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Mollusks Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Mollusca (means “soft”)
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What is a Mollusk? ● Soft body with internal or external shell ● Ex: snails, slugs, clams, squid, and octopi ● Trochophore l arva
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● Body plan: ● Foot – takes on many forms ● Mantle – covers the body & secretes shell ● Shell – (present in most) ● Visceral mass – internal organs
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General Characteristics Bilaterally symmetrical Triploblastic
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General Characteristics Con’t Open circulatory system – Exception is cephalopods have closed circularoty system Radula usually present (tongue) Protostomes
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Groups of Mollusks Three major classes of mollusks Gastropoda Bivalvia Cephalopoda
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Gastropods “ Stomach Foot” Snails, Slugs, Nudibranchs, Conchs, Whelks, etc. 35,000+ species
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Freshwater, Marine, or Terrestrial Shell-less or single-shelled Move by secreting mucous with cilia or use muscular foot
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Snail
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Slug
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Nudibranchs (sea slugs) Check out the nudibranch gallery at nationalgeographicnudibranch gallery at nationalgeographic
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Gastropod Anatomy
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Torsion “twisted” body – 180 degree rotation of visceral mass – Significance: allows the snail to retract it’s head into the shell first and it’s foot last.
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Interesting Facts! Land snails can lift ten times their own weight up a vertical surface (like a wall). Largest Snail = Giant African Land Snail – Can weigh 2 pounds!
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Defense from Predators Shells! But what about poor land slugs and nudibranchs? – Land slugs are usually nocturnal – Some nudibranchs prey on cnidarians and recycle their nematocysts – Some sea hares can squirt ink to hide themselves
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Gastropod Feeding Most are predators or scavengers Radula: tongue-like organ that scrapes algae or other plant-like material
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Radula
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Some predatory gastropods have radula modified to pierce prey
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Gastropod Respiration Gas exchange occurs in mantle cavity – gills or diffusion Siphon- inhalent tube – Where water enters body
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Gastropod Circulation Have open circulatory system Blood not contained w/in vessels; instead it washes over the body tissues Blood acts as a hydrostatic skeleton
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Nervous System Nerves concentrated into large ganglia Most ganglia located in head region Simple or complex eyes Osphradia- chemoreceptors that help to detect prey
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Excretion Nephridium- kidneys Ammonia = primary nitrogenous waste produced in aquatic species Uric acid = primary nitrogenous waste produced in terrestrial species
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Reproduction Can be monoecious or dioecious Usually external fertilization where sperm and eggs released into water Some internal fertilization in snails
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Snail Reproduction
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Economic Importance Delicious-Escargot Intermediate host for different parasites Snails and slugs can be serious agricultural pests
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Class Bivalvia
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General Characteristics Includes clams, oysters, mussels, scallops Two shells – Hence “Bi-valvia”
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30,000+ species Marine and Freshwater Mostly filter feeders
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Interesting Facts! Largest bivalve -734 pounds and 4 long Ocean Quahog can live to be 220 years old!
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Bivalve Respiration Incurrent and Excurrent Siphons – Water enters and exits here Gills greatly expanded and cilliated
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Circulation Open Circulatory System – Blood not contained w/in vessels – Blood “washes” over body tissues by action of the beating heart
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Bivalve Feeding and Digestion Filter feeders – Labial palps filter out food particles – Non-edible particles flushed out through the excurrent siphon
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Nervous System Con’t Most sensory organs are located in the margin of the mantle – Have ganglia – Statocysts and Chemoreceptors
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Reproduction Mostly Dioecious Gonads located in visceral mass External fertlization
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Economic Importance Mmm Tasty! Pearl production – Multi-billion dollar industry
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Class Cephalopod
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Cephalopods ● octopi, squids, cuttlefish, and nautilus ● soft-bodied, head is attached to foot ● foot is divided into tentacles with sucking disks Use jet propulsion
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Cephalopod Shell Nautilius only one with external shell Internal in squid (pen) and cuttlefish (cuttlebone) Absent in octopi
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Movement Use siphon for jet propulsion – Squeeze mantle cavity forcefully Sometimes have external “wings” used to help steer
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Feeding Active predators – Many hunt at night Food captured by tentacles and brought to mouth Jaws and radula used
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Respiration & Circulation Closed circulatory system – 3 Hearts – Blood is contained w/in vessels Respiration through gills High metabolic rate
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Nervous System Very large brain Advanced, large eyes Chemoreceptors Chromatophores-pigment cells Some of the smartest animals on the planet
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Some display bioluminescence: use ATP to light up squid: brown or black ink
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Octopus (creeps on tentacles)
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Squid
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Reproduction Dioecious Males have testes and packed sperm in spermatophores All larval development occurs in the egg
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Economic Importance Yummy food source- calamari Bait
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Octopus versus Shark
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