Download Zal Sidhwa Mr. Snow AP Biology 20 November 2012 Taxonomy

Zal Sidhwa
Mr. Snow
AP Biology
20 November 2012
Taxonomy Wikipedia Project - SQUID
1. Classification/Diagnostic characteristics
Squids are classified as Cephalopoda, which belongs to the Molluscan phylum.
Squids have a distinct head, a parrot-like beak, a mantle (body), two gills, eight tentacles
with suckers, as well as two other longer tentacles that are used to capture there pray. The
eight tentacles with suckers have a double ring of sharp teeth that are used to breakdown
and consume there pray. Squids also have two fins located above their mantle that are use
to help them navigate the vast ocean. Squids have no bones and thus have a pen “reduced
shell” inside its body. Squids have three hearts – a central heart as well as two other gill
hearts that pump the blood through their gills.
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Relationship to humans
Squids mainly have only one similar relationship to humans and that relationship
is involved between the human and squid eyes. Human and squid eyes are very similar
because they both work by refracting the light through a lens to see even though squids
are colorblind. However the squid’s eyes are created from their skin during development
whereas our eyes are an outgrowth of our brain. Squids are also used as food by humans
most commonly referred to as calamari.
Habitat and niche
Squids have an extremely large range in terms of where they reside. Each
different species of squid has its own habitat. Some squids are found in warm waters
whereas others our found in cooler waters, but regardless of the temperature, one can find
a squid in almost all the large bodies of water. Squids are usually found in depths below
1,000 feet below the surface of water. Smaller squids are usually seen higher up in the
depth of the ocean for they have the least competition present.
Predator avoidance
Most squids have two main techniques that they use to avoid predators. Some
squids contain cephalopods that are able to change the color of their bodies by controlling
these tiny elastic sacs of pigment to change the color of their skins in a way similar to a
chameleon by camouflage itself from its surrounding predators. Squids also have an
elongated mucus sac that is able to produce ink, which they release into the water when
they are trying to escape a predator in an effort to try to confuse the predator.
Nutrient acquisition
Squids have a parrot-like beak, which they use to absorb nutrients from the water.
Squids also use there long tentacles, referred to as feeding tentacles, to consume other
organisms such as jellyfish that have a high amount of nutrients in them in an effort to
increase their own nutrient levels.
Reproduction and life cycle
Squids reproduce in a very weird, yet fascinating way. During the day time,
during different times of the year for different species, squids (both male and females)
gather around the lower end of the ocean or body of water and the males and the females
swim in these circular currents as they try to find a mate. The males during this process
try to attract females by continuously changing the color of their skin. Once a male or a
female finds a mate the two begin to mate. The male squid then uses one of its eight short
tentacles (the smallest one of those eight) to transport its sperm into the female. This
sperm then fertilizes the female’s eggs, which can range from 1,000 up to 70,000 eggs,
dependent on the species. Once the eggs our fertilized the female will leave the eggs in a
secure area where the eggs will hatch and will make there way to the surface of the water.
7. Growth and development
A squid starts out as an egg and then overtime grows to mature into an squid as it
obtain the right amounts of food and nutrients and after 3 years or so if the conditions are
suitable for the squid, the squid can become a giant squid ranging from 40-50 feet in
length.
8. Integument
The skin of the squid is covered with chromatophores, which allow the squid to
change the color of its skin, dependent on its environment. The underside of the squid is
lighter than its top, for better camouflage from its pray.
9. Movement
Squids move throughout the water by sucking water into their mantle captivity
and then removing it through the siphon. When they release the water out the siphon the
pressure is so great that they move up to 24 mph; they are the fastest invertebrates in the
world. They are always moving even during there sleep.
10. Sensing the environment
Squids have two main ways that they sense their environment. One of their main
ways that they sense their environment is by using their eyes. Squids have a very similar
eye makeup as humans do, however they have no blind spots which makes them able to
look at all of there surrounding and react extremely fast when danger is around. Squids
also have Statocyst structures, which help them hear their surrounds and helps them find
their way around the environment by sensing the soundscape of their environment such
as finding their way to the surface of the water and away from the surface of the water.
11. Gas exchange
Squids breathe with the help of their gills. Water flows into the mantle of the
squid and around its gills, which absorb the oxygen from the water and remove the
carbon dioxide. Squids have extremely large gills and even have their own small hearts
for each gill, so that it can “scan” a ton of water to obtain sufficient amounts of oxygen
for survival.
12. Waste removal
The waste that gathers up in the body of the squid is removed from their anus into
the siphon. The waste form the siphon ids then removed from the siphon of the squid
when the squid basically removes the “non-oxygenated water” from its mantle.
13. Environmental physiology (temperature, water and salt regulation)
Each species of squid has a different regulation of water temperature in which it
thrives. However, when it comes to the regulation of salt squids don’t really care. Squids
can live in both salt rich as well as salt less bodies of water, but they do need water in
which there are nutrients present to keep them healthy.
14. Internal circulation
Squids, like most mollusks (clams, oysters, scallops, snails, and slugs) have an
open circulatory system, meaning that the organs slosh around in a single pool of bluish
'blood' called hemolymph. Hemolymph is one of the reasons that a squid can move so
fast; it is pumped quickly around the body inside veins, arteries, and capillaries. Squids
also have three hearts. One big systemic heart which pumps hemolymph around the body
and to the brain, while the two brachial heats, which are located in each of the gills of the
squid that helps push hemolymph through the small capillaries located there.
15. Chemical control (i.e. endocrine system)
The optic gland in the squid is responsible for controlling the reproductive activity
and metabolic processes. The anterior saliva glad is responsible for secreting saliva in the
mouth to break down food. The posterior salvia gland on the other hand produces venom
that is used to paralyze its prey.
WEBSITES CITATIONS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squid
http://www.squid-world.com/squids-and-humans.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01006/squids.htm
PHOTOS CITATIONS
http://www.carnegiemnh.org/graphics/science/mollusks/tree_lg.jpg
http://ocean.si.edu/sites/default/files/audio/images/Giant_Squid_art_carousel_D1000088.JPG
DON”T INCLUDE AS SOURCES But Are BENIFICIAL
http://gilly.stanford.edu/outreach_files/Squids4KidsDissectionGuide.pdf
http://universe-review.ca/R10-33-anatomy.htm
http://marine-francine.blogspot.com/2007/11/squid.html