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Overview of Freshwater Invertebrates of North America. 10,000-15,000 species in temperate North America all major invertebrate phyla accept Echinodermata have freshwater representatives. Protozoa. ubiquitous important consumers of bacteria & cyanobacteria, algae, and other protozoans
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Overview of Freshwater Invertebrates of North America • 10,000-15,000 species in temperate North America • all major invertebrate phyla accept Echinodermata have freshwater representatives
Protozoa • ubiquitous • important consumers of bacteria & cyanobacteria, algae, and other protozoans • prey for oligochaetes, chironomids, rotifers, etc. • do not tolerate anoxic conditions
Porifera • 25 species freshwater sponges in North America • one family (Spongillidae) • symbiotic algae • Gemmules • restricted to waters containing silica
Cnidaria • Hydrozoa only; 20 species • e.g. taxa: • Hydra (polyp) • Chlorohydra (polyp); contains Chlorella an endosymbiotic algae • Craspedacusta (medusoid)
Platyhelminthes • class Turbellaria (Planarians) • > 200 species • mostly benthic scavengers
Rotifera“wheel animals” • 2500 species described • free living herbivores & predators • Corona • muscular pharynx & mastix
Mollusca • class Gastropoda (350 species); snails & limpets • class Bivalvia (250 species); clams & mussels
Annelida • classes Oligochaeta & Hirudinea
Arthropoda • subphylum Chelicerata • class Acari (water mites) • subphylum Uniramia • class Insecta- 10 orders have aquatic representatives
Arthropoda • subphylum Crustacea • class Malacostraca- crayfish & shrimps, isopods, & amphipods • class Ostracoda- "seed shrimps“ • class Brachiopoda- fairy shrimps, tadpole shrimps & cladocerans (e.g. Daphnia) • class Copapoda- important zooplanktors
Order Hemiptera • “true bugs” • piercing-sucking mouth parts
Order Diptera • flies, gnats, and mosquitoes • complete metamorphosis • important disease vectors
~650 North American species aquatic nymphs; mostly fresh water flying adults common families: Gomphidae Aeshnidae Corduliidae Order Odonata- dragonflies & damselflies
Ephemeroptera- mayflies • rocky-bottom 2nd & 3rd order streams • most with three caudal filaments
Order Trichoptera- caddis flies • nymphs construct nets and cases • cool lotic waters
Order Plecoptera- stone flies • inhabitants of clean, cool water • good bioindicators • adults live 1-4 weeks
Order Megaloptera- dobson flies • also called hellgrammites • predaceous larvae • common families: • Corydalidae • Sialidae
Order Isopoda • pill bugs, sow bugs • aquatic and terrestrial forms • dorsoventrally flattened body