Clam worms

Clam worms (Nereis) have well-developed parapodia and four or more pairs of tentacle-like extensions on their heads. During the day, they hide in mucus-lined sand burrows. At night, they emerge to search for prey, usually small crustaceans or mollusks. The worms will also scavenge any dead animals they can find. 

Foster GD, Wright DA (1988) Unsubstituted polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments, clams, and clam worms from Chesapeake Bay. Mar Pollut Bull 19 459-465. 

Figure 2 illustrates chitin inducibility in estuarine mud. The slightly compacted, reduced muds had little signs of Nereis (clam worm) or other sediment macrofaunal bioturbation before or during the experimental exposure to flowing seawater (12 parts per thousand... 

Tanaka, R., Hashimoto, A., Noda, N., and Miyahara, K. (1995) Two 1-alkyl-2-acyl choline glycero-phospholipids having an arachidonyl or eicosapentaenoyl group, from the clam worm Marphysa sanguinea). Chem. Pharm. Bull. 43,156-158. 

Sand worms. Clam worms and Tubeworms Polychaeta. http //en. wikipedia.org/wiki/ Siboglinidae Sibo indae. 

In the luminescence systems that require a peroxide or an active oxygen species in addition to molecular oxygen (the scaleworm, the tube worm Chaetopterus, the clam Pholas, the squid Symplecto-teuthis), their in vitro luminescence reactions reported are much slower and inefficient compared to their bright in vivo luminescence. The true, intrinsic activation factor in their in vivo luminescence should be determined, and the detailed mechanisms of oxidation should be elucidated. 

For most people, BL is represented by the flash of the firefly or the phosphorescence that frequently occurs on agitating the surface of ocean water. Chemical excitation, luminescent reactions occurs in almost all zoological kingdoms (bacteria, dinoflagelates, Crustacea, worms, clams, insects, and fishes) except higher vertebrates BL is not found in any organisms higher than fish. In most cases this phenomenon occurs within specialized cells called photocytes [3-5], As shown in Table 1, BL occurs in many terrestrial forms but is most common in the sea, particularly in the deep ocean, where the majority of species are luminescent [6],... 

Marine clams and worms tended to underrepresent chlordane concentrations in the ambient sediments. Concentration factors were less than 0.2 for clams and 0.6 for worms (Ray et al. 1983). Similarly, chlordane concentrations in clams from the Shatt al-Arab River in Iraq closely reflected chlordane concentrations in water particulates when compared to levels in water columns or in sediments (DouAbul et al. 1988). 

Resting Membrane Potential A variety of unusual invertebrates, including giant clams, mussels, and polychaete worms, live on the fringes of hydrothermal vents on the ocean bottom, where the temperature is 60 °C. 

Moderate gas fluxes result in gas hydrate mounds, dense diverse chemo-synthetic communities, (Beggiatoa, tube worms, clams), and moderately degraded hydrocarbons. 

Pogonophoran Tube Worms, Bathymodiolid Mussels, Lucinid Clams) Moderately Biodegraded Hydrocarbons... 

There are seven living classes of molluscs,23 including the worm-like Aplacophora, the chitons of the Polyplacophora, the limpet-like creatures of the Monoplacophora and the Gastropods which includes the abalone, marine snails, slugs, nudibranchs and conch. The next three are comprised of the Cephalopods (cuttlefish, squid and octopus), the Bivalves (clams, oysters) and the Scaphopoda (Tusk shells). Figure 6.5 shows that the most prolific order within Mollusca is the Aplysiomorpha (Anaspidea) with 507 articles and 384 structures published since 1951. There have been a total of 1684 publications and 1225 chemical structures reported from the order Mollusca. One of the most well-known structure classes from molluscs are the dolastatins, which are from the Anaspidea order. 

The basis for these non-photosynthesis based communities are bacteria that obtain energy from the oxidation of hydrogen sulfide escaping from the vents—a process called chemosynthesis. These bacteria (primary producers) are then used as foods by tube worms, huge clams, and mussels, and other organisms (primary consumers) living around the vents. These communities live in total isolation from photosynthetic-based communities (all other biological communities are photosynthesis based), and may provide clues to the nature of early life on Earth. Later studies have shown that hydrothermal vent communities exist in other parts of the ocean depths as well. 

O All members of this large group share one common characteristic They do not have a backbone. In the coastal habitats of the intertidal zones, invertebrates such as sponges, corals, anemones, jellyfish, worms, clams, mussels, snails, and limpets make up the majority of the animals. Some are very primitive creatures whose bodies lack the simplest forms of organization. Others are more advanced, with organs and body systems that are highly sophisticated. 

The noisy birds referred to as oystercatchers belong to the family Haematopodidae. Their common name comes from their ability to chip oysters and other mollusks off the rocks along the shore. Their strong bills are also capable of prying open clams, oysters, and mussels to get to the soft meat inside the shell. When these delicacies are not available, oystercatchers dine on worms and other invertebrates that they pluck from underneath the sand. 

The benthos refers to the environment on the bottom of bodies of water and includes plankton, fish, and other species already discussed. Benthic invertebrates that dwell on or in the sea floor include bivalves such as clams, polychaete worms, and many mobile crustaceans such as crabs, shrimp, lobster, and amphipods. 

---