Clam Dissection

Veneridae (Clam) Dissection

Background Information (Jordan)

• Habitat: Most species of clam live in marine environments, and are located in waters of many different temperatures: Florida, Gulf of Mexico, the west coast of North America, around the British islands, and offshore from France. However, many other species of bivalve mollusk—including that of the clam—live in other waters around the world, some even living in freshwater environments; one of which being the Asiatic clam, which occupies many Asian and North and South American rivers, streams, and canals.
• Diet: Clams feed exclusively using filter feeding. Using their siphons while buried in sediment, the clam is able to capture particles of detritus and plankton, using the mucous-covered surface of the siphon.
• Respiratory System: Clams breathe through their siphons, respiratory tubes originating from the mantle. Using their foot, they are able to burrow into sand and gravel seabeds, with their siphon protruding from where they burrowed. The siphon then harvests oxygen from the water, as well as capturing food particles using the mucous located on the surface of the siphon.
• Fun facts: Clams do not have brains, but are programmed to perform only two functions: feeding and reproducing. Clams reproduce by releasing their gametes into the water around them, which forms clam eggs in a process called spawning.

Anatomy (Jordan)

Incision Guide (Jordan)

Resources (Jordan)

Habitat: http://www2.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/HardClamCulture.pdf

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Corbicula_fluminea/

Diet: http://www.asnailsodyssey.com/LEARNABOUT/CLAM/clamFood.php

Respiratory System: http://www2.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/HardClamCulture.pdf

Fun facts: http://massaquaculture.org/shellfish-curious/fun-shellfish-facts.html

   http://www.asnailsodyssey.com/LEARNABOUT/CLAM/clamFood.php
Dissection Procedure Videos (Jordan and Jason)

Pictures taken and dissection procedure performed by Trejo and Jason