Subphyla & Classification
What are the 4 subphyla of arthropods?
Hexapods, Chelicerata, Crustacea, Myripoda
Are arthropods segmented?
Yes
What is the first stage in the life cycle of most insects?
Egg
What's the difference in body segments between insects and arachnids?
Insects have 3 body segments; arachnids have 2.
What is the important job that bees and butterflies do for flowering plants?
Pollination
An insect’s body has three distinct body regions (tagmata). What are these three sections?
Head, thorax, and abdomen.
What is the tough, outer nitrogen-containing polysaccharide that makes up the arthropod exoskeleton?
Chitin
Name the four stages of complete metamorphosis in order.
Egg -> Larva -> Pupa -> Adult
Where are an insect's legs and wings attached to its body?
On the thorax
What subphyla of Arthropods went extinct?
Trilobitomorpha (Trilobites)
Name the arthropod subphylum that includes spiders, scorpions, and horseshoe crabs.
Chelicerata
Are Arthropods diploblastic, segmented, and bilaterally symmetrical
No, they are triploblastic
Give one example of an insect that goes through complete metamorphosis.
Butterfly, moth, beetle, or housefly.
Are ticks and scorpions considered insects or arachnids?
They are considered arachnids because they have 2 body segments not 3.
Name an arthropod that acts as a disease vector?
Mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, lice
How many pairs of antennae do crustaceans typically have on their head compared to insects?
Crustaceans have two pairs, whereas insects have one pair
What process allows arthropods to grow by shedding their old exoskeleton?
Molting (Ecdysis)
How does incomplete metamorphosis differ from complete metamorphosis?
In incomplete metamorphosis, eggs hatch into nymphs that look like smaller, wingless adults, bypassing the larval and pupal stages.
What is the main difference between the mouth of an insect vs a spider?
Insects have jaws, while spiders have fangs.
How do agricultural pesticides harm biodiversity beyond just killing pest insects?
They can kill beneficial non-target pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, disrupting local food webs.
What is the primary habitat difference between Crustaceans and most Hexapods and Myriapods?
Crustaceans are primarily aquatic, whereas insects and myriapods are primarily terrestrial.
What's the difference between how insects exchange gases and how aquatic crustaceans breathe?
Insects use a tracheal system, while crustaceans use gills.
Name one things that helped ancient aquatic arthropods survive their transition from water to land.
Hard shells that kept water in, jointed legs for walking, new food sources (plants), or escape from ocean predators.
What specialized respiratory organs do most terrestrial spiders use to breathe, which insects lack?
Book lungs
Why does acid from the ocean (from pollution) make life hard for marine crustaceans like crabs and lobsters? (Hint: it has something to do with their shells.)
It makes it very difficult for them to build and harden their shells.