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