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European Squid (Loligo vulgaris)
European Squid (Loligo vulgaris)

The mantle is an organ found in mollusks. The European Squid ( Loligo vulgaris) is a large Squid belonging to the family Loliginidae. Molluscs are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 250000 extant Species within the phylum with an estimated 70000 It is the dorsal body wall covering the main body, or visceral mass. In Anatomy, the dorsum is the upper side of animals that typically run fly or swim in a horizontal position and the back side of animals (like humans that walk upright In many species, the epidermis of this organ secretes calcium carbonate to create a shell. Epidermis is the outermost layer of the Skin. It forms the waterproof protective wrap over the body's surface and is made up of stratified squamous Epithelium with Calcium carbonate is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula Ca[[Carbon C]] O 3

Shell formation

Nacre is secreted by the ectodermic cells of the mantle tissue of most mollusks. Nacre, also known as mother of pearl, is an organic-inorganic Composite material produced by some Mollusks as an inner shell layer A germ layer is a collection of cells formed during animal Embryogenesis. The cell is the structural and functional unit of all known living Organisms It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living and is often called Mollusk blood is rich in a liquid form of calcium. Blood is a specialized Bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells such as nutrients and oxygen—and transports Waste products Calcium (ˈkælsiəm is the Chemical element with the symbol Ca and Atomic number 20 In these mollusks the calcium is concentrated out from the blood where it can crystallize as calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The individual crystals of each layer differ in shape and orientation. Nacre is continually deposited onto the inner surface of the animal's shell (the iridescent nacreous layer, also known as mother of pearl), both as a means to smoothen the shell itself and as a defense against parasitic organisms and damaging detritus. A seashell, also known as a sea shell, is the Common name for a hard protective outer layer a shell or in some cases a " test " that was created Iridescence is an Optical phenomenon in which Hue changes with the angle from which a surface is viewed Nacre, also known as mother of pearl, is an organic-inorganic Composite material produced by some Mollusks as an inner shell layer Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between Organisms of different Species.

The calcium carbonate layers are generally of two types: an outer, chalk-like prismatic layer and an inner pearly, lamellar or nacreous layer. The layers may incorporate a substance called conchiolin, often in order to help bind the calcium carbonate crystals together. Conchiolin (sometimes referred to as conchin) and perlucin are complex Proteins which are secreted by a Mollusc 's outer Epithelium Conchiolin is composed largely of quinone-tanned proteins. "DDQ" redirects here DDQ is also the former callsign of a TV station in Toowoomba Queensland Australia Proteins are large Organic compounds made of Amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by Peptide bonds between the Carboxyl

Some shells may also contain pigments, which accounts for the fabulous colours of some seashells. A seashell, also known as a sea shell, is the Common name for a hard protective outer layer a shell or in some cases a " test " that was created These shell pigments may include compounds like pyrroles and porphyrins, which are also proteins. Pyrrole, or pyrrol, is a Heterocyclic Aromatic Organic compound, a five-membered ring with the formula C 4 A porphyrin is a heterocyclic Macrocycle derived from four Pyrroline subunits interconnected via their α carbon atoms via Methine bridges (=CH-

The mantle cavity

A mantle skirt is a double fold of mantle that encloses a water space. This space is called the mantle cavity, and it is a central feature of mollusk biology, containing the mollusk's gills, anus, osphradium, nephridiopores, and gonopores. A gill is an anatomical structure found in many aquatic organisms The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an Animal 's Digestive tract from the Mouth. The osphradium is the Olfactory organ in certain Molluscs, linked with the respiration organ Nephridiopore is part of the Nephridia, an excretory organ found in many Organisms such as Flatworms or Annelids Nephridia A gonopore is a Genital Pore in some Invertebrates and especially some Insects For insects it is the opening of the genital duct The mantle cavity may function as a respiratory chamber (all mollusks), feeding structure (bivalves), brood chamber (several forms), or locomotory organ (cephalopods and some bivalves). In Animal physiology, respiration is the transport of Oxygen from the outside air to the cells within tissues and the transport of Carbon dioxide Bivalves are Molluscs belonging to the class Bivalvia. They have two-part shells and typically both valves are symmetrical along the hinge line The cephalopods ( Greek plural (kephalópoda "head-feet" are the Mollusc class Cephalopoda characterized by

The mantle is highly muscular. In cephalopods it is used to force water through a tubular siphon, the hyponome, to propel the animal quickly through the water. The hyponome or siphon is the organ used by Cephalopods for locomotion In other mollusks, it is used as a kind of "foot" for locomotion.

The nervous system of cephalopods is the most complex of the invertebrates. The nervous system is a Network of specialized cells that communicate information about an animal's surroundings and itself An invertebrate is an Animal lacking a Vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal Species — all animals except those in the Chordate The giant nerve fibers of the cephalopod mantle have been a favorite experimental material of neurophysiologists for many years. A nerve is an enclosed cable-like bundle of peripheral Axons (the long slender projections of Neurons. Neurophysiology (from Greek grc νεῦρον neuron, "nerve" grc φύσις physis, "nature origin" and grc -λογία

See also

The columella (meaning little column is an anatomical feature of a coiled Snail shell or Gastropod shell. The operculum, meaning little lid (plural opercula or operculums is a corneous or Calcareous structure which exists in some groups of marine freshwater and land
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