Feeding 2: Flashcards
What are the five distinct feeding modes of marine invertebrates?
- Suspension feeding
- Direct deposit feeding
- Indirect deposit feeding
- Herbivory
- Carnivory
What food do suspensions feeders target?
Bacteria, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and detritus suspended in the water column
What features of the water allow for suspension feeding to occur?
Density: high density allows particles to be suspended in the water column
What are the two ways suspension feeders get water to move over their feeding structures?
Passive: ambient waters
Active: create water currents
What are the steps in suspension feeding?
Water moved past feeding structures (passive or active) -> particles captured and sorted -> transported to the mouth -> ingested and digested
What is true filter feeding and which organism exemplifies it?
True filter feeding is a type of suspension feeding that requires significant energy to create water currents. An example is sponges, which use choanocyte cells to draw water through their pores and consume food particles via phagocytosis.
What is setose filter feeding?
Setose filter feeding involves small crustaceans using specialized appendages covered in fine, hair-like structures called setae to form a filter basket that captures suspended food particles like bacteria and phytoplankton. They can be either active or passive feeders.
Describe mucous bag/mucous trap feeding.
This method involves patches of mucous that trap suspended food particles. Organisms like pelagic Appendicularians move water through this mucous mesh either by currents (passive) or pumping (active)
What is the role of tube feet in feeding?
Tube feet are tentacle-like structures used by echinoderms (e.g., brittle stars) to capture larger food particles, with or without the aid of mucous.
Explain direct deposit feeding.
Direct deposit feeders consume large amounts of sediment from soft-bottom habitats, digesting usable materials like bacteria and detritus while excreting the rest as “clean dirt,” contributing to nutrient recycling.
What distinguishes indirect deposit feeding from direct deposit feeding?
Indirect deposit feeders use specialized structures (e.g., lobes or proboscis) covered in cilia to sort and transport particles to their mouths, often targeting upper sediment layers for living matter like bacteria and diatoms.
What are the two types of herbivory in marine invertebrates?
The two types of herbivory are:
1. Macroherbivory: Consuming kelp by biting and chewing (e.g., molluscs using a radula).
2. Microherbivory: Consuming periphyton (e.g., limpets scraping algae off rocks).
How do carnivorous marine invertebrates detect prey?
Carnivorous marine invertebrates primarily rely on chemosensory perception to detect prey rather than eyesight. An example is cephalopods, which use their locomotion and sensory skills to locate and capture prey.
Why are diverse feeding mechanisms important in marine ecosystems?
Diverse feeding mechanisms illustrate adaptations that help maintain ecological balance by enhancing water quality, promoting sediment health, regulating algal growth, and controlling prey populations.
What is trapping in suspension feeding?
This is where organisms expose a sticky surface to the water column, which allows particles to stick to them. This is seen commonly in ctenophores that have Colloblasts on their tentacles.
