Chapter 49, Problem 1IQ

The organization of an organism’s nervous system correlates with how the animal interacts with its environment. How do the different nervous systems of clams and squid illustrate this generalization?

Summary Introduction

To determine: The way in which the different nervous systems of clams and squid interact with its environment.

Introduction: The nervous system controls and coordinates all the activities of the animals. The squids have the more sophisticated nervous system, while the clams have a relatively simple nervous system.

Explanation of Solution

In the animal group, the organization of nervous system often correlates with the environment. Sessile and slow-moving molluscs such as clams have little cephalization and simple sense organs. The active predatory cephalopod molluscs such as squid have the sophisticated nervous system of any invertebrate. They contain a large image forming eyes, and brain with millions of neurons, which correlate with their environment as well as with their learning ability.