Course Code:- BIO 121

Course Title:- General Principle of Biology 2

Semester:- Second
Venue:- Main Auditorium, Odosida Campus
Time:- Tuesday, 8-10am; Friday,10am-12pm

Facilitator:- Dr A. M. Tiamiyu

Lecture AEB 221 _TIA_002

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 Phylum Mollusca
• Mollusca is a large phylum
of invertebrate animals e.g
snails, with a soft body
lacking segments and
usually enclosed in a shell
containing calcium
Despite their amazing
• Mollusca is one of the most diversity, all molluscs
diverse groups of animal on share some come
the planet characteristics that
define their body
plans
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Mollusks are soft bodied animals

About 100,000 known species

Mostly inhabit marine, freshwater, and snails

and slugs that live on land

Vary in length, from Clams less than 1mm to

the giant Squids which can exceed 18 m
Most of mollusks are protected by a hard shell made
of calcium carbonate

Squid and octopuses have reduced shells that have

been internalized, or they have lost their shells
completely during their evolution

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Despite their apparent differences, all mollusks have a
similar body plan.
The body has three main parts:
1. A muscular foot – which is usually used for
movement

2. A visceral mass - containing most of the internal

organs

3. A mantle – a heavy fold of tissue that drapes over the

visceral mass and may secrete a shell
The mantle also
extends beyond
the visceral mass
producing a
water filled
chamber, mantle
cavity which
houses the gills,
anus and
excretory pores
Many molluscs feed by using a straplike rasping organ
called a radula ( a belt of backward – curved teeth that
extends from the mouth and slides back and forth) to
scrape up food

The sexes are usually separate, although many snails are

hermaphroditic

Fertilization may be internal or external

Some snails as well as octopuses and squids have
direct development, embryo develop into miniature
replicas of the adults

Most mollusks have an open circulatory system in

which hemolymph, a blood – like fluid, leaves the
circulation vessels and bathe tissue directly

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 Classes of Mollusks
 Most commonly encountered classes are;
1. Polyplacophora e.g Chitons

2. Gastropoda e.g Snails, Slugs

3. Bivalvia e.g Clams, Oysters, Scallops and other

bivalves

4. Cephalopoda e.g Squids, Octopuses and Nautiluses

5. Monoplacophora e.g Neopolina

6. Scaphopoda e.g Tusk/tooth shells

 Economics Importance
Molluscs are of general importance within food
chains and as members of ecosystems
Many gastropods, bivalves, and cephalopods are a
source of food for many cultures
They play an important role in the fishing industries
of many countries
The extracts of hard-shelled clams are the growth
inhibitors of cancers in mice
Some clams and mussels which are carriers of
paralytic shell fish poisoning

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Destruction of the farm plants e.g the garden snail,
Achatina sp

The sacred chanks has played a main role in Indian

religion. It held in high esteem by Hindus

Use of Cowries as money

The shells are used for making ornaments and jewelleries

Mollusc serve as vectors of some diseases e.g

schistosomiasis

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 Phylum Arthropoda
The phylum Arthropoda is the largest phylum of
animals with approximately one million described
species

Arthropods are the most successful phylum based on

species diversity, distribution, and numbers of
individuals

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 General characteristics of arthropods
The most successful group of animals

Presence of jointed appendages

Jointed appendages are modified for walking, feeding,

sensory reception, copulation and defense

They are triploblastic and bilaterally symmetrical

Presence of segmentation, in this group segmentation is

much more advanced than that found in annelids
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They are coelomates

Chitinous exoskeleton (cuticle) is present

The exoskeleton is also relatively impermeable to

water

The old exoskeleton must be shed for an arthropod to

grow (molting) and a new one secreted

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An open circulatory system containing hemolymph is
present

Haemocel is present

Sexes are separate

Development is either through complete or incomplete

metamorphosis

Nymph or larvae often moult to reach the adult stage which

also grow by moulting

Examples include:
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 Classification
The phylum consists of the following sub-phyla and
classes
Sub-phylum: Onychophora
Sub-phlum : Chelicerata
Classes : Mereostomata
Pycnogonida,
Arachnida
Sub-phylum: Mandibulata
Classes: Crustacea, Myriapoda (
Diplopoda, Chilopoda)
Insecta, Pauropoda
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 Economics Importance
Arthropods are of great medical, social economic and
agricultural importance. They have a lot of beneficial and
detrimental effects
Beneficial Effects:
1. Pollination of flowers
2. They serve as food
3. Some produce useful materials like silk e.g bees
4. They serve as scavengers and help in decomposition
5. Some important for research e.g Housefly and
Drosophilla

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6. Biological control against pests
7. Some are used for aesthetic purposes
8. Some produce honey which is of great economic
purposes
9. The faeces of arthropods are the basis for the
formation of soil aggregates and humus

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Detrimental Effects
1. Some are parasitic, harming host
2. Some serve as vector of diseases
3. Some destroy wooden structures, crops and stored
food
4. Some arthropods often constitute nuisance and cause
painful bites to man

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END

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