"The largest phylum of creatures on Earth without a doubt is Arthropoda, both in terms of number of species and in total number of individuals."
Classification - All arthropoda have segmented bodies divided into
a head, jointed legs and abdomen.
The major Classes of living arthropods
are as follows with one example each:
Class Arachnida - spiders
Class Crustacea - crabs
Class Merostoma- horseshoe crabs
Class Diplopoda - millipedes
Class Chilopoda - centipede
Class Insecta or Hexopoda - insects
Diversity - Arthropods include an incredibly diverse group of taxa such as insects, crustaceans, spiders, scorpions, and centipedes. There are far more species of arthropods than species in all other phyla combined, and the number of undescribed species in the largest assemblage of arthropods, the insects, probably numbers in the tens of millions. Members of the phylum have been responsible for the most devastating plagues and famines mankind has known. Yet other species of arthropods are essential for our existence, directly or indirectly providing us with food, clothing, medicines, and protection from harmful organisms.Arthropods include an incredibly diverse group of taxa such as insects, crustaceans, spiders, scorpions, and centipedes. There are far more species of arthropods than species in all other phyla combined, and the number of undescribed species in the largest assemblage of arthropods, the insects, probably numbers in the tens of millions. Members of the phylum have been responsible for the most devastating plagues and famines mankind has known. Yet other species of arthropods are essential for our existence, directly or indirectly providing us with food, clothing, medicines, and protection from harmful organisms.
(The systematic relationships of arthropod groups is not fully understood, which is not surprising given the size and diversity of the phylum.)
Life History - In arthropods, sperm are commonly transferred to the female within sealed packets known as spermatophores. In this method of transfer the sperm are not diluted by the surrounding medium, in the case of aquatic forms, nor do they suffer from rapid desiccation on land. Among some arachnids, such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, and some mites, the stalked spermatophore is deposited on the ground.
Either the female is attracted to the spermatophore chemically or the deposition of the spermatophore occurs during the course of a nuptial dance, and the male afterward maneuvers the female into a position in which she can take up the spermatophore within her genital opening. Centipedes also utilize spermatophores with an accompanying courtship behaviour. Among insects there are some primitive wingless groups, such as collembolans and thysanurans, in which the spermatophore is deposited on the ground, but in most insects the spermatophores are placed directly into the female genital opening by the male during copulation.
Many other invertebrates, including several gastropods and chaetognaths, also use spermatophores. Many arthropods transfer free sperm rather than spermatophores. These include many crustaceans, millipedes, some insects (such as dipterans and hemipterans), spiders, and some mites.
Ecological Roles - Insects play many vital roles in maintaining ecological systems. Many insects act as pollinators to higher plants. Others are important in decomposition. Many species are agricultural pests or parasites, and have a dramatic impact on humans. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is one of the most well-studied biological organisms and serves as a model species for studies of genetics , development, and evolution.
- Some well-known insect groups include the Thysanura (silverfish), Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Odonata (dragonflies), Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, katydids), Blattaria (cockroaches), Isoptera (termites), Heteroptera (true bugs), Homoptera (cicadas and aphids), Coleoptera (beetles), Siphonaptera (fleas), Diptera (flies), Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), and Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps).
Human Impacts - Arthropods occupy an enormous variety of Earth's habitats. Most species of crustaceans live in water (that is, are aquatic), although a few such as wood lice and land crabs occur in moist habitats on land. The spiders, mites, scorpions, and other arachnids are almost entirely land animals, as are the extremely diverse insects.
Arthropods are both harmful and helpful to humans. A few species are transmitters of bacteria or viruses that cause diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, encephalitis, and Lyme disease. Scorpions, some spiders, and bees and wasps have poison glands and can hurt or even (though rarely) kill people by injecting poison through stingers. Some arthropods are a nutritious source of food in many parts of the world, and insects play an important role in pollination (a process necessary for production in many plants).
Group Community - They are important members of marine, freshwater, land and air ecosystems, and are one of only two major animal groups that have adapted to life in dry environments; the other is amniotes, whose living members are reptiles, birds and mammals. One arthropod sub-group, insects, is the most species-rich member of all ecological guilds in land and fresh-water environments. The lightest insects weigh less than 25 micrograms (millionths of a gram), while the heaviest weigh over 70 grams (2.5 oz). Some living crustaceans are much larger; for example, the legs of the Japanese spider crab may span up to 4 metres (13 ft).
Arthropods' primary internal cavity is a hemocoel, which accommodates their internalorgans, and through which their haemolymph - analogue of blood - circulates; they have open circulatory systems. Like their exteriors, the internal organs of arthropods are generally built of repeated segments. Their nervous system is "ladder-like", with paired ventral nerve cords running through all segments and forming paired ganglia in each segment. Their heads are formed by fusion of varying numbers of segments, and their brains are formed by fusion of the ganglia of these segments and encircle the esophagus. The respiratory and excretory systems of arthropods vary, depending as much on their environment as on the subphylum to which they belong.
"The phylum Arthropoda includes 80 percent of all the species found on Earth today, according to the University of Edinburgh’s National History Collection museum. This phylum includes spiders, lobsters and insects that all evolved from a single ancestor and share many traits, including an exoskeleton, segmented body, jointed appendages and bilateral symmetry. All arthropods in this phylum go through four similar life stages." - Amy Jorgensen
Classification - All arthropoda have segmented bodies divided into
a head, jointed legs and abdomen.
The major Classes of living arthropods
are as follows with one example each:
Class Arachnida - spiders
Class Crustacea - crabs
Class Merostoma- horseshoe crabs
Class Diplopoda - millipedes
Class Chilopoda - centipede
Class Insecta or Hexopoda - insects
Diversity - Arthropods include an incredibly diverse group of taxa such as insects, crustaceans, spiders, scorpions, and centipedes. There are far more species of arthropods than species in all other phyla combined, and the number of undescribed species in the largest assemblage of arthropods, the insects, probably numbers in the tens of millions. Members of the phylum have been responsible for the most devastating plagues and famines mankind has known. Yet other species of arthropods are essential for our existence, directly or indirectly providing us with food, clothing, medicines, and protection from harmful organisms.Arthropods include an incredibly diverse group of taxa such as insects, crustaceans, spiders, scorpions, and centipedes. There are far more species of arthropods than species in all other phyla combined, and the number of undescribed species in the largest assemblage of arthropods, the insects, probably numbers in the tens of millions. Members of the phylum have been responsible for the most devastating plagues and famines mankind has known. Yet other species of arthropods are essential for our existence, directly or indirectly providing us with food, clothing, medicines, and protection from harmful organisms.
(The systematic relationships of arthropod groups is not fully understood, which is not surprising given the size and diversity of the phylum.)
Life History - In arthropods, sperm are commonly transferred to the female within sealed packets known as spermatophores. In this method of transfer the sperm are not diluted by the surrounding medium, in the case of aquatic forms, nor do they suffer from rapid desiccation on land. Among some arachnids, such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, and some mites, the stalked spermatophore is deposited on the ground.
Either the female is attracted to the spermatophore chemically or the deposition of the spermatophore occurs during the course of a nuptial dance, and the male afterward maneuvers the female into a position in which she can take up the spermatophore within her genital opening. Centipedes also utilize spermatophores with an accompanying courtship behaviour. Among insects there are some primitive wingless groups, such as collembolans and thysanurans, in which the spermatophore is deposited on the ground, but in most insects the spermatophores are placed directly into the female genital opening by the male during copulation.
Many other invertebrates, including several gastropods and chaetognaths, also use spermatophores. Many arthropods transfer free sperm rather than spermatophores. These include many crustaceans, millipedes, some insects (such as dipterans and hemipterans), spiders, and some mites.
Ecological Roles - Insects play many vital roles in maintaining ecological systems. Many insects act as pollinators to higher plants. Others are important in decomposition. Many species are agricultural pests or parasites, and have a dramatic impact on humans. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is one of the most well-studied biological organisms and serves as a model species for studies of genetics , development, and evolution.
- Some well-known insect groups include the Thysanura (silverfish), Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Odonata (dragonflies), Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, katydids), Blattaria (cockroaches), Isoptera (termites), Heteroptera (true bugs), Homoptera (cicadas and aphids), Coleoptera (beetles), Siphonaptera (fleas), Diptera (flies), Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), and Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps).
Human Impacts - Arthropods occupy an enormous variety of Earth's habitats. Most species of crustaceans live in water (that is, are aquatic), although a few such as wood lice and land crabs occur in moist habitats on land. The spiders, mites, scorpions, and other arachnids are almost entirely land animals, as are the extremely diverse insects.
Arthropods are both harmful and helpful to humans. A few species are transmitters of bacteria or viruses that cause diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, encephalitis, and Lyme disease. Scorpions, some spiders, and bees and wasps have poison glands and can hurt or even (though rarely) kill people by injecting poison through stingers. Some arthropods are a nutritious source of food in many parts of the world, and insects play an important role in pollination (a process necessary for production in many plants).
Group Community - They are important members of marine, freshwater, land and air ecosystems, and are one of only two major animal groups that have adapted to life in dry environments; the other is amniotes, whose living members are reptiles, birds and mammals. One arthropod sub-group, insects, is the most species-rich member of all ecological guilds in land and fresh-water environments. The lightest insects weigh less than 25 micrograms (millionths of a gram), while the heaviest weigh over 70 grams (2.5 oz). Some living crustaceans are much larger; for example, the legs of the Japanese spider crab may span up to 4 metres (13 ft).
Arthropods' primary internal cavity is a hemocoel, which accommodates their internalorgans, and through which their haemolymph - analogue of blood - circulates; they have open circulatory systems. Like their exteriors, the internal organs of arthropods are generally built of repeated segments. Their nervous system is "ladder-like", with paired ventral nerve cords running through all segments and forming paired ganglia in each segment. Their heads are formed by fusion of varying numbers of segments, and their brains are formed by fusion of the ganglia of these segments and encircle the esophagus. The respiratory and excretory systems of arthropods vary, depending as much on their environment as on the subphylum to which they belong.
"The phylum Arthropoda includes 80 percent of all the species found on Earth today, according to the University of Edinburgh’s National History Collection museum. This phylum includes spiders, lobsters and insects that all evolved from a single ancestor and share many traits, including an exoskeleton, segmented body, jointed appendages and bilateral symmetry. All arthropods in this phylum go through four similar life stages." - Amy Jorgensen