Table of Contents
Is polychaete a herbivore worm?
Ecological significance Polychaetes exhibit a wide range of feeding strategies, ranging from those which are carnivores, deposit feeders, suspension feeders, herbivores, and opportunistic species.
Are polychaete worms omnivores?
It is far from exhaustive but you can see that most polychaetes are usually omnivores, but it varies by species, location, and what is available. Caron, A., G. Desrosiers, P. Olive, C.
What are polychaete worms predators?
The worms are generalist feeders and consume mostly diatoms, algal filaments, small crustaceans (gammarids, amphipods, ostracods, and copepods), hydroids, and other polychaetes including nereids (Plyuscheva et al. 2010). In the intertidal zone, their main predators may be decapod crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs.
Are polychaete worms decomposers?
They also play an important role as decomposers in the ecosystem.
Where do polychaete worms live?
oceans
Polychaetes are multi-segmented worms living in all environments in the world’s oceans, present from abyssal depths to shallow estuaries and rocky shores, and even free swimming in open water. They are strictly aquatic annelids, but are the most abundant and diverse group of Phylum Annelida.
How do polychaetes obtain food?
Food is attracted to the feathery arms of certain polychaetes by ciliary action, becomes trapped in mucus, and is carried down ciliated food grooves in the mouth.
What do polychaete worms show?
Some species bear a specialized band of segments known as a clitellum. Annelids show the presence numerous chitinous projections termed chaetae, and polychaetes possess parapodia. Suckers are seen in order Hirudinea.
What are the characteristics of a polychaete?
Most have well developed, paired, paddle-like appendages (parapodia), well developed sense organs, and numerous setae (usually on the parapodia; “polychaete” means “many hairs”). Polychaetes usually have a well-developed head, often complete with well-developed eyes, antennae, and sensory palps.
Why are polychaete worms important?
Polychaetes play an important role in turning over bottom sediments in the sea. The palolo worm (q.v.) is used as human food in areas of the South Pacific where it swarms in great abundance at breeding time. Other species are used by humans as bait for fishing.
What kind of diet does a polychaete have?
Polychaetes exhibit a wide range of feeding strategies, ranging from those which are carnivores, deposit feeders, suspension feeders, herbivores, and opportunistic species. A few species are parasitic and some are commensal such as the myzostomids.
What kind of chaetae does a polychaete have?
Polychaetes have more chaetae per segment and are mostly marine (though some freshwater and terrestrial forms occur). polychaetes come in a vast variety of types and many are large and spectacularly coloured.
Why are polychaetes important to the marine food chain?
Polychaetes play an important role in marine food chains. Some groups, such as the capitellids and arenicolids, are deposit feeders and swallow mud and feed on the algae attached to the particles. Others, such as the sabellids and serpulids, are suspension feeders and feed on suspended particles.
What are the body segments of a polychaete made of?
Polychaete. The Polychaeta /ˌpɒlɪˈkiːtə/, also known as the bristle worms or polychaetes, are a paraphyletic class of annelid worms, generally marine. Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made of chitin.