TunicateMarine animals, subphylum of chordatesTunicates are marine invertebrates belonging to the subphylumTunicata ( ). This grouping is part of the Chordata, a phylum which includes all animals with dorsal nerve cords and notochords (including vertebrates). The subphylum was at one time called Urochordata, and the term urochordates is still sometimes used for these animals.
LarvaceanLarvaceans, copelates or appendicularians, class Appendicularia, are solitary, free-swimming tunicates found throughout the world's oceans. While larvaceans are filter feeders like most other tunicates, they keep their tadpole-like shape as adults, with the notochord running through the tail. They can be found in the pelagic zone, specifically in the photic zone, or sometimes deeper.
ThaliaceaThaliacea is a class of marine chordates within the subphylum Tunicata, comprising the salps, pyrosomes and doliolids. Unlike their benthic relatives the ascidians, from which they are believed to have emerged, thaliaceans are free-floating (pelagic) for their entire lifespan. The group includes species with complex life cycles, with both solitary and colonial forms.
PlanktonOrganisms living in water or air that drift in the current or windMarine microplankton and mesoplankton Part of the contents of one dip of a hand net. The image contains diverse planktonic organisms, ranging from photosyntheticcyanobacteria and diatoms to many different types of zooplankton, including both holoplankton (permanent residents of the plankton like copepods) and meroplankton (temporary residents of the plankton like fish eggs and crab larvae).
Filter feederFilter feeders are aquatic animals that feed on organic matter, foodparticles or smaller organisms (bacteria, microalgae and zooplanktons) suspended in water, typically by having the water pass over or through a specialized filteringorgan that sieves out and/or traps solids.
CelluloseCellulose is an organic compound with the formula(C6H10O5)n, a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4) linkedD-glucose units. Cellulose is an important structural component of the cell walls of green plants, many forms of algae, the oomycetes, and test of sea squirts. Some species of bacteria secrete it to form biofilms. Cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer on Earth.
InvertebrateInvertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a spine or backbone), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordatesubphylumVertebrata, i.e. vertebrates. Nonetheless, almost all invertebrates belong to the monophyletic clade Protostomia, including arthropods, molluscs, annelids, and flatworms.
SalinitySalinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal to ‰).
PolysaccharidePolysaccharides (; from Ancient Greek (polús)'many, much' and (sákkhar)'sugar') are "compounds consisting of a large number of monosaccharides linked glycosidically". They are the most abundant carbohydrates in food. Their structures range from linear to highly branched polymers. Examples include storage polysaccharides such as starch, glycogen, and galactogen and structural polysaccharides such as hemicellulose and chitin.
Test (biology)In biology, a test is the hard shell of some spherical aquatic animals and protists, notably sea urchins and microorganisms such as testate foraminiferans, radiolarians, and testate amoebae. The term is also applied to the covering of scale insects. The related Latin term testa is used for the outer layer of the hard seed coat of plant seeds.
SubphylumIn zoological nomenclature, a subphylum is a taxonomic rank below the rank of phylum. The taxonomic rank of "subdivision" in fungi and plant taxonomy is equivalent to "subphylum" in zoological taxonomy. Some plant taxonomists have also used the rank of subphylum, for instance monocotyledons as a subphylum of phylum Angiospermae and vertebrates as a subphylum of phylum Chordata.
OceanBody of salt water covering most of EarthThe ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as oceans (in descending order by area: the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Antarctic/Southern Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean), and are themselves mostly divided into seas, gulfs and subsequent bodies of water.
PapillaeRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.