KHOA HỌC TỰ NHIÊN 7

LESSON 9. DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH

 After completing this lesson, the learner will be able to:

 Explain how young organism develop.

CONNECT

Is that a beetle or a bottle? Australian jewel beetles seem to have

trouble figuring out the difference. These large insects live in
certain dry regions of Australia. Male beetles can fly, but the
larger females cannot. As males fly around, they look for females.
Males recognize females by the color and pattern of the female
beetle’s body. Researchers have discovered that male beetles
are also attracted to something else with a similar color and
pattern: glass bottles. Many beetles have been seen trying to
mate with discarded glass bottles. Scientists are concerned that
the jewel beetle population may be harmed—because mating with
bottles does not produce jewel beetle offspring!
Why would the male’s attempt to mate with bottles harm the jewel beetle population?

VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT

Where do embryos develop?

Turtle, sharks, and mice all reproduce sexually. But after
fertilization occurs, the offspring of these animals develop in
different ways. The growing offspring, or embryo, may develop
outside or inside of the parent’s body.
The offspring of some animals develop inside an egg laid outside
of the parent’s body. Most animals without backbones, including
worms and insects, lay eggs. Many fishes, reptiles, and birds lay
eggs, too. The contents of the egg provide all the nutrients that
the developing embryo needs.
In certain animals, an embryo develops inside an egg that is kept, or retained, withing the
parent’s body. The developing embryo gets all its nutrients from the egg’s yolk and do not
receive any extra nutrients from the parent. This type of development is found in fishes,
amphibians, and reptiles.
In dogs, horses and human, the embryo develops inside the mother’s body. The mother
provides the embryo with everything it needs during development.
How do young animals develop?
Living things grow, change, and reproduce during their lifetimes. Some young animals, including
most vertebrates, look like small versions of adults. Other animals go through the process of
metamorphosis, or major body changes, as they develop from young organisms into adults.

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Insects can undergo complete or

incomplete metamorphosis. The cycle
shows a ladybug going though complete
metamorphosis, which has four different
stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The
incomplete metamorphosis has three
stages: egg, nymph, and adult and has no
distinct larva stage.

PRACTICE

PART A: ANSWER THE QUESTIONS

1. In the cycles below, the shapes represent stages of complete or incomplete metamorphosis.
Using the shape bank, draw the shapes that you think best represent the missing stages in
each type of metamorphosis.

2. Plant life cycle

Fill in the blank with the

correct answer.

pollination
germination
planting
seedling
sprouting
mature plant
fruiting

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PART B: LAB INVESTIGATION

3. Lab Investigation: “Eggs-amination”

You may have eaten an egg for breakfast this morning, or at least something containing egg. In
this activity, you will have the chance to closely observe an egg and report your findings.

MATERIALS

 bowl  uncooked egg

 hand lens  water

LAB SAFETY

Be sure to follow all safety procedures provided by your teacher. Find more information
about the safety icons in the Safety Section.

PROCEDURE

1. Observe the surface of a chicken egg with a hand lens. Then, gently crack the egg into a
bowl. Do not break the yolk.

2. Note the membrane attached to the inside of the shell. Then look at the large end of the
egg. What do you see?

3. Fill one part of the eggshell with water. What do you observe?

4. Find the egg yolk. What is its function?

5. Look for a small white spot on the yolk. This marks the spot where the embryo
would have developed if the egg had been fertilized.

6. Wash your hands with warm water and soap.

ANALYZE AND CONCLUDE

1. Draw a labeled diagram of the egg that names each structure and describes its function

2. Why wouldn’t the egg that you observed have ever hatched, even if a hen had
incubated it?

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4. Lab Investigation: “Eggs-tra” Protection

Embryos that develop inside their mother are protected by the mother’s body. In this activity,
you will compare the protection that an egg’s shell and a mother’s body provide to an embryo.

MATERIALS

 2 chicken eggs (hardboiled)  1 trash bag

 2 resealable plastic bags  1 shoebox or another small box
(one small, one large)  meter stick
 an assortment of packing material  water

LAB SAFETY

Be sure to follow all safety procedures provided by your teacher. Find more information
about the safety icons in the Safety Section.
PROCEDURE

1. Place an egg inside the small bag. Fill the bag with water. Try to remove all air from the bag
and seal it. Place this bag inside the larger bag. Then, fill the large bag with packing material,
and seal the bag.

This is a model of a placental mammal. The water represents the cushioning liquid. The packing
material represents the mother’s body. The egg represents the developing embryo.

2. Examine the other egg. Predict what will happen when you drop this egg into the shoebox
from a height of 1 m. Record your prediction.

3. Line the shoebox with the trash bag.

4. Drop the egg from a height of 1 m into the shoebox. Record what happens.

5. Now drop the egg encased in the two plastic bags into the shoebox from a height of 1 m.
Remove the egg from the bag, and record what happened to the egg.

6. Wash your hands carefully with warm water and soap after disposing of the eggs.

ANALYZE AND CONCLUDE

1. Which egg was able to fall without breaking? Why do you think the egg did not break?

2. Explain one way that this model might have been inaccurate or confusing.

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5. Lab Investigation: Cycles of Life

Insects undergo major body changes, or metamorphosis, as they develop from eggs to adults.
In this activity, you will model either complete or incomplete metamorphosis

MATERIALS

 push pins, assorted colors

 styrene balls, 4 sizes; 1.2 cm,  yarn, string, and other craft supplies
2.5 cm, 5 cm, and 7 cm  scissors
 chenille sticks, assorted colors  container with folded pieces of paper

LAB SAFETY

Be sure to follow all safety procedures provided by your teacher. Find more information
about the safety icons in the Safety Section.

PROCEDURE

1. Select a piece of paper from the container. Unfold and read the information. This is the stage
of a life cycle you will model.

2. Consult with your partner, and discuss how you will use the available materials to build your
model.

3. Build your model. When you are finished, label your model with your first and last
initials and your partner’s first and last initials. For example, “JBRT.” Do not have your original
slip of paper visible near your model.

4. View the models that other groups made. In the space below, write the initials of the model
that most closely depicts the life cycle stage listed.

Incomplete Metamorphosis Complete Metamorphosis

Egg _________ Egg _________

Nymph _________ Larva _________

Adult _________ Pupa _________

Adult _________

ANALYZE AND CONCLUDE

1. Compare any two models that represent the same stage of the same type of life cycle. Which
is the better model? Why?

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2. Based solely on examining the models you and your classmates made, describe the
differences between complete and incomplete metamorphosis.

PART C: READING

6. Reading: Silk Production

Did you know the production of silk is related to metamorphosis? Read the passage
below. Then answer the questions that follow in the spaces provided.
Silk is produced by caterpillars. The nurture of the caterpillars and the collection of the silk is
called sericulture. Sericulture requires attention and hard work.

Caterpillars hatch from eggs called grains on silkworm farms at temperatures of 23–25°C. Both
the temperature and humidity must be maintained for 8–10 days while the caterpillars form
small larvae.

The larvae are placed on feeding racks covered with mulberry leaves, that are fresh and dry. In
about one month the larvae become grown caterpillars. Next they are placed in straw boxes to
produce silk cocoons. The caterpillar spins a protective cocoon around itself. To complete the
cocoon takes about 4 days. Usually one cocoon produces between 1,000 and 2,000 feet of silk
filament. Three thousand cocoons are needed to produce one square yard of silk material.
Unfortunately, in the past, to preserve the cocoon, sericulturists destroyed the worm before it
broke through the silk filaments.

Techniques used in India and also in Oregon allow the silkworms to survive the silk collection
process. However, the method of silk production that does not allow the silkworms to live is
about 60% cheaper than the new, more humane process.

1. About how many feet of silk filament are used to produce one square yard of silk material?
Explain.

2. Why do you think real silk is expensive?

3. Do you think producing silk more humanely is worth the extra cost?

4. Find out which two countries produce the most silk.

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