LESSON 9: PHYLUM MOLLUSCA

widely characterized as soft-bodied invertebrates enclosed in a calcium carbonate shell; there are over 75,000 described species, making them the second most diverse phylum of animals

a collection of nerve cell bodies used for control and regulatory activities

a system wherein blood saturates the body and may be directly open to the environment at places like the digestive tract, instead of being sealed in blood vessels

an elongated structure containing the mouth and certain nervous and sensory organs, as well as an elongated foot that is used in attachment and locomotion

contains the organs of digestion, circulation, reproduction, and excretion

encloses the visceral mass; secretes calcium carbonate and matrix to form the exterior shell of a mollusk

a central feature of the molluscan biology; this cavity is formed by the mantle skirt, a double fold of mantle which encloses a water space; functions in gas exchange, excretion, elimination of digestive wastes, and release of reproductive products; serves as a respiratory chamber in all mollusks

ribbon-like structure covered with rows of small teeth; used for breaking down food before entering the digestive tract

also referred to as the class of snails and slugs; recognized as the largestand most diverse class of Phylum Mollusca;

elongated appendage which serves as a muscular feeding tube in some animals

with close to 30,000 species, it is considered as the second largest molluscan class; this class includes clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops; a sheet-like mantle and a shell consisting of two valves cover these laterally compressed animals

eat particles of food from the surrounding water; through filtering the water, bivalves are valuable in removing bacteria from polluted water

organisms which have male sexual organs when young, then changes into having female sexual organs later in life

includes the octopus, squid, cuttlefish, and the nautilus; dubbed as the most complex mollusk and in many ways, the most complex invertebrates; the foot is incorporated into a funnel associated with the mantle cavity and is used for jet-like locomotion

one tentacle of male cephalopods

structures for encasing sperm in packers

structures for encasing sperm in packers

has a _________ for muscle contraction, sensory perception, memory, and decision-making

a pigment-containing cell found in a wide range of animals which enables them to camouflage

powerful, beak-like structures for tearing food, and the radula rasps food, forcing it into the mouth cavity