Which characteristic is common among vertebrates?(1 point)
Responses
make own food
make own food
eat with teeth
eat with teeth
breathe with lungs or gills
breathe with lungs or gills
supported by an exoskeleton
breathe with lungs or gills
Which characteristic is common to a starfish and snail?(1 point)
Responses
both are mollusks
both are mollusks
both are echinoderms
both are echinoderms
both are the same size
both are the same size
both are invertebrates
both are invertebrates
Which characteristic distinguishes animals from plants?(1 point)
Responses
Plants evolve through natural selection.
Plants evolve through natural selection.
Animals reproduce.
Animals reproduce.
Animals consume other organisms.
Animals consume other organisms.
Plants are made of cells.
Animals consume other organisms.
The characteristic that is common among vertebrates is that they breathe with lungs or gills. This means that vertebrates have specialized organs, either lungs or gills, that enable them to take in oxygen from the environment and release carbon dioxide.
To arrive at this answer, you can distinguish among the given options:
1. "Make own food" - This characteristic is not unique to vertebrates, as some vertebrates, like humans, rely on consuming other organisms for their food instead of producing it themselves.
2. "Eat with teeth" - While vertebrates do typically have teeth for eating, this characteristic is not exclusive to vertebrates. Some invertebrates, such as insects, also have teeth-like structures for feeding.
3. "Breathe with lungs or gills" - This characteristic is indeed common among vertebrates. Vertebrates are classified by the presence of a backbone or a spinal column, and most of them possess either lungs or gills, which allows them to extract oxygen from the environment.
4. "Supported by an exoskeleton" - This characteristic is not common among vertebrates. In fact, vertebrates have an internal skeleton made of bones or cartilage, while organisms with exoskeletons, such as insects and crustaceans, are classified as invertebrates.
Therefore, the correct answer is that vertebrates breathe with lungs or gills.