The Art of Arthropods
Isabelle Schmidt Arthropod Lab Vu Pap Bio April 8, 2014
Today's Objectives
We will be discovering the external and internal anatomy of arthropods, focusing on the integumentary system and respiratory system. As well as comparing the Subphylum Crustacea and the class Insecta.
What is an Arthropod?
Arthropoda is the largest animal phylum with 4 subphylums and 3 classes. So what does it mean to be an arthropod? Well all arthropods have a segmented body, a tough exoskeleton, and jointed appendages. Jointed appendages are so distinctive of of arthropods, all of them ave jointed appendages, that the phylum is named for it. Arthron means "joint" and podos means "foot" in Greek. Arthropods are further grouped based on the number and structure of their body segments and appendages.
Scorpion
From the subphylum Chelicerata
Crab
From the subphylum Crustacea
Grasshopper
From the subphylum Uniramia and class Insecta
Arthropods Over Time
More than 600 million years ago arthropods first appeared in the sea, now they inhabit all parts of the sea, fresh water areas, land and the air. Arthropods have evolved into having fewer body segments and highly specialized appendages to perform all the basic functions. In evolutionary terms, arthropods are the most successful and diverse animals of all time.
Anatomy
External anatomy
All arthropods have segmented bodies that can consist of a thorax, cephalothorax, or an abdomen. The number of jointed appendages differs with each different kind of arthropod. A tough exoskeleton made of chitin is something all arthropods have, its level of hardness varying. having an exoskeleton means going through molting, shedding an entire exoskeleton.