Arthropods
By Natalia Salgado
Objective
Background Information (Grasshopper)
Scientific name: Caelifera
Habitat: Fields and Meadows
Predators: Bee Flies, Blister beetles, Scelionid wasps, Ground beetles, Skunks, Shrews, Moles, Salamanders, Toads, Snakes
Prey: Plants, grasses, leaves
Niche: Primary
Ecological Adaptations: Powerful legs to jump
Background Information (Butterfly)
Scientific name: Rhopalocera
Habitat: Sunny places without usual strong gusts of wind
Predators: Wasps, Ants, Parasitic Flies, Birds, Snakes, Toads, Rats, Lizards, Dragonflies, Monkeys, Frogs and Spiders
Prey: Nectar from Flowers, Tree Sap, Rotting Fruit, Dung and Rotting flesh
Niche: Primary or Secondary
Ecological Adaptations: The colors on their wings
Background Information (Crab)
Scientific name: Brachyura
Habitat: Near the ocean, Beaches
Predators: Octopie, Dig Fish, Otters, Sea Turtles, Scullions
Prey: Algae, Clams, Fish
Niche: Primary and Secondary
Ecological Adaptations: Huge Pinchers
Different Arthropods
An arthropod that lives on the land
An arthropod that stays in the air (mostly)
An arthropod that lives near/in the water
Integumentary
The epidermis is mostly composed of chitin inside of protein. The epidermis is tough and is located on a basement membrane for most insects. The epicuticle is the outermost waxy layer of the arthropod exoskeleton. Chitin is high-molecular-weight that has amino groups and is hard. The exoskeleton is hard because it is hardened by biomineralization. Cuticles are underneath the epidermis and are made of chitin. Exocutucles are made up of chemically hardened proteins and chitin while Endocuticles contain the same contents but their proteins aren't hardened.
Arthropod Facts
The most distinguishable characteristics of arthropods are:
An Exoskeleton
Jointed legs and appendages
Bilateral symmetry