Foot as burrowing organ, Biology

Assignment Help:

Foot as Burrowing Organ

The Scaphopoda that usually have burrowing habit, possess foot suitably modified for burrowing purpose. The conical and protrusible foot of Dentalium is trilobed at its distal end. It can be thrust into the sand while burrowing occurs. A lobe encircling the cone can be erected to increase its anchorage. In between burrowing bivalves, in some like Pholas which bores into rock the blunt, short foot is employed for boring. They attach by the sucker-like surface of the foot; the muscles of the foot produce several movements producing the requisite cutting force; the anterior ends of the valves give the sharp cutting edge. The shipworm Teredo bores into wood using more or less similar mechanism. In Yoldia, the two sides of the foot can be folded to make a wedge shape for easy burrowing into the sand or mud. In some burrowing gastropods, for example Sigaretus , the anterior part of the foot, called protopodium, is as well specialized to become wedge like. The burrowing action in molluscs is typically accomplished through thrusting the blade of the foot into the sand or mud. The distal part of the foot is dilated along with the aid of protractor muscles and when this is accompanied by blood pressure it acts like an anchor. Contraction of the retractor muscles now pulls the animal downward.


Related Discussions:- Foot as burrowing organ

Importance of family and patient education - food allergy, Define Importanc...

Define Importance of Family and Patient Education - Food Allergy? Remember, involvement of the family and all other relevant caretakers along with the patient is crucial for pr

Explain the term blood, Explain the term Blood Blood is a fluid and con...

Explain the term Blood Blood is a fluid and consists of plasma and blood cells. More than 90 percent of plasma is water. Other constituents of plasma are plasma proteins i.e. a

Reptiles, biting mechanism in snakes

biting mechanism in snakes

Explain the modern trends in animal taxonomy, Explain the Modern Trends in ...

Explain the Modern Trends in Animal Taxonomy? Earlier you learnt how taxonomy is interrelated to other biological fields. You also learnt how information is used from other f

What do you meant by medical transcriptionist, Question 1: Describe the...

Question 1: Describe the process of hearing. The ear consists of three basic parts - the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. Discuss the process of hearing

Define natural disasters - public nutrition, Define Natural Disasters - Pub...

Define Natural Disasters - Public Nutrition? Disaster prone settings also shape the intensity and prevalence of food insecurity, these consist of poor who are exposed to recurr

Classification of microorganisms, Q. Classification of microorganisms? ...

Q. Classification of microorganisms? The microorganisms use our food as a source of nutrients for their own growth. This, of course can result in deterioration of the food. By

How does the excretory system of nematodes work, Q How does the excretory s...

Q How does the excretory system of nematodes work? The metabolic residuals of nematodes are together by two longitudinal lateral excretory channels that open in one single excr

Describe the symptoms of edema, Describe the clinical significance and symp...

Describe the clinical significance and symptoms of edema. How does edema (in its different forms listed in your text) appear on medical imaging examinations? Discuss any specific c

Show clinical symptoms of galactosemia, Q. Show Clinical symptoms of galact...

Q. Show Clinical symptoms of galactosemia? Clinical symptoms of galactosemia deficiency is found to appear early in infancy. Some infants are born with cataract, jaundice and

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd