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A tunicate is an exclusively marine invertebrate animal, a member of the subphylum Tunicata (/ ˌtjuːnɪˈkeɪtə / TEW-nih-KAY-tə). This grouping is part of the Chordata, a phylum which includes all animals with dorsal nerve cords and notochords (including vertebrates). The subphylum was at one time called Urochordata, and the term ...
Filter feeders can play an important role in condensing biomass and removing excess nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphate) from the local waterbody, and are therefore considered water-cleaning ecosystem engineers. They are also important in bioaccumulation and, as a result, as indicator organisms. Filter feeders can be sessile, planktonic ...
Lahille, 1890. Ascidiacea, commonly known as the ascidians or sea squirts, is a paraphyletic class in the subphylum Tunicata of sac-like marine invertebrate filter feeders. [2] Ascidians are characterized by a tough outer "tunic" made of a polysaccharide. Ascidians are found all over the world, usually in shallow water with salinities over 2.5%.
Larvacean. Larvaceans or appendicularians, class Appendicularia, are solitary, free-swimming tunicates found throughout the world's oceans. While larvaceans are filter feeders like most other tunicates, they keep their tadpole-like shape as adults, with the notochord running through the tail. They can be found in the pelagic zone, specifically ...
Didemnum molle is a suspension feeder.Water is drawn into the body of each zooid through the numerous buccal siphons, phytoplankton, zooplankton and fine organic particles are filtered out and the water is exhaled through the atrial siphon.
Various tunicates concentrate the element vanadium in their body tissues, but B. villosa does this to a greater extent than most other species. [3] Like other tunicates, it is a suspension feeder, drawing water in through the buccal siphon, extracting planktonic particles and expelling the water and waste through the atrial siphon. [5]
Clavelina picta are invertebrate filter feeders that feed by inducing a current into the branchial cavity from the incurrent siphon, with the help of the endostyle using cilia. [3] Mucus glands in the endostyle secrete mucus used to filter through the incoming water and food particles. Once sorted, the mucus is moved by cilia to move food into ...
Molgula oculata is a suspension feeder, filtering planktonic particles and bacteria from the water which is pumped continually through its body. Like other tunicates, it is a hermaphrodite and at breeding time, sperm and eggs are liberated into the sea where fertilisation takes place.