Perch-ed to Dissect
Sydney Merritt - Period 4 - Guzman
Perca
Perch are freshwater, bony fish that belong to the family Percidae. This genus is found under the phylum Chordata, and is a member of the kingdom Animalia. The Percidae is one of the most populous families in North America, outnumbered only by minnow families. The classification of the perch is as follows: Animalia, Chordata, Osteichtythes, Perciformes, Percidae and Perca.
Objectives
Students will be able to identify the major components of the perch circulatory system. Students will be able to fully comprehend the perch's niche, habitat and taxonomy.
Students will be able to identify the perch's role in its freshwater food web.
Cross-Referencing
Habitat
The freshwater perch inhabits most non-salinated water bodies of North America. This fish can be found in areas ranging from Lake Superior to the Maryland Coast.
Predators
The perch is consumed by many piscivorous birds such as the gull, lake-dwelling heron and eagle, and other larger fish such as the largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike.
Prey
As larvae of the perch develop, they consume small crustaceans and copepods. Insect and fish larvae are also consumed as the perch reaches its juvenile age. Finally, at full size, the perch continues to feed on larvae but also eats small fish, leeches and snails.
Feeding Perch
Dissection
External Anatomy
Internal Anatomy
Further Dissection Resources
The Circulatory System
An Overview
The majority of the phylum chordata possess closed circulatory systems, including the perch. The perch circulatory system consists of the two-chambered heart (located on the ventral side), and a system of veins and arteries. This system functions to circulate oxygenated blood, minerals, and other substances to all organs in the body.
Fact or Fish-ion?
- The largest perch caught in Maryland history weighed 3 lb. 5 oz. (Fact)
- Male fish live longer than female fish. (Fiction)
- Water temperature only has to be 7 degrees Celsius for the Yellow Perch to spawn (Fact)
Sources Cited:
http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/cek7/nyfish/Percichthyidae/white_perch.html
http://www.allfishingbuy.com/Fish-Species/Perch-Family-Species.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tunAmwsNUhI
http://www.smithlifescience.com/comparativeanatomy.htm
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/A/AnimalHearts.html