Feeding Mechanisms in Animals

Amoeba ingests food by extending pseudopodia to engulf the food particle. The food is then enclosed in a membrane-bound sac called a food vacuole.

Paramecium use cilia to create currents that draw food particles towards their oral groove. The cilia then help push the food into the cytopharynx where a food vacuole forms.

Paramecium feed on microscopic organisms such as algae, bacteria, and protozoa. They are essentially opportunistic feeders, consuming whatever small organisms they can find.

<p>Sponges are filter feeders. They pump water through their bodies, capturing bacteria and small organic particles on special cells called choanocytes. These choanocytes contain microvilli that trap the food particles.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Sponges have choanocytes, cells with flagella and microvilli that capture food particles from the water flowing through their bodies.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Water flow brings in food and oxygen, as well as removes waste products. Maintaining this flow is essential for sponges to survive.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Enzymes are biological catalysts that break down complex food molecules into smaller, soluble molecules that can be absorbed by the body.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Assimilation refers to the utilization of absorbed nutrients for various life processes, such as growth, repair, energy production, and other metabolic functions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The radula is a toothed, chitinous ribbon used for scraping or cutting food before it enters the esophagus.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Cyclostomes possess a round sucking mouth and pouchlike gills. Additionally, some species have tooth-like rasps on a tongue-like projection.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Two examples include stalking, as seen in lions and cats, and setting up traps to catch prey.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Invertebrates that utilize thanatosis, or feigning death, include ants and beetles.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>External digestion involves breaking down food outside of the body, while ingestion involves taking food into the digestive system. Spiders use external digestion, secreting enzymes to break down prey outside their bodies, whereas animals like earthworms ingest food particles directly.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Detritus is non-living organic material that enriches the soil and provides nourishment for organisms. Detritus feeders, like earthworms, break down this material, contributing to nutrient cycling.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Gastropods exhibit a range of feeding habits, including carnivory, herbivory, scavenging, and filter feeding. They utilize their radula to scrape algae from rocks or chew on vegetation, showcasing their adaptable feeding strategies.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Hagfish are scavengers that feed on the insides of dead or dying fish. They have well-developed senses of touch and smell, four pairs of sensing tentacles around their mouths, and two tooth-like rasps on a tongue-like projection for feeding.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Snakes have a kinetic skull with long and flexible quadrate bones, allowing their skull bones to move. Their lower jawbones are joined by a flexible band of tough tissue, enabling them to articulate separately.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Venom paralyzes prey.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Pit organs are heat-sensitive organs located on the heads of some snakes. They detect infrared thermal radiation emitted by warm-bodied prey, allowing the snakes to track and strike them.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Pythons are non-venomous constrictors that bite and coil around their prey, suffocating it. They then swallow the prey headfirst.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Frogs have a long, sticky tongue that they flick out to capture prey.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The large, bulging eyes provide the frog with wide-angled vision, enabling it to see its prey and predators easily.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A frog's tongue is attached at the front of its mouth, allowing it to flick out rapidly and capture prey.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A kinetic skull allows snakes to expand their mouths and swallow prey much larger than their heads.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Filter feeding is a method where organisms strain small food particles from the water. Examples include bivalves like clams, baleen whales, and some flamingos.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Bivalve gills are adapted for both respiration and filter feeding. They have cilia that create water currents and trap food particles, which are then moved towards food grooves.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Autotrophic nutrition is the ability of an organism to produce its own food from inorganic substances like carbon dioxide and water, using energy from light (photosynthesis) or chemical reactions (chemosynthesis). Green plants are an example of autotrophs. Heterotrophic nutrition, on the other hand, involves organisms obtaining their food from other organisms. Animals, fungi, and bacteria are examples of heterotrophs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Baleen is a keratinized structure composed of plates hanging from the roof of the mouth. It acts as a filtering mechanism, trapping small planktonic animals like krill, which are then swallowed by the whale.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Baleen whales actively seek out areas with high concentrations of krill. They take in large quantities of water containing the prey, then squeeze the water out through baleen plates to trap the krill.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Scavengers play a vital role in an ecosystem by consuming dead animal carcasses, helping to recycle nutrients back into the environment. Examples of scavengers include vultures and hyenas.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Holozoic nutrition is a type of heterotrophic nutrition where organisms ingest solid or liquid organic matter, digest it into simpler substances, absorb the nutrients, and then assimilate them for growth and energy. This process involves ingestion, digestion, absorption, and assimilation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Some gastropods use mucus to create nets or traps to capture prey. These nets are then drawn into the mouth using the radula, a rasping tongue-like organ.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Sea cucumbers use tentacles to catch food particles from the ocean floor. They extend their tentacles to collect food, then draw them back into their mouths.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Animals require food for several reasons, including: providing energy for life processes (muscle contraction, cellular functions), supplying raw materials for building and maintaining cells and organs, and supporting growth and reproduction.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Herbivores, like deer, cows, and rabbits, consume only plants. Carnivores, such as lions, tigers, and lizards, eat only meat. Omnivores, including cockroaches, humans, and dogs, have a diverse diet, consuming both plants and animals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Examples of tentacle feeders include sea cucumbers, cephalopods like octopuses and squids, and some anemones.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Filter feeding is a method used by aquatic organisms to extract food particles from water. They often have specialized structures to trap tiny organisms and debris. Whales are a well-known example of filter feeders, using baleen plates to sieve krill and other small organisms from the water.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Both baleen whales and bivalves are filter feeders, but they utilize different structures. Baleen whales use baleen plates to filter krill from water, whereas bivalves use specialized gills with cilia. While both filter small food particles from water, their methods and prey differ.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Parasites obtain their nutrients by living on or in another organism, called a host, and benefiting at the host's expense. Parasitic organisms often have specialized structures and adaptations for acquiring nutrients from their host. An example of a human intestinal parasite is the roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides).</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Saprophytes, such as mushrooms and earthworms, feed on dead and decaying organic matter. They play a crucial role in decomposition. Scavengers, like vultures and jackals, consume dead animal carcasses. Both contribute to nutrient cycling in the environment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The shape of a bird's bill is linked to its diet. For example, a duck has a flat, wide bill for prying and digging, while a night hawk has a small, pointed bill for eating grain.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Crocodiles have thecodont and homodont dentition, which means their teeth are embedded in sockets and all look similar. These adaptations allow them to effectively capture and consume a wide variety of prey.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Chameleons have highly specialized projective tongues, which they shoot out to capture insects. This adaptation allows them to catch prey from a distance, making them very efficient hunters.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Bats use echolocation to navigate and hunt at night. They emit high-pitched sounds and listen to the echoes to determine the location and size of objects. While most bats are insectivorous and rely heavily on echolocation, fruit-eating bats have less-developed echolocation and rely more on their sight.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The primary source of food in the deep sea is hydrothermal vents. These volcanic fissures release chemicals that support a unique ecosystem independent of photosynthesis, which is the basis of food chains on land.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Organisms in the deep sea have adapted to their environment in various ways. They have adapted to the complete darkness by developing bioluminescence and have adapted to the lack of food and nutrients by becoming specialized predators or surviving on scavenged remains.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Royal pythons are constrictors, meaning they kill their prey by suffocating it. They have specialized teeth that point backward, helping them grip and hold onto their prey during the constriction process. Their diet primarily consists of small mammals and birds.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The shape of a bird's feet reflects its habitat and diet. For example, a duck has webbed feet that are adapted for swimming in water. A parrot has strong, opposable toes that help it grip branches and climb in trees.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Taking in complex organic food through the mouth opening.

Change of complex food into a simpler form by action of enzymes.

Passing of simple, soluble nutrients through blood or lymph.

Utilization of absorbed food for various metabolic processes.

Expelling out the undigested food from the body.

Structures formed to enclose food in unicellular organisms like amoeba and paramecium.

Organisms that use cilia to filter feed by straining food particles from water.

Special cells in sponges that filter food from water flowing through them.

Appendages that trap particles for feeding in some animals.

A chitinous ribbon used by molluscs for scraping or cutting food.

Non-living organic material, including dead organisms, eaten by detritus feeders.

A diverse class of molluscs including snails and slugs, using radula for feeding.

Includes anatomical adaptations like jaws and teeth, plus behaviors for hunting.

Primitive jawless vertebrates like lamprey and hagfish with unique feeding methods.

Feigning death as a defensive behavior to avoid predators.

Breaking down food outside the body, often seen in spiders and parasites.

Production of complex organic compounds from simple inorganic molecules using light or chemical energy.

Nutrition where organisms need ready-made organic molecules obtained from other organisms.

Ingestion, digestion, absorption, and assimilation of liquid or solid organic material.

Animals that primarily feed on plants.

Animals that primarily feed on other animals.

Animals that eat both plants and animals.

Organisms that derive nutrients from a host, harming it in the process.

Organisms that feed on dead and decaying organic matter.

A feeding method where food particles are strained from water.

A toothless whale that uses baleen to filter food from water.

Small shrimp-like crustaceans that are essential food for baleen whales.

Structures used by certain animals to trap prey using mucus.

A method of feeding where animals use tentacles to gather food.

Hairlike structures that produce currents and move trapped particles.

The process where a cell engulfs food particles.

Amphibians have a long sticky tongue and broad mouth to catch prey.

Frogs pull their eyes down to push food down their throat.

Reptilian skulls range from kinetic in snakes to solid in crocodiles.

Snakes have a kinetic skull with flexible quadrate bones for movement.

Snakes like cobras and mambas have venom that paralyzes prey.

Pit vipers and some snakes use heat-sensitive pit organs to track prey.

Pythons are non-venomous constrictors that suffocate prey by coiling around them.

Frogs use a sticky tongue and hold prey with tiny teeth.

Crocodiles eat any prey they can overpower, including animals like turtles and buffalo.

Chameleons primarily feed on insects and fruits, using their unique projective tongues.

Bird bills are shaped based on their diet, e.g., ducks dig and parrots crack nuts.

The shape of birds' feet reflects their habitat and food sources.

Most bats are insectivorous, using echolocation to catch prey in flight.

Deep-sea animals rely on hydrothermal vents for food instead of photosynthesis.

Hydrothermal vents are volcanic fissures that release geothermally heated water.

Bats navigate and hunt using echolocation, picking up size and distance from echoes.