MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

SECONDARY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMME

GRADE 11
BIOLOGY
WEEK 2 LESSON 1
TOPIC: Movement
SUB-TOPIC: Movements in Plants and Animals
OBJECTIVES
Given handouts and worksheets, students will:

 correctly distinguish between growth movements in plants and movement in animals.

 accurately explain the importance of locomotion and movement in plants and animals.
 correctly explain the parts and functions of the skeleton.

CONTENT

 Locomotion is the ability of an organism to move around in its environment. Animals can
move from one place to the next by a support structure known as the skeleton. Mammals
have an endoskeleton which means that it is located within the body. The muscles that are
used for moving the limbs are attached to the outer surface of the bones.
 Arthropods (such as insects and crustaceans) have an exoskeleton made of chitin. They,
too, move their limbs with muscles, but unlike in vertebrates, the muscles are attached to
the internal structure of the exoskeleton. Some animals do not have limbs and move
around by either changing the shape of their body, using appendages or by floating in the
water. These include various worms, snails, protozoans, etc.
 Plants, however, do not have skeleton nor limbs and as such, they are unable to move
from one place to the next. Yet, plants can sense their environment and can respond to
sensory information through visible movements to optimize their survival, growth and
reproduction. These growth movements are called tropism and are triggered mostly by a
stimulus such as sunlight. Plant movements include movement towards light, opening
and closing of their flowers, growth of developing roots in search of water and nutrients,
etc. Plant movements are often slow and undetectable. Classical examples of visible plant
movements include the response of sensitive plants such as the ‘touch-me-not’ (Mimosa
pudica) and the carnivorous Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula).
 Can you think of other examples of plants that exhibit visible plant movements?

Importance of Locomotion in Animals

In terms of survival, locomotion is an essential ability for all animals for the following reasons:

 Nutrition- most animals need to move from place to place to find food. Herbivores move
around in search of good grazing; carnivores need to move around so they can hunt and
catch other animals.
 Reproduction- animals move from place to place in search of a suitable mate and the
young offspring of animals may move away from their parents as they grow older to
avoid competition and to increase species diversity.
 Safety- animals need to be able to escape from predators and also to avoid dangers such
as floods, fires and even humans.
 Environmental conditions- animals need to adapt to changing conditions and this means
that if it is too hot, cold, dry, or wet they need to move to find more suitable conditions.
Additionally, animals (even microorganisms) tend to move away from their waste
products.

Remember that plants do not move from place to place in the same way as animals do.
However, plants need to move to grow and be able to respond to conditions in their
environment (light and water). Some plants also move to disperse their seeds.

Movement in Humans - The skeletal system.

The human skeleton is made up of bones and cartilage. Bones are living tissues that store
minerals like calcium and phosphorous, which the body needs to grow. The marrow in the
bones in the bones is the site where red blood cells and some white blood cells are produced.
 Fig 1 shows the structure of a long bone- femur.

Epiphysis

 Expanded ends of long bones

 Covered with dense bone tissue
 Internal structure in spongy bone

Diaphysis

 Shaft
 Made of compact bone tissue

Figure 1: Structure of a Long Bone (retrieved from musculoskeletalkey.com)

The cartilage is a softer tissue than bone that acts as a shock absorber and it is found at the
ends of the bone, where two bones meet to form a joint. It allows the bones to move
smoothly over one another.

Tendons are tough fibers that join the muscles to the bones.

Ligaments join one bone to another. Ligaments are elastic fibers, which allow the joint to
move.

FUN FACT!
There are 206 bones in the skeleton. The fossil
remains of vertebrates are usually parts of skeletons.
Bone is very hard and therefore preserves well.
The skeleton is divided up into two
main parts:

 The central bones of the skull,

ribs, vertebral column and
sternum from the central axis.
This is called the axial
skeleton.
 The bones of the arms and
legs, along with the scapula,
clavicle and pelvis, make up
the appendicular skeleton.

Figure 2: Two Main Parts of the Human Skeleton

(Retrieved from pinterest.com)
Functions of the Skeleton

Function Reason
Support Provides a framework for the rest of the body. Also gives shape
to the body.
Movement The bones provide a solid structure for muscle attachment. Some
bones articulate with each other to provide levers to allow
movement.
Protection The hard bones protect from physical damage to our soft tissue
e.g. ribcage protects the heart and lungs, the cranium protects the
brain and the pelvis protects the uterus.
Manufacture of blood Stem cells within the red bone marrow that is inside some bones
cells divide to form blood cells and platelets.
Storage Bone tissue is a store of calcium. This mineral element is used for
functions such as hardening bones and teeth, used by cells for
muscle contraction, in the nervous tissue for sending impulses
from one nerve to the other and aids in blood clotting. Yellow
bone marrow stores fat.
Breathing Intercostal muscles move the ribcage up and down. Together with
the movement of the diaphragm, this increases and decreases the
volume of the thorax for breathing in and out.

Homework

There are different types of growth tropism in plants. Identify and explain three of these
growth tropisms that plants exhibit.
References
Bhatla, S., & Sisodia, R. (2018, November 29). Plant movements. Retrieved from springer.com:
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-13-2023-1_29#:~:text=or%20its%20parts.-
,Plant%20movements%20include%20movements%20toward%20light%2C%20opening%20and%
20closing%20of,%2C%20function%2C%20and%20behavior%20accordingly.

Delochan, A., fosbery, R., Givens, P., Hunte, P., & Morris, M. (2010). Human and Social Biology for CSEC.
Great Clarendon st, UK: Oxford University Press.

Kirby, P.-G., Madhosingh, L., & Morrison, K. (2014). Biology for CSEC (2nd ed.). Cheltenham, UK: Nelson
Thornes Ltd.

Pinterest. (2020). The skeleton and muscles. Retrieved from pinterest.com:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/491877590524261560/

Unknown. (2016, December 5). Structure and functions of joints. Retrieved from
musculoskeletalkey.com: https://musculoskeletalkey.com/structure-and-function-of-joints/