Everything about Mantle Mollusc totally explained
The
mantle is an organ found in
mollusks. It is the
dorsal body wall covering the main body, or visceral mass. In many species, the
epidermis of this organ secretes
calcium carbonate to create a shell.
Shell formation
Nacre is secreted by the
ectodermic cells of the mantle tissue of most mollusks. Mollusk
blood is rich in a liquid form of
calcium. In these mollusks the calcium is concentrated out from the blood where it can crystallize as calcium carbonate (CaCO
3). 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.
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 is composed largely of
quinone-tanned
proteins.
Some shells may also contain pigments, which accounts for the fabulous colours of some
seashells. These shell pigments may include compounds like
pyrroles and
porphyrins, which are also proteins.
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's a central feature of mollusk biology, containing the mollusk's
gills,
anus,
osphradium,
nephridiopores, and
gonopores. 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).
The mantle is highly muscular. In cephalopods it's used to force water through a tubular siphon, the
hyponome, to propel the animal quickly through the water. In other mollusks, it's used as a kind of "foot" for locomotion.
The
nervous system of cephalopods is the most complex of the
invertebrates. The giant
nerve fibers of the cephalopod mantle have been a favorite experimental material of
neurophysiologists for many years.
Further Information
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