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BioLab 3
Exercise 2
Flight
Objectives:
- To explore biodiversity through the flying accomplishments of members of the animal kingdom.
- To utilize the Internet as a tool to learn more about selected animals and flight.
- To engage in flight activities.
- To submit answers in writing to your instructor based on your observations and work.
Materials:
- A computer.
- Internet access through an internet service provider (ISP),
and a browser such as Netscape Navigator.®
- Colored pencils
- Pen and paper.
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Background and Methods:
- Flight. It is something that many of us have thought about at one time or another. Imagine being able to fly. It seems like a dream that only comes true in movies. Yet, many organisms defy gravity everyday and take flight. In this BioLab we will explore Biodiversity through the engineering of flight.
Pelicans in Florida.
Gull over Plumb Beach, Jamaica Bay, New York - Biology 13 Field Trip
- Insects
Let's begin with insects, the largest Class in the Phylum, Arthropoda. Although not all insects fly, many do. Several factors contribute to an insects' ability to fly, such as wing structure and eye construction. Go to the following web sites to read about Insect Flight. Then return to this page to continue:
- How Insects Fly
The Evolution of Flight
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- What adaptations of insect wings are ideal for flight?
- How do insect eyes enhance flight?
Email your answers to your instructor.
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- Vertebrates
Very often, when we think of flight in animals, birds come to mind.
- An eagle in flight. A gull over the ocean...
- We may also think of mammals, such as bats. How do they do it? Go to the following websites to read about the design and mechanics of flying in vertebrates. Then return to this page to continue:
How Birds Fly
Vertebrate Flight Exhibit
Introduction to Flight
The Physics of Flight
Gliders and Parachuters
The Evolution of Flight
The Origins of Flight
The Three Solutions of Flight
- We usually see flamingos in a standing position, as shown below:
How do you think a flamingo looks when it is flying? Try your hand at sketching a flamingo in flight. Perform an Internet search to discover if your images correspond to what these birds actually look like when they fly. Submit your findings to your instructor via email.
- References
- French, M.J. 1993. Invention and evolution - Design in nature and engineering. Cambridge University Press.
- Dalton, Stephen. 1999. The Miracle of Flight. Firefly Books Ltd., Buffalo, New York.
- Nora Juliet Restrepo
All of the drawings included in this exercise are the art work of Nora Juliet Restrepo, a first grader at P.S. 52, Staten Island, New York. She is seven years old. Nora enjoys drawing, soccer and cartoons.
- Additional Link:
Wings on Hind Legs
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| Computer and Internet Ethics
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- Do not provide personal information online, nor strike up conversations with strangers in online chat rooms.
- Do not violate copyright laws through illegal duplication of software, or through utilization of the original online work of others without proper citation, or permission,
- Keep any and all passwords confidential.
- When on the KCC or other website networks, do not attempt accessing restricted areas which require codes or passwords. In addition to not being the right thing to do, you could be arrested.
- When using your home computer, always scan newly downloaded software for viruses utilizing the antiviral programs that are part of your computer's utilities.
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