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Annelids are found worldwide in all types of habitats, especially oceanic waters, fresh waters, and damp soils. Most polychaetes live in the ocean, where they either float, burrow, wander on the bottom, or live in tubes they construct; their colours range from brilliant to dull, and some species can produce light.
- In what kind of habitats are annelids found?
- What are the habits of annelida?
- Do annelids live on land?
- What does the annelida eat?
- Is a leech an annelid?
- What are the unique features of Annelida?
- What is the class of Annelida?
- What are the characteristics of a Trochophore?
- What animal eats annelids?
- Are annelids herbivores?
- What is economic importance of phylum Annelida?
- What do leeches feed on?
- How do annelids breathe?
In what kind of habitats are annelids found?
Introduction to Annelida and the Class Polychaeta
They comprise the dominant invertebrates of the deep sea. Fresh or inland water annelids can be found in all kinds of aquatic and semi-aquatic environments, such as lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, groundwater, wet soils, and other wet habitats.
What are the habits of annelida?
Habit and Habitat of Phylum Annelida:
Most polychaetes are marine. Larger forms like Aphrodite, Glycera live in mud while slender and smaller forms live in water spaces between sand grains. Many forms like Polygordius, Protodrilus secrete sticky substances and remain attached on sand.
Do annelids live on land?
As annelids do not have a waterproof exoskeleton, on land they can only survive in aquatic habitats or as burrowers in damp soil. There are three classes of annelids: ... Class Oligochaeta: marine, freshwater and terrestrial annelids including earthworms; Class Hirudinea: marine, fresh water and terrestrial leeches.
What does the annelida eat?
Digging in the Dirt
Burrowing annelids, like the earthworm, play an important role in helping organic matter decompose. Earthworms eat dead plants and animals. When they eat, they also take in soil and tiny pebbles. Earthworms take in nutrients from microorganisms in the material they ingest.
Is a leech an annelid?
leech, (subclass Hirudinea), any of about 650 species of segmented worms (phylum Annelida) characterized by a small sucker, which contains the mouth, at the anterior end of the body and a large sucker located at the posterior end. All leeches have 34 body segments.
What are the unique features of Annelida?
Annelids exhibit bilateral symmetry and are invertebrate organisms. They are coelomate and triploblastic. The body is segmented which is the most distinguishing feature of annelids.
What is the class of Annelida?
Most authors accept the annelids as having three major classes: Polychaeta, Oligochaeta, and Hirudinea. Older systems would place the polychaetes and oligochaetes under the class Chaetopoda because both groups possess setae.
What are the characteristics of a Trochophore?
trochophore, also called trochosphere, small, translucent, free-swimming larva characteristic of marine annelids and most groups of mollusks. Trochophores are spherical or pear-shaped and are girdled by a ring of cilia (minute hairlike structures), the prototroch, that enables them to swim.
What animal eats annelids?
Predators - They are a major part of the diet for many Fish, Moles, Hedgehogs, Black Bird etc. A variety of other Birds, Mammals, Reptiles, other Annelids etc. are Predators of Annelids.
Are annelids herbivores?
Annelids inhabit a wide range of environments including both terrestrial and marine. They have a variety of feeding modes including being detritivores, deposit feeders, filter feeders, herbivores, predators, and some are even parasitic.
What is economic importance of phylum Annelida?
In addition to improving soil fertility, annelids serve humans as food and as bait. Scientists observe annelids to monitor the quality of marine and fresh water.
What do leeches feed on?
Feeding and diet
Some feed on the blood of humans and other mammals, while others parasitise fish, frogs, turtles or birds. Some leeches will even take a meal from other sanguivorous leeches which may die after the attack. Sanguivorous leeches can ingest several times their own weight in blood at one meal.
How do annelids breathe?
They breathe through their skin. Air dissolves on the mucus of their skin, so they MUST stay moist to breathe. If worms dry out, they suffocate. As fresh air is taken in through the skin, oxygen is drawn into the worm's circulatory system, and the worm's hearts pump the oxygenated blood to the head area.
