Hour 2 Bivalve

1. Feeding/Digestion/Excretion

1.1. The majority of bivalves feed on the plant detritus, bacteria, and algae that cloud coastal and fresh waters. In other words bivalves are filter feeders, using their gills to capture particulate food such as phytoplankton from the water.

1.2. Bivalves hold onto the substratum with a pair of tentacles at the edge of the mouth, each of which has a single palp, or flap. The tentacles are covered in mucus, which traps the food, and cilia, which transport the particles back to the palps. These then sort the particles, rejecting those that are unsuitable or too large to digest, and conveying others to the mouth.

1.3. bivalves consists of an esophagus, stomach, and intestine. A number of digestive glands open into the stomach,

1.4. The excretory organs of bivalves are a pair of nephridia. Each of these consists of a long, looped, glandular tube, which opens into the body cavity just beneath the heart, and a bladder to store urine. There are also pericardial glands, either lining the auricles of the heart or attached to the pericardium, which serve as extra filtration organs.

2. Reproduction/Life Cycle

2.1. bivalves reproduce by the female sheding eggs and the males shed there sperm they combine and over time the create a bivalve.

2.2. sexual reproduction

2.3. the average life span for a bivalve depend on how active it may be

3. Circulation

3.1. -Bivalves have an open circulatory system with a three chamber heart. The blood is pumped throughout the body.

4. Senses/Response

4.1. Bivalves close their shells when they are fearful and it is opened when they're relaxed. Each species has some sort of receptor to sense chemical or temperature changes around them. They have no eyes so these receptors also detect shadows when something gets close to them.

5. Movement

5.1. The movement of Bivalves' depends on the anatomy of the animal. Some Bivalves' use what is called a "foot" that is adapted to the way that they eat and move. The slime helps them slide along the bottom. The shape of the Bivalve can also affect its movement. Bivalves' drag themselves along the bottom until they find a solid resting spot, once they have found that resting spot, they anchor themselves into the ground and do not move away. By burrowing themselves into the ground it allows them to keep from floating away of being taken by predators.

6. Respiration

6.1. Both mussels and oysters are filter feeders. All of them strain water through gills. The water is then drawn inside of them, and distributed through the body.

6.2. Mussels exchange oxygen through the blood, and it is brought around the body. Clams use Cilia to move water around. All of them also filter food from the water, which they feed on.

7. Anatomy

7.1. Bivalves' external anatomy primarily consists of two (usually equal) shell halves. These are connected and maneuvered by an internal hinge joint. Most have no eyes but some do have very simple eyes.

7.2. Bivalves' internal anatomy consists of gills, a mouth, kidneys, a heart, a mouth and an anus. They also have an open circulatory system.