Perch Dissection
PAP- BIo-Period 7
April 6, 2014 By Jackson Twyman
Perca flavescens
The perch is in the order with bony fish. It belongs in kingdom Animalia, and phylum chordata. The perch lives mainly in slow moving near shore waterways. The perch is a pretty large fish. It grows to about 15 inches long. The predators of the perch are larger fish like the largemouth bass, and the lake trout. Perch eat small insects, and other small organisms. The perch regulates the amount of fish in the ecosystem, by eating the small fish, and they are eaten by bigger fish. The perch has an adaptation of gill rakers to feed on plankton. Also, they have specialized teeth called palatines to eat small organisms.
Objectives
You will learn about the internal and external anatomy of perches. Also, I will be using the perch's endocrine system, so you will be learning about the structures and functions of the digestive system.
Endocrine System
Endocrine System
The pituitary, the thyroid, the suprarenals, the adrenals, the pancreatic islets, the sex glands (ovaries and testes), the inner wall of the intestine, and the bodies of the ultimobranchial gland make up the endocrine system in fishes. These organs control sexual activity, growth, reproduction, blood pressure, and skin color. This system is controlled by the central nervous system of the fish. It works with the reproductive system because it controls sexual activity.
Perch Location
Interesting Facts
An interesting fact about perches, is that they lay their eggs in a stream, and hang them from vegetation. They do this to hide the eggs from predators. Also, fisherman love to fish for perch. The perch is a good sport fish, because it has flaky meat, and it likes to take the bait. Finally, perch are known to live as long as thirteen years.
Perch Fishing Tips
Cladogram
The perch's landmark are jaws, and it is the second lowest on the cladogram.
Perch Life Cycle
Perch have to wait for a specific time to lay their eggs, because it has to be a certain temperature.
Human Impact
People love fishing for perch. They are very good for eating, and very easy to catch.