Chapter 26, Problem 23A

Summary Introduction

To write:

About the adaptations that enable a lobster to survive in its environment.

Introduction:

Crabs, lobsters, shrimps, barnacles, pill bugs, and water fleas are crustaceans that live in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial habitats. Class Crustacea is estimated that approximately 35,000 named species are present. Many of them are aquatic and have two pairs of antennas, two compound eyes which are sometimes on the ends of slender mobile stalks, and mandibles to chew. Crustacean mandibles close and open from side to side, instead of going up and down like human jaws do. Crustaceans have branched appendages and a free-swimming larval stage, called the larva nauplius. A larva is an immature form of a species, markedly different from the adult in shape and appearance.

Explanation of Solution

Lobster has a hard exoskeleton that protects the animal against predators and prevents loss of water. Adaptations to lobsters include the ability to shed their exoskeletons. The ability of the lobster to strip out its outer skin through a process called molting allows the animal to regenerate lost limbs. The process of molting takes from a few minutes to several hours. A soft exoskeleton underneath the old one forms during molting, and the old exoskeleton is removed. This is a vulnerable time for the crustacean, as the new exoskeleton is soft, until it become hardens.

Conclusion

So it can be concluded that molting is necessary for adaptation of lobster in aquatic environment.