Answer to Question #177995 in Evolution for Tobias Amukwiita

Question

How does an animal's body covering, influence the way it exchanges gases, feeds and move? (5marks)

Answer 1

An animal's body covering highly influences the way it performs its life actions. Firstly coming to the way an animal respires and exchange gases.

Several animals including humans have a proper arrangement of lungs using which they exchange gases. However, in case of fishes, they use gills as it contains blood vessels that help in the exchange of gases.

Also, some use their skin for this purpose because of the absence of a proper respiratory organ. Unicellular animals have no special arrangement and hence exchange gases using their plasma membrane.

On the other hand, for functions such as feeding and moving also they utilize their body structures and it varies according to their body coverings. For example: a snake moves by sliding whereas dogs and cats can move about using their limbs. Lizards can intake water using their skin whereas lions use their mouth.