ARTHROPODA Saimara Alejandro Hernández Tenth Bilingual Prof. M. Walters

1. ARTHROPODASaimara Alejandro HernándezTenth BilingualProf. M. Walters

2. What are Arthropods? • Arthropods are one of the most diverse and successful animals of all time, it is the largest phylum of animals. • Thephylumisnamedfor: arthron means “joint” in Greek, and podos means ‘‘foot”. • This phylum includes animals such as insects, crabs, centipedes,crustaceans and spiders.

3. Characteristics • Arthropods have a segmented body, a tough exoskeleton, and joined appendages. • They use complexorgansystems,like a well-developedheartwithan open circulatorysystem, nervoussystem, and groupsof muscles. • Terrestrialarthropodsbreathethroughtrachealtubes and booklungs, whileaquaticbreathethroughfeatherlikegills.

4. Characteristics • In excretion, mostterrestrialarthropodsdispose of nitrogenouswastesusingMalpighiantubes, whileaquatichavediffusion. • Terrestrialhaveinternalfertilization, whileaquatichavebothinternalorexternal. • Whentheyoutgrowtheirexoskeleton, arthropodsundergoperiods of molting.

5. How do theyfeed? • Arthropodsincludeherbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. • There are arthropodsbloodsuckers, filterfeeders, detritivores, and parasites. • Arthropodmouthpartshaveevolved in waysthatenabledifferent especies toeatalmostanyfoodyou can imagen. • Theirmouthpartsrangefrompincersorfangstosickle-shapedjawsthat can cutthroughthetissues of capturedprey.

6. Classification • Arthropods are classifiedbasedonthenumber and structure of theirbodysegments and appendagesparticularlytheirmouthparts. • Thethree mayor groups are crustaceans, spiders and theirrelatives, and insects and theirrelatives.

7. Crustaceans • Animals in subphylumCrustacea are primarilyaquatic. • Crustaceanstypicallyhavetwopairs of antennae, twoorthreebodysections, and chewingmouthpartscalledmandibles. • Thissubphylumincludesorganismssuch as crabs, shrimps, lobsters, crayfishes, and barnacles.

8. Crayfish • Fast Facts Type: freshwater crustacean Diet: (They help clean the water by scavenging on dead matter) Size: 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 centimeters) long Crayfish live under rocks and debris on the muddy bottom of freshwater lakes, streams and rivers. They are active at night and crawl along the mud feeding on aquatic vegetation, worms, insects, mollusks, and decayed organic matter.

9. Red CrabGecarcoideanatalis • Fast Facts Type: Invertebrate Diet: Omnivore Size: 5 in (12.7 cm) Group name: Streams Protection status: None Did you know? Red crabs can stop traffic, puncture tires, and wander through any open doors during their migration to the sea. Size relative to a tea cup: They scavenge on fallen leaves, seedlings, fruits, and flowers, recycling nutrients and helping to determine the spread and composition of native flora.

10. Spiders and TheirRelatives • Horseshoecrabs, spiders, ticks, and scorpions are members of subphylum Chelicerata. • Chelicerateshavemouthpartscalledchelicerae and twobodysections, and nearlyallhavefourpairs of walkinglegs. Lack of antennae. • Thebodies of chelicerates are dividedinto a cephalothorax and an abdomen.

11. TarantulaAphonopelmachalcodes • Fast Facts Type: Bug Diet: Carnivore Average life span in the wild: Up to 30 years Size: 4.75 in (12 cm) long; leg span, up to 11 in (28 cm) Weight: 1 to 3 oz (28 to 85 g) Size relative to a tea cup:

12. HorseshoecrabLimulus polyphemus “Horseshoe crabs have gone basically unchanged for 360 million years. But can they survive human predation? ” - Jordan Schaul Horseshoe crabs are considered living fossils. The elegant, but simplistic design includes a basic, hard, curved exoskeleton (carapace) protecting an underbelly of soft tissue–characteristics that have permitted them to evade predation by a variety of species that have long gone extinct. Live primarily in and around shallow ocean waters on soft sandy or muddy bottoms. They are able to survive a year without food, and endure extreme temperatures, and dramatic changes in salinity levels.

13. ScorpionScorpiones • Fast Facts Type: Bug Diet: Carnivore Average life span in the wild: 3 to 8 years Size: Average, 2.5 in (6 cm); Largest, 8.3 in (21 cm) Did you know? Scientists aren't sure why, but scorpions are fluorescent under ultraviolet light. Size relative to a tea cup:

14. Conclusion Ecological importance • Arthropods are of ecological importance because of their sheer numbers and extreme diversity. More than 874,000 living species of arthropods have been identified, making up more than 80 percent of all named species of animals. However, it is estimated that many more thousands of arthropods exist that have not yet been named. Most of these unnamed species are small beetles and other insects, and most of these occur in old-growth tropical rain forests—areas that have not yet been well explored. • Arthropods are both harmful and helpful to humans. A few species are transmitters of bacteria or viruses that cause diseases such as malaria, etc. Some arthropods are a nutritious source of food in many parts of the world, and insects play an important role in pollination (a process necessary for production in many plants).

15. QuestionsorComments? Coconutcrab, Birguslatro Eventually they reach a leg-span of over 3 feet and a weight of 10 pounds. Coconut crabs live on island beaches throughout the Indian and South Pacific Oceans. They live in dirt burrows and rock crevices, and scavenge for fruits and nuts, including coconuts, thus deriving their popular name.