- #1
icakeov
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Hello, is there a common name/word/terminology for any protective layers on an organism, for example, skin on humans, bark on a tree, etc?
Is there a common name for protective layer of an organism?
- Thread starter icakeov
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SUMMARY
The discussion centers on the lack of a universally accepted term for the protective layers of organisms, such as skin in humans and bark in trees. While terms like "epidermis" and "phelloderm" are mentioned, no single term encompasses all protective layers due to the diversity of structures across species. The conversation highlights the complexity of biological classification and the "cubbyhole effect," where naming implies understanding, which is often misleading. Various protective structures, including cuticles, scales, and exoskeletons, serve different functions across organisms.
PREREQUISITES- Understanding of basic biological terminology, including "epidermis" and "phelloderm."
- Familiarity with plant and animal tissue development.
- Knowledge of protective structures in biology, such as exoskeletons and cuticles.
- Awareness of the cubbyhole effect in scientific classification.
- Research the development of plant and animal tissues during embryogenesis.
- Explore the various types of protective layers in different organisms, focusing on exoskeletons and their functions.
- Study the cubbyhole effect and its implications in biological classification.
- Investigate the role of environmental factors, such as humidity, in influencing protective layers like the epidermis.
Biologists, students of zoology and botany, and anyone interested in the structural adaptations of organisms for protection.
- #2
jim mcnamara
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Not really because of the multitude of higher plant and animal structures: ectoderm, dermis, epidermis, cuticle... and so on.
For the best possible guess - I vote for epidermis. This is just a not very useful wild guess.
PS: angiosperm bark is usually called phelloderm. Two names.
The correct answer is: no. You can make a case for some of them being "most common" in certain contexts, maybe. But in the early days of Biology, researchers categorized everything often uniquely. Read: they went overboard naming things. If something has a name then you think you have a handle on it. When you may have no clue. Example: math graduate students will identify a type of problem and then not be able to solve it. Somehow naming something implies knowledge... not really but we often feel that way. It is called the cubbyhole effect. See, it is self-referential, and it has a name, too! It is a disease. :) ...aaahhhh!
So the outermost layer of plants can be phelloderm, spines, cuticle, trichomes (kind of hair), epidermis, glochids... ad nauseum. Same with animals - fur, spines, scales, exoskeleton.
If you follow the development of tissues in the embryo of plants and animals you can see a common source, but in the full grown organism it is not always evident how a tissue is derived from other tissues.
This requires a lot of painstaking work.
Hair and fur are derived from follicles. Some invertebrates have an exoskeleton so the outer layer doubles as a skeletal structure - crabs, insects, bivalves are examples. Exoskeletons are quite varied.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exoskeleton#Evolution.
For the best possible guess - I vote for epidermis. This is just a not very useful wild guess.
PS: angiosperm bark is usually called phelloderm. Two names.
The correct answer is: no. You can make a case for some of them being "most common" in certain contexts, maybe. But in the early days of Biology, researchers categorized everything often uniquely. Read: they went overboard naming things. If something has a name then you think you have a handle on it. When you may have no clue. Example: math graduate students will identify a type of problem and then not be able to solve it. Somehow naming something implies knowledge... not really but we often feel that way. It is called the cubbyhole effect. See, it is self-referential, and it has a name, too! It is a disease. :) ...aaahhhh!
So the outermost layer of plants can be phelloderm, spines, cuticle, trichomes (kind of hair), epidermis, glochids... ad nauseum. Same with animals - fur, spines, scales, exoskeleton.
If you follow the development of tissues in the embryo of plants and animals you can see a common source, but in the full grown organism it is not always evident how a tissue is derived from other tissues.
This requires a lot of painstaking work.
Hair and fur are derived from follicles. Some invertebrates have an exoskeleton so the outer layer doubles as a skeletal structure - crabs, insects, bivalves are examples. Exoskeletons are quite varied.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exoskeleton#Evolution.
Last edited:
- #3
Fervent Freyja
Gold Member
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Jim is correct with epidermis in humans. An organism can be considered a container within a container within a container, down to the subatomic level! There are many names for each level. There are waxes, bacteria, oils, etc. that also serve as protective barriers to the epidermis. Even water content in the surrounding atmosphere can be considered a protective 'layer' to the epidermis.
- #4
icakeov
- 379
- 27
Great! Thanks for all the responses. I was having a hard time finding the answer online... And It's so true, everything is wrapped into something else.
I thought, perhaps there would be a word that would describe the main, "final", "solid" layer that outlines an organism. I would be satisfied with "outer layer". :)
I thought, perhaps there would be a word that would describe the main, "final", "solid" layer that outlines an organism. I would be satisfied with "outer layer". :)
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