BIOL 1604 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Osmoregulation, Cryptobiosis, Tardigrade
Document Summary
Soft cuticle that contains chitin and proteins. 14-43 pairs of lobelike legs each ending with a flexible pad and two claws. Respiration: tracheal system that connects with pores scattered all over their body. Excretion: nephridia (one pair per segment) Circulation: open circulatory system with tubular heart. Reproduction: dioecious, internal and external fertilization, viviparous (placental attachment between mother and young), ovoviviparous, and oviparous, males can be smaller than females, direct development (no larva) Feeding: predators: insects, snails, worms, entangle prey in slime extruded from slime glands, only the liquid portion of prey is consumed, complete digestive system. 8 short, unjointed legs each with claws. Chitinous cuticle divided in plates, molted several times during the life cycle. Most species inhabit a film of water surrounding mosses and lichens. Feeding: eat plant cells, small prey such as nematodes and rotifers, etc, a pair of sharp stylets and a sucking pharynx.
