CHICKEN WING DISSECTION LAB (Online, Virtual)

An incredible amount of information can be found by examining the bones of a chicken. Please read all the details of this fun project.

This lab can be adapted for use with the video links below. The video demonstration substitutes for an in person dissection. Please take screen shots or photographs of the frames in the video that correspond to the questions, as best you can.

Part 1 http://youtu.be/_uLHveuSm_4

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhN0nFPmMsc

What to submit for your lab report on your blog

·         The text of the lab exercise

·         Questions answered and photos added sequentially within the text.

Objectives

1.       Identify and describe the structure and function of bone, tendon, ligament, and cartilage

2.       Identify and describe muscles and their function

3.       Relate gross anatomy with microscopic anatomy

4.       Gain experience dissecting fresh biological material

The “Materials” and “Procedure” sections are left intact as in the in person version. Please carefully note the questions and requests for photos within the Procedures.

Materials

Chicken leg or wing (Gallus domesticus)

·         If you do not normally purchase these, ask someone in the meat department of your favorite store to purchase just one.

Examination gloves, if you have and want to use

Tray or plate

Dissecting tools (small knife, scissors, tweezers)

Paper towels, soap

Magnifying tool, if you have one

Procedure

1.       Put on gloves. Thoroughly rinse and dry chicken leg or wing. Place it on a plate or tray.

2.       Examine the outside skin tissue. Record at least 4 observations of the chicken skin.  

My four observations of the skin were it had a whitish color, had goose bumps where the feathers were attached, it was stretchy it had adipose tissue connected underneath.

3.       Using scissors, knife, and tweezers, work slowly and carefully to cut the skin and peel it away from the muscle below. Notice the clear connective tissue that holds the skin to the muscles.  The probe may be the most effective tool. As you peel off the skin, you may need to cut away some connective tissue.

4.       Record at least 4 observations of connective tissue.

 My observations of the connective tissue were it was loose, stretchy, it connects the skin to the muscle and it resembles a spider web.

5.       Take a photo 

6.       What specific type of connective tissue is this?

The type of connective tissue is a loose connective tissue which includes adipose and areolar tissue.

7.       Observe the yellowish clumps of fat tissue found outside the skin. Record at least 2 observations of the fat. 

My two observations of the fat tissue were it is attached to the skin and muscle and it appears to be soft.

8.       What is the biological term for the type of cells that store fat?  

The biological term for the type of cells that store fat is Adipocyte.

9.       Name at least 2 functions of this fat.

 Two functions of fat are is fat acts as an insulator and it stress energy.

10.   Observe bundles of muscle tissue surrounding the bones. Separate the bundles of muscles by separating them out with your fingers. Begin by inserting your thumb into the muscle by pushing through the connective tissue covering the muscle. It will give way at the natural separations between the muscle bundles.

11.   Viewing through a magnifying tool, if you have one, (but still do if you don’t) describe 2 characteristics of the arrangement of the muscle bundles as you see them here.

 The upper arm has 2 large muscles one on each side of the elbow and one on the outside of each.

12.   Using your textbook or another reference, sketch a representation of the muscles starting with the muscle cell and ending with the whole muscle. Cite your source!

13.   What type of muscle tissue are you viewing?

The type of muscle I viewed is skeletal muscle.

14.   Name the function of this type of muscle tissue.

 The function of skeletal muscle is strength and mobility.

15.   Name 2 two characteristics of this muscle tissue.

Two characteristics of muscle tissue are they flex and extend. They are long tube like cellular structures.

16.   Nerves are thin, threadlike, white strands found between the muscle and the nearest bone. Remove a single muscle by cutting the tendons and peeling the muscle away from the bone. Look for the nerve in your specimen. The texture is much different from a tendon or bone. It is rather slippery. Did you find one?

During the dissection I did see a nerve.

17.   Take a photo of the muscle and nerve or only the muscle, if you did not find the nerve. 

18.   The strong, shiny, white cords of tendons hold the muscle to the bones. Some of these tendons pulled away from the bone as you separated the muscle bundles.

Observe with a magnifying tool, if you have one, describe, and sketch

a.       the attachment of tendon to muscle.

b.      the attachment of tendon to bone.

19.   Take a photo.

20.   Cut across the tendons at the elbow and peel back toward the carpal joint as if you were peeling a banana. Observe the numerous tendons and pull the freed muscles down and away from the bone. Don't cut any ligaments that attach bone to bone.

21.   Take a photo.

"Dissection of the Chicken Wing & Comparison to Human Arm." We Love Teaching. n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2015.

22.   Look closely at the ligaments with a magnifying tool. Describe 2 differences in appearance between tendons and ligaments.  

The difference between tendons and ligaments is that ligaments are flexible and the tendons are not. The tendons are white and flat whereas ligaments come in different shapes.

23.   What type of connective tissue composes the ligaments?

Ligaments are composed of dense connective tissue.

24.   Remove all remaining muscle to expose the bones of the chicken leg.

25.   Take a photo.

26.   Bend the elbow. Refer to pages 113-115 in your textbook and answer these questions.

a.       What type of joint is this?

The elbow has a hinge joint; the hinge joint is also a synovial joint.

b.      What type of movement is being demonstrated?

The movement that is demonstrated is like a hinge on a door, it only moves on one plane.

27.   Cut into the elbow joint and separate the ulna and radius from the metacarpals.  Observe the shiny white layer covering the ends of the bones. Name this covering according to its primary tissue and specific type.   

The shiny white layer covering the end of bones is a flexible connective tissue called cartilage.

28.   Describe the texture of the ends of the bones at the joint.

The texture of the cartilage is smooth, thick and shiny.

29.   Name three functions of bone.

The three functions of bones are support, movement and protection.

30.   If you could see inside the bone. What soft material would you find? Do not break the raw chicken bone. There is danger from bone fragments flying out. 

The soft material you would see is bone marrow.

31.   Name three specific types of cells present here.

The three types of cells present in bone marrow are stem cells, white blood cells (leukocytes) and red blood cells (erythrocytes).

32.   Explore and examine other parts.

33.   Dispose of materials. Using warm water and soap thoroughly wash all tools and materials, including your hands and the surface you worked upon.