mollusk life cycle
DESCRIPTION
Mollusk Life Cycle. Most mollusks are dioecious (separate sexes) Some are hermaphroditic The life cycle of many mollusks includes a free swimming, ciliated larval stage called a TROCHOPHORE. Major Mollusk Classes. Four major classes of mollusks: Class Polyplacophora – the chitons - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Mollusk Life Cycle• Most mollusks are
dioecious (separate sexes)
• Some are hermaphroditic
• The life cycle of many mollusks includes a free swimming, ciliated larval stage called a TROCHOPHORE
Major Mollusk Classes• Four major classes
of mollusks:– Class
Polyplacophora – the chitons
– Class Gastropoda – snails & slugs
– Class Bivalvia – clams, mussels, oysters
– Class Cephalopoda – octopus & squid
Class Polyplacophora• Includes the
chitons• Eight overlapping
shell plates • Can roll up• All marine• Use radula to
scrape algae off rocks.
Class Gastropoda• largest of the
mollusk classes• 70,000+ named
species• Include snails, slugs,
nudibranchs (sea slugs), sea butterfly
• Marine, freshwater, terrestrial
• Creep along using foot
Class Gastropoda• The shell of a
gastropod is always one piece, called a valve.
• Gastropods are considered univalves
Class Gastropoda• Many snails
can withdraw into the shell and close it off with a lid called an operculum.
Class Gastropoda • Nudibranchs are
sea slugs– Do not have shell– Have colorful
branches of gut or gills exposed
– Prey on sponges, cnidarians, & other invertebrates
– May produce noxious chemicals
Class Gastropoda- Nudibranchs
Class Gastropoda- Nudibranchs
Gastropod Feeding Habits
• Most gastropods are herbivores and feed by scraping algae off of rocks using the radula.
• Some (like nudibranchs) are carnivores