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The strength of the exoskeleton is provided by the underlying procuticle, which is in turn secreted by the epithelial cells in the epidermis, [2] which begins as a tough, flexible layer of chitin. Arthropod cuticle is a biological composite material, consisting of two main portions: fibrous chains of alpha-chitin within a matrix of silk-like ...
Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature (behind only cellulose); an estimated 1 billion tons of chitin are produced each year in the biosphere. [1] It is a primary component of cell walls in fungi (especially filamentous and mushroom-forming fungi), the exoskeletons of arthropods such as crustaceans and insects, the radulae ...
The rigidity is a function of the types of proteins and the quantity of chitin. It is believed that the epidermal cells produce protein and also monitors the timing and amount of protein to be incorporated into the cuticle. [4] Often, in the cuticle of arthropods, structural coloration is observed, produced by nanostructures. [5]
Discarded exoskeleton of dragonfly nymph Exoskeleton of cicada attached to a Tridax procumbens (colloquially known as the tridax daisy)An exoskeleton (from Greek έξω éxō "outer" [1] and σκελετός skeletós "skeleton" [2] [3]) is a skeleton that is on the exterior of an animal in the form of hardened integument, which both supports the body's shape and protects the internal organs ...
Arthropods (/ ˈ ɑːr θ r ə p ɒ d / ARTH-rə-pod) are invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda. They possess an exoskeleton with a cuticle made of chitin , often mineralised with calcium carbonate , a body with differentiated ( metameric ) segments , and paired jointed appendages .
Arthropod eyes Head of a wasp with three ocelli (center), and compound eyes at the left and right. Most arthropods have sophisticated visual systems that include one or more usually both of compound eyes and pigment-cup ocelli ("little eyes"). In most cases, ocelli are only capable of detecting the direction from which light is coming, using ...
Chemically, chitin is a long-chain polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative of glucose. In its unmodified form, chitin is translucent, pliable, and resilient. In arthropods, however, it is often modified, becoming embedded in a hardened proteinaceous matrix, which forms much of the exoskeleton.
The Chelicerata are arthropods as they have: segmented bodies with jointed limbs, all covered in a cuticle made of chitin and proteins; heads that are composed of several segments that fuse during the development of the embryo; a much reduced coelom; a hemocoel through which the blood circulates, driven by a tube-like heart. [9]