What is the main characteristic of a bivalve?
A bivalve is characterized by possessing two shells secreted by a mantle that extends in a sheet on either side of the body. The oldest part of the shell, the umbo, can be recognized as a large hump on the anterior end of the dorsal side of each shell.
What are the three characteristics of bivalves?
Three of the main characteristics of bivalves are:
- Two equally sized shells that close together for protection using muscles.
- A large, muscular foot that is used to bury within the lake or ocean bottom.
- A straw-like siphon which protrudes out of the shell to take in and get rid of water and food.
What characteristics do clams have?
A clam’s shell consists of two valves, which are connected by a hinge joint and a ligament that can be external or internal. Two adductor muscles close the shells. The clam has no head, and usually has no eyes, (scallops are a notable exception), but a clam does have kidneys, a heart, a mouth, and an anus.
What is the function of the clam’s foot?
Like all mollusks, a clam has a mantle which surrounds its soft body. It also has a muscular foot which enables the clam to burrow itself in mud or sand. The soft tissue above the foot is called the visceral mass and contains the clam’s body organs.
What are the 4 types of bivalves?
Bivalves. Bivalves include clams, scallops, oysters, and mussels.
Can clams breathe out of water?
Over time, this produces a pearl. Clams can’t breathe in an air environment. When there is a drought, however, some clams can spend months, even years, out of water. They do this by closing up and shutting down all processes except for the essential ones, and they carry these out without oxygen.
What controls the opening and closing of a clam’s shell?
BACKGROUND: Clams are bivalves, meaning that they have shells consisting of two halves, or valves. The valves are joined at the top, and the adductor muscles on each side hold the shell closed. If the adductor muscles are relaxed, the shell is pulled open by ligaments located on each side of the umbo.
How is the structure of a clam’s gills adapted to their two functions?
The surface of the gills contains specialized cells with microscopic cilia. These ciliated cells beat back and forth, creating the currents of water that enter and exit the clam. Oxygen that is dissolved in the water flows over the gills’ surface and diffuses through the gill membranes.
What bivalve can breathe under mud?
That way, on one hand, soft shelled clams (Mya arenaria), living dug deeply into the soil of the wadden sea, feed themselves and breathe over the siphons….Mussels and Clams (Bivalvia)
| Class | Species No. |
|---|---|
| Chitons (Placophora) | 750 |
| Solenogastres | 230 |
| Caudofoveata | 120 |
| Molluscs (Mollusca) | 55.400 |
Are clams intelligent?
Clams can feel certain sensations and respond, but there’s almost certainly no conscious thought. Clams aren’t planning for the future or thinking about what to do next, they just drift around and react to stimulus while performing instinctual tasks. To most people, it seems like clams don’t really have brains.
Do clams have eyes?
Some clams even have compound eyes, or eyes with multiple visual units, though they differ from the better-known compound eyes of insects.
Do clams have a brain?
To most people, it seems like clams don’t really have brains. Clams don’t have a centralized brain like mammals. However, they do have a nervous system, giving them the ability to feel things and react.
What do the rings on a clam’s shell indicate?
What do the rings on the clams shell indicate? Like a tree, the rings of a shell represents how old the claim is the more rings there are, the older the clam. it is also referred to as the growth rings.
Why are clam’s referred to as filter feeders?
Filter Feeding Clams are known as filter feeders because of the way they eat their food. Since they have no heads or biting mouthparts, they have to feed in an unusual way. They pull water — which also contains food particles — in through one of their syphons and into their gills.