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Abra Alba
''Abra alba'', or the white furrow shell, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Semelidae. It occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, where it lives on the floor in shallow areas buried in soft sediments. Description ''Abra alba'' can grow to up to long but a more usual size is 1.5 centimetres. It has a pair of thin brittle valves that are translucent, semi-shiny and a dirty white colour with a pale brown periostracum. The shape is roughly oval and the posterior and anterior dorsal margins are almost straight and slope to rounded ends. Both margins are smooth and the anterior margin is a little longer than the posterior one. The valves have a sculpture of fine concentric lines and the growth stages of the animal are visible. The interior of the valves is somewhat glossy and the adductor muscle scars may be visible. The small brown ligament that holds the valves together is exterior. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Wood (zoologist)
William Wood FRS FLS (1774–1857), was an English surgeon, zoologist and entomologist. He was born in Kendal, Westmorland and trained in surgery at St Bartholomew's Hospital. He practised for several years as a surgeon at Wingham, near Canterbury and in London, but left the medical profession to become a natural history bookseller, publisher and naturalist. He was the author of several natural history books, especially on the Mollusca. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society (elected 1812) and a Fellow of the Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle .... He died in Ruislip, Middlesex. Works Partial list *''Index testaceologicus, or, A catalogue of shells, British and foreign : arranged according to the Linnean system : with the Latin and English n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deposit Feeder
Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders, or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). There are many kinds of invertebrates, vertebrates and plants that carry out coprophagy. By doing so, all these detritivores contribute to decomposition and the nutrient cycles. They should be distinguished from other decomposers, such as many species of bacteria, fungi and protists, which are unable to ingest discrete lumps of matter, but instead live by absorbing and metabolizing on a molecular scale (saprotrophic nutrition). The terms ''detritivore'' and ''decomposer'' are often used interchangeably, but they describe different organisms. Detritivores are usually arthropods and help in the process of remineralization. Detritivores perform the first stage of remineralization, by fragmenting the dead plant matter, allowing decomposers to perform the second stage of remineraliz ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zooplankton
Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by currents in the ocean, or by currents in seas, lakes or rivers. Zooplankton can be contrasted with phytoplankton, which are the plant component of the plankton community ("phyto" comes from the Greek word for ''plant''). Zooplankton are heterotrophic (other-feeding), whereas phytoplankton are autotrophic (self-feeding). This means zooplankton cannot manufacture their own food but must eat other plants or animals instead — in particular they eat phytoplankton. Zooplankton are generally larger than phytoplankton, most are microscopic, but some (such as jellyfish) are macroscopic and can be seen with the naked eye. Many protozoans (single-celled protists that prey on other microscopic life) are zooplankton, including zooflagellates, fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biotope
A biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. ''Biotope'' is almost synonymous with the term "habitat", which is more commonly used in English-speaking countries. However, in some countries these two terms are distinguished: the subject of a habitat is a population, the subject of a biotope is a ''biocoenosis'' or "biological community". It is an English loanword derived from the German ''Biotop'', which in turn came from the Greek ''bios'' (meaning 'life') and ''topos'' ('place'). (The related word ''geotope'' has made its way into the English language by the same route, from the German '' Geotop''.) Ecology The concept of a biotope was first advocated by Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919), a German zoologist famous for the recapitulation theory. In his book ''General Morphology'' (1866), which defines the term "ecology", he stresses the importance of the concept of habitat as a prerequisite for an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lagis Koreni
''Lagis koreni'', commonly known as the trumpet worm, is a species of marine polychaete worm found in European waters. It lives within a narrow conical tube made of grains of sand and shell fragments. Taxonomy In 1986, Holthe studied the family Pectinariidae and recognised four subgenera within the genus '' Pectinaria'' although he did not justify how he had come to this decision. In further reviews in 1973 and again in 1984, neither Long nor Wolf recognised these subgenera. In 2002, Pat Hutchings and Rachael Peart undertook a further review of the family. Among other findings, they determined that the ''Pectinaris'' subgenera should be given full species status. So the species that had been classified as ''Pectinaria koreni'' and later as ''Pectinaria'' (''Lagis'') ''koreni'' became ''Lagis koreni''. Description The trumpet worm is about long and relatively broad. The head has two pairs of tentacles and two bunches of gleaming golden spines which are used for digging. It also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phaxas Pellucidus
''Phaxas pellucidus'', the transparent razor shell, is a species of marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pharidae. It is found buried in the seabed in coastal waters of northwest Europe, often in great numbers. Description ''P. pellucidus'' is a very small razor shell seldom exceeding in length. The colour is cream or dull white, sometimes with reddish markings. The periostracum is olive-coloured and glossy. The two elongated valves are fragile and equal in size. The dorsal side of each is straight while the ventral side is slightly curved giving a pod-like appearance. The anterior end is rounded while the posterior end is slightly truncate. There are fine sculptured lines parallel to the margins, which are themselves smooth. The ligament joining the valves is external and located close to the beaks which are very close to the anterior end. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Community (ecology)
In ecology, a community is a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time, also known as a biocoenosis, biotic community, biological community, ecological community, or life assemblage. The term community has a variety of uses. In its simplest form it refers to groups of organisms in a specific place or time, for example, "the fish community of Lake Ontario before industrialization". Community ecology or synecology is the study of the interactions between species in communities on many spatial and temporal scales, including the distribution, structure, abundance, demography, and interactions between coexisting populations. The primary focus of community ecology is on the interactions between populations as determined by specific genotypic and phenotypic characteristics. Community ecology also takes into account abiotic factors that influence species distributions or interactions (e.g. annual temperat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liverpool Bay
Liverpool Bay is a bay of the Irish Sea between northeast Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to the east of the Irish Sea. The bay is a classic example of a region of freshwater influence. Liverpool Bay has historically suffered from reduced oxygen content from prior massive discharges of sewage sludge, according to C. Michael Hogan. The rivers Alt, Clwyd, Dee, Ribble and Mersey drain into the bay. The bay is littered with wrecks and has many dive sites. The bay also contains several oil and gas fields including the Douglas Complex, with a combined daily capacity (January 2008) of 60,000 barrels. The UK's first major offshore wind farm, North Hoyle, is located in the south of the bay, which is a busy shipping route to the Mersey Docks. The land area around the bay is occasionally referred to as the "Liverpool Bay Area". Though the term is seen by some as a possible official alternative to Merseyside, it is more often used to describe a much wider area which may ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tellina Fabula
''Fabulina fabula'', the bean-like tellin, is a species of marine bivalve mollusc in the family Tellinidae. It is found off the coasts of northwest Europe, where it lives buried in sandy sediments. Bivalves are molluscs with a body compressed between two usually similar shell valves joined by an elastic ligament. There are teeth at the edge of the shell and the animal has a muscular foot, gills, siphons, mouth and gut and is surrounded by a mantle inside the shell. Description The shell of ''Fabulina fabula'' is brittle and flattened and grows to a length of twenty millimeters. The outline is oval but the shell is asymmetric with the hinge slightly off centre and the beaks slightly behind the midline. The anterior dorsal margin curves gently and the anterior margin is rounded. The posterior dorsal margin is straighter and the posterior margin is somewhat pointed. The periostracum is transparent and glossy and the shell is white with tinges of yellow or brown. There is a scu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tellina
''Tellina'' is a widely distributed genus of marine (ocean), marine bivalve molluscs, in the family (biology), family Tellinidae.Gofas, S. (2011). Tellina Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138533 on 2012-01-08 Species * ''Tellina agilis'' Stimpson, 1857: northern dwarf tellin, northern dwarf-tellin : synonym of ''Ameritella agilis'' (Stimpson, 1857) * ''Tellina alternata'' Thomas Say, Say, 1822: alternate tellin * ''Tellina americana'' W. H. Dall, Dall, 1900: American tellin * ''Tellina amianta'' W. H. Dall, Dall, 1900 * ''Tellina angulosa'' Johann Friedrich Gmelin, Gmelin, 1791: angulate tellin * ''Tellina bodegensis'' Hinds, 1845: Bodega tellin * ''Tellina candeana'' D'Orbigny, 1842: cande tellin, wedge tellin * ''Tellina carpenteri'' W. H. Dall, Dall, 1900: Carpenter tellin * ''Tellina cerrosiana'' W. H. Dall, Dall, 1900 * ''Tellina coani'' Keen, 1971 * ''Telli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle (also known by the Latin word pallium meaning mantle, robe or cloak, adjective pallial) is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself. In many species of molluscs the epidermis of the mantle secretes calcium carbonate and conchiolin, and creates a shell. In sea slugs there is a progressive loss of the shell and the mantle becomes the dorsal surface of the animal. The words mantle and pallium both originally meant cloak or cape, see mantle (vesture). This anatomical structure in molluscs often resembles a cloak because in many groups the edges of the mantle, usually referred to as the ''mantle margin'', extend far beyond the main part of the body, forming flaps, double-layered structures which have been adapted for many different uses, including for example, the siphon. Mantle cavity The ''mantle cavity'' is a central fea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. The most recent rigorous estimate for the total number of species of eukaryotes is between 8 and 8.7 million. However, only about 14% of these had been described by 2011. All species (except viruses) are given a two-part name, a "binomial". The first part of a binomial is the genus to which the species belongs. The second part is called the specific name or the specific epithet (in botanical nomenclature, also sometimes i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
