cord. axis are different from
Neural arch-It’s an arch of other cervical vertebrae.
bones which arises from the Atlas
Centrum. Together with Has a small neural spine.
Centrum they protect the It has no Centrum.
spinal cord.
Page 10 of 26
Neural canal is wide for the
passage of the large spinal Axis
cord in the neck region. It’s the second cervical
Their transverse processes vertebra on the neck region.
are broad and wing-like The Centrum is broad and
offering a large surface area projects in front to form an
for attachment of neck odontoid process/peg. This
muscles. forms a peg which fits into
It has broad facets for the ventral side of the
articulation with condyles neural canal of the atlas.
of the skull. This forms a The joint between the atlas
joint which allows for up and axis allows turning
and down movement of the movement of the head
head (nodding). (rotatory movements).
Page 11 of 26
It has broad neural spine.
Has wide neural canal. (b) Thoracic vertebrae
Has wing-like transverse They are found in the
process. thoracic region articulating
-The other 5 cervical with the ribs. In man they
vertebrae posses; are 12 in number
Broad and branched They have a long neural
transverse process. These spine which offers a large
offer a large surface area surface area for attachment
for attachment of neck of back muscles.
muscles Centrum is large.
Short neural spine Short transverse process.
Wide neural canals and
wide Centrum.
They posses the
prezygapophyses and
postzygapophyses.
Page 12 of 26
Lumbar vertebrae
They are found in the
lumbar region of the body.
In man there are 5
vertebrae.
They have large and broad
The ribs articulate with the Centrum to offer support.
vertebrae at two points i.e. They have broad and long
capitulum and transverse process
tuberculum.The tuberculum projecting forwards and
facet on each transverse downwards from the
process articulates with Centrum for muscle
tuberculum of the rib while attachment.
the capitular demi-facets on Have broad neural spine for
the Centrum articulate on muscle attachment.
the capitulum of the rib. Infront and on either side of
the neural spine are two
projections called
metapophyses.
Also projecting dorsally
near the transverse process
are anapophyses.
Page 13 of 26
In some animals e.g. rabbits
another projection the
hypapophysis arises
ventrally to the Centrum.
All these projections offer
additional surfaces for the
attachment of abdominal
muscles.
Caudal vertebrae.
They are found in the tail
region. The number
depends on the size of the
tail. In man where the tail is
vestigial they are 4 and are o Bones of fore-limbs
fused to form a coccyx. o Pectoral girdle
Neural spines and This is made up of two
zygapophyses are short. halves each of which
Neural canal and neural consists of 3 bones i.e.
arch are absent hence the -Scapula
entire bone is Centrum. -Coracoid process
Appendicular Skeleton -Clavicle
It consists of the girdles and These bones are attached to
limbs attached to them. The the upper part of the
girdles are the pectoral vertebral column. The two
girdle on the anterior side halves are not fused but are
attached firmly by muscles.
Page 15 of 26
Scapula (Shoulder blade) Near the head are two
It’s a flat, triangular-shaped roughened projections i.e.
bone. At its apex is a the greater and lesser
concave cavity or tuberosities. These extend
depression, called glenoid into a shaft which provides
cavity which articulates surface for muscle
with the head of humerus to attachment.
form the ball and socket Between the tuberosities, is
joint. a groove called bicipital
A spine runs along the groove. It is along this
outer surface of the scapula groove that the tendons of
and at its free end, there are the biceps muscles pass.
two projections i.e. At the lower end is the
acromion and metacromion trochlea which articulates
which are both for muscle with the forearm to form a
attachment. hinge joint at the elbow.
Page 16 of 26
with the humerus forming a o Phalanges (Finger
hinge joint. bones) –Each digit
Functions of olecranon has 3 bones called
process phalanges singular
Offers a large surface for phalanx except the
attachment of tendons, thumb that has two.
ligaments and muscles
Prevents overstretching of
the lower arm
Limits movement at the
joint (acts as stopper).
Limits movement of radius
and ulna+
Page 17 of 26
ball and socket joint.
Dorsally, the ilium
articulates with the sacrum.
The ilium provides a large
surface to which thigh
muscles are attached.
*Has sacral facet that
attaches it to the transverse
process of the 1st sacral
vertebra
Between Ischium and pubis
is a hole called orbiturator
foramen. This is an aperture
through which blood
vessels, nerves and muscles
pass. This design is an
adaptation to reduce the
weight of the pelvic girdle
and hence lighten the load
to be supported by the hind
limb.
The pubic symphysis is
composed of flexible
cartilage which permits the
widening of the females
girdles when giving birth.
The ilium, Ischium and
pubis are fused to form the
innominate bone. o NB The size of the
pubic cavity is
important in females
in regard to childbirth.
A hormone called
relaxin causes the
Page 18 of 26
relaxation of the pubis The metatarsals are 5 in
symphysis during number and form the
birth thus expanding skeleton of the foot. In
the size of the pelvic man, there are 5 digits
cavity. (toes) on the foot, 4 in
o Femur rabbits, 2 in the cow and 1
It’s a long bone found in the horse. Each digit has
between the hip and the 3 phalanges (toe bones)
knee. The head of femur except the big toe that has
fits into the acetabulum two.
forming the hip joint.
At the tip of the shaft are
the greater and lesser
trochanters which are
extensions for muscle
attachment.
The shaft of the femur leads
to the lower end with
expanded and rounded
knobs called condyles.
The condyles articulate
with the patella (knee cap).
They also articulate with
tibia to form hinge joint at
the knee.
The tibia and fibula form
the skeleton of the lower
hind limb.
The heel has 7 small bones
in man called tarsals
(ankle bones). These
articulate with the tibia and
fibula on the upper end and
with the metatarsals (foot
bones) on the lower end.
Page 19 of 26
and is also called synovial
joints.
Synovial joints are of two
types.
o Ball and socket
joints
This is a type of joint with
two bones, one with a
round head and the other
one with a depression or a
cavity into which the head
of the first bone fits and
o JOINTS moves freely.
A joint is a connection In this joint, movement is
between two or more possible in all directions.
bones. There are various o Examples; Hip and
types of joints e.g. shoulder joints
o Immovable joints This joint allow the limbs
e.g. Fused bones in the to rotate through 360°,
skull and the pelvic girdle. however, they cannot bear
Gliding joints e.g. at the very heavy loads.
wrist, ankle and between
vertebrae in the vertebral
column.
o Movable joints
They are found at various
points of the appendages.
These joints are
characterized by bones
covered with cartilages at
the ends and bones being o Hinge joint
held together by tough The depressions in one
ligaments. bone allow the smooth
The joint area is filled with condyles of another bone to
a lubricating synovial fluid
Page 20 of 26
fit and articulate to allow At the joint, muscles are
movement in one direction. attached to the bones by an
The maximum stretch of inelastic tissue called
the limb at this joint is tendon.
180º. They are found at the A muscle is attached to two
elbow, knee and phalanges. points, the origin on an
Ulna – humerus hinge immovable bone and
joint insertion on a movable
bone.
Muscles which operate
joints are in pairs and are
antagonistic.
A muscle may bring about
bending at a joint. This type
of a muscle is called flexor
muscle while the other
which straightens the limb
is the extensor muscle.
o Movement at the
hinge joint of the
elbow
In the arm there are two
antagonistic muscles i.e.
biceps and triceps.
The biceps (flexor muscles)
flex the arm while the
contraction of triceps
Movement of a joint (extensor muscles) extends
At a movable joint the the arm. The biceps
bones are held together by contract and triceps relax.
an inelastic tissue called This pulls the ulna – radius
ligament. Ligaments upwards hence bending the
restrain movement of the arm.
bones thus preventing
dislocation.
Page 21 of 26
Page 22 of 26
They contract and fatigue mitochondria present in the
rapidly. sarcoplasm.
They are made up of long Sodium ions and calcium
cylindrical cells with ions are also necessary for
multiple nuclei muscle contraction.
(multinucleated). The force created by
Each fibre contains many contraction is transmitted
myofibrils running parallel onto the skeleton in the
to each other. same magnitude by the
A skeleton muscle is made tendon. This brings about
up of a bundle of long the appropriate movement
fibres running the whole of the skeleton.
length of the muscle. The
covering of a muscle fibre
is called a sarcolemma. Smooth/viscera
The myofibrils are l muscles
composed of two proteins They are found in the walls
strands i.e. actin and of tubular body structures
myosin. e.g. digestive tract, blood
Structure of striated vessels, urinary tract,
muscle reproductive tract,
respiratory tract etc.
They are made of long
spindle – shaped cells with
a single nucleus.
They contain myofibrils
enclosed by plasma
membrane.
The functional unit of the They lack cross striations
muscle is the myofibril hence referred to as smooth
which has the ability to muscles.
contract. Muscles require They are innervated by the
large amounts of energy to autonomic nervous system
contract this energy is and can therefore not be
provided by the numerous contracted at will, hence
Page 23 of 26
they are also called Cardiac muscle is capable
involuntary muscles. They of continuous rhythmic
are capable of contracting contractions without fatigue
slowly and fatigue slowly throughout the life of the
unlike skeletal muscles. mammal.
o They have more
mitochondria than skeletal
muscle to sustain the
energy demands.
Page 24 of 26
(d) .
(e)
Page 25 of 26
Page 26 of 26