Echinoderms and their niche
By Ethan Vesey
What are echinoderms
They are animals that have a radial symmetry. One really well known species of echinoderm are starfish. There are also sea cucumbers and sea urchins, they all have what is known as radial symmetry. Jelly fish have radial symmetry too, but what makes them different is that Echidnoderms live on the ground and on the depths of the ocean floor.
How they interact with the enviorment
- They mainly live off the ground and stay on the ground and the walls
- They eat bacteria, sand, kelp, and the occasional clam
- They eat by getting the food right to their stomach
- They can blend in with their environment
- They can stay in one place for a very long time
- They are essential for ocean enviroment
Most well know echidnoderms
Star fish
How they are essential?
- They prevent the growth of algae on coral reefs which allows coral reefs to filter feed easier
Sea cucumber
How they are essential?
- Along with sand dollars, they dig into the ground and provide more oxygen at greater depths so that more animals can live there
Sea urchin
How they are essential?
- They are an important resource to lots of fish and other animals like sea otters.
How they stay alive
A few main ways they survive
- They are very good at blending in with their environment, in some cases they live on other species skin
- They are very strong and have good defensive mechanisms. For example when a sea urchin is being attacked they point their spines int he direction of harm
- They don't require a lot of food to survive
- They can hold themselves ora body part in one position for a very long time
- They can regrow body parts, in some cases regrowing their entire bodies from an arm or a leg
- They don't have a lot of predators but they do have some
- They don't have brain so they live off nerves and instinct
The map of where they are in there ecosystem
Each echinoderm lives on the sea depths, but the map below shows which member of this species lives deeper. Starting with sea lilies on the top to sea cucumbers living deep in the ocean.