Lab Bio: Clams Diagram

Questions and Answers

Muscular Foot

Where the clam opens is a swollen region where the shell of the clam starts to grow.

N/A

A tooth of the hinge of a bivalve mollusk's shell situated just under the umbo. Signup and view all the answers

A sex gland or reproductive gland. Signup and view all the answers

Protects the clam from sunlight and forms the shell. Signup and view all the answers

Attached to the adjacent edges on one side of the two halves of a clam shell. Signup and view all the answers

A channel for water intake in the mantle of bivalve mollusks. Signup and view all the answers

An organ used for exhalation. Signup and view all the answers

Allows the mollusks to swim by rapidly contracting and relaxing. Signup and view all the answers

The main muscular system in clams and other bivalve mollusks. Signup and view all the answers

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Helps clam with digestion of food. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Clams utilize a muscular foot for mobility, anchoring and allowing them to dig into substrates.
The umbo is the swollen, growth region at the shell's hinge where it starts to open.
Growth-rest lines indicate periods of slower growth in a clam’s shell, though specific details are not provided.
Cardinal teeth are prominent features under the umbo, aiding in the alignment of the bivalve shell halves.
A gonad serves as the reproductive gland, playing a crucial role in the clam's reproduction.

The mantle offers protection against sunlight and facilitates shell formation, increasing size and strength as the clam matures.
The hinge ligament connects the shell halves, enabling the clam to open and close effectively like a door.

The inhalant siphon allows the clam to intake water, essential for feeding and respiration.
The exhalant siphon functions in expelling water, maintaining waste management and fluid balance.

The anterior adductor muscle enables swimming by controlling the opening and closing motion of the shell through rapid contractions.
The posterior adductor muscle is key to the clam's muscular system, facilitating movement and shell closure.