Mercenaria

Mercenaria

Common Name:  Bivalve molluscs, small hard clams

 

Description: 

Shape and Size- Small, oval shaped

Skeleton- Exoskeleton

Symmetry- Bilateral

Features- Able to move freely, but rarely change their locality. The clam secretes enough calcium carbonate to create two plates, one larger than the other. 

Taxonomy: 

Kingdom- Animalia 

Phylum- Mollusca

Class- Bivalvia 

Order- Veneroida 

Family- Veneridae

Genus- Mercenaria 

Ecology:   

Most clams burrow into sand. They burrow as far as their siphons can reach. Adult clams need stimuli to create offspring. The male and female gametes are released through ejection from siphons. Clams are related to scallops and oysters.  

  

           

Bonus

Mutualistic Interaction

While searching for organisms we found an example of mutualistic interaction! We found a clam shell being used as a home for barnacles. Here's our proof:

Bonus

Photo of multiple species

 

Crab- Arthropoda

Starfish- Echinodermata

Cling fish-Chordata          

Brown algae-Rhododphyta

Bryazoa-Bryozoa 
Green algae-  Rhodophyta

Barnacles-  Arthropoda

Carcinus Maenas

Carcinus Maenas

Common Name: Green crab, shore crab

Description: 

Shape and Size- Up to 60mm long and 90mm wide. They can reach up to 101mm wide in BC. Green crabs have five short teeth along the rim behind each eye and three undulations between the eyes.

Skeleton- exoskeleton

Symmetry- bilateral

Features- Colors vary from green to brown, grey or red, due to local environment factors.

Taxonomy: 

kingdom- Animalia 

Phylum- Arthropoda 

Subphylum- Crustacea

Class- Malacostraca 

Order- Decapoda

Family- Portunidae

Genus- Carcinus    

Ecology: 

Carcinus maenas can live in all types of protected and semi protected marine habitats including, mud, sand, or rock substrates. Females can produce up to 185,000 eggs. Carcinus maenas feed on many organisms, mostly bivalve molluscs, polychaetes, and small crustaceans.  

      

Sea Snail

Sea Snail

Common Name: Snail

Description: Very small

Skeleton- exoskeleton

Symmetry- bilateral

Features- Shell, shell has become two hinged plates

Taxonomy:

Kingdom- Animalia

Phylum- Mollusca

Class- Gastropoda

Order- Pulmonata

Genus- Truncatella

Family- Juliidae  

Ecology- Inhabit rivers, ponds, and oceans. They live on and around deep sea mussels. The snail eats detritus and bacteria.

Brown Algae

Brown Algae 

Common names: Dead man's fingers 

Descriptions: Almost exclusively found in marine habitat.Brown algae have chlorophyll a and c. cell walls are composed of cellulose layer with polysaccharide. may reach up to 60 meters in length. and can form prominent underwater forests. 

 Taxonomy

kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Rhodophyta 

Class: lorideophycidae

Order: Halymeniales

Family: Halymeniaxeae

Genus:Prionitis 

Species: Lanceolata 

Ecology

Interesting features- fronds of Macrocysitis may grow as much as 50 cm per day and the stripes can grow up to 6 cm per day. 

relationships with other organisms- small species fead of algae in water and hide in algae.

green algae

Green Algae

Common name: Algae, sea lettuce, dead man's finger

Description: Has dark to light-green coloration which comes from having chloroplast A and B. capable of photosynthesis. 

1 micrometer in diameter and 60 meters in length.

Taxonomy

kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Rhodophyta 

Class: lorideophycidae

Order: Halymeniales

Family: Halymeniaxeae

Genus:Prionitis 

Species: Lanceolata 

Ecology

Interesting features- They live in large colonies. The pigment beta carotene, found in green algae, is used as a food colouring and also may have benefits as a cancer treatment. Green algae may play a role in reducing global warming.