Integumentary System

 The integumetary system is the largest organ in our bodies. It is the outside of us. Our skin, our fur, our armor. This system proctects as well as helps our bodies. It protects us from disease, or bacteria, and the sun's UV rays. It also maintains homeostasis (hot or cold) and removes waste from the subaceous glands, and sweat glands.



First, I looked at the integumentary system of a grass frog.

-The grass frog's skin produces mucus. This allows its skin to stay moist. This is a disadvantage because if it isn't moist, it could suffocate.
-The frog's skin is meant for camoflauge produced by melanin. This is advantageful because it can hide from prey, and survive.
-Its skin is permable for both water and gas. This allows it to swim undearneath the water for a long time, which can be used to run away from prey, and even get food.
-The frog also uses its skin for respiration, and protection. It protects its skeleton, and organs from getting damaged. It can breathe under the water, which makes the water a great place to be if you're a frog.
-A frog is ectothermic, which means it gets its energy from the sun. Being ectothermic allows less food intake, which makes a less risk for dying.

Second, I looked at the integumentary system of a rat.

-The rat has fur, which is an advantage because it can keep warm in cold temperatures.
-The rat has whiskers, which are used for sensory. It helps it determine if it fits in a hole, or something.
-The rat has fingernails, which are advantageful because it can use it to hurt a prey, or catch food, and can dig holes, and rip cords or sutff.
-A rat is endothermic, which means its warm blooded. This means a rat has to get food from eating things, such as cheese, to get energy. This has a disadvantage because you have to go and search for food. While doing this, something bad could happen, which allows you to loose your life.


Then, I looked at the crayfish's integumentary system.

-The crayfish has an armor, which is by all means an advantage. This allows it to survive, and less likely to be eaten.
-The crayfish's armor is not permable, which means it uses it mouth to eat, like the worm.
-The crayfish has claws, which act kind of like scissors. This allows it to defend itself from things like humans.
-The crayfish also has an exoskeleton, which is used for protection.
-The crayfish is ectothermic, which makes it virtually useless in the dark. The crayfish depends on the sun for energy, and without energy, it can't do much.

Next, I looked at the integumentary system of an earthworm.

-The worm has mucous glands, which allow it to slither. This is useful because it can manuever through dirt easily.
-The worm has neither lungs nor gills, and exchanges gas through its skin. This is not useful when it comes to water. If it has to run into water, it will die.
-The skin is thin, which means it can perform diffusion. Diffusion is when something moves from a higher concentration to a lower one, or spreading something more widely. This is helpful because it can get food, and gas from here.
-The worm's skin has satae or bristles. This makes movement easier, and that means the worm can move with better ease.

Next, I looked at the integumentary system of a human.

taken from the Holt, Rinehart, and Winston Biology textbook

-The human skin is made up of three layers: Epidermis, Dermis, and Subcutaenos Tissue. This is useful because it protects, it has senses, it keeps you warm, and it contains blood, muscle, and sweat.
-The skin is used as a barrier. It keeps the inside stuff protected, and the outside stuff, such as disease, and UV, out.
-The skin maintains homeostasis by having hair, and nerves, and, releasing sweat. Sweat cools you down, while hair can keep you warm. Nerves are used for sensory.

-The skin also removes waste, like sweat, oil, dirt, and dead skin. Without the release of oil, our skin would be really dry, and would crack easily, almost like a mask. Dead skin comes off of our bodies all the time, and if it were to remain on us, our skin wouldn't be so healthy.
-The human skin is endothermic, which means we gets energy from the things we eat. The only disadvange this gives us is that we spend a lot of money, and we need a lot of it to get more and more energy.