Biology Forum › Zoology Discussion › Mode of nutrition of spider and starfish
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- June 13, 2012 at 3:45 pm #16596WilliamYParticipant
What is the mode of nutrition(holozoic, parasitic or saprophytic) of spider and starfish?
- June 14, 2012 at 3:47 am #111568wbla3335Participant
I would say that the spider is saprophitic and the starfish is holozoic.
- June 15, 2012 at 1:12 am #111579plasmodesmata11Participant
why would you say the spider is saprophytic?
- June 15, 2012 at 5:36 am #111581wbla3335Participant
I guess it depends on what definitions one chooses. The term "saprophytic" is not used much anymore but generally refers to the ingestion of dead or decaying organic matter. By this definition, scavengers are saprophytes, which may be one of the reasons why the term is no longer commonly used. Spiders usually either secrete or inject digestive enzymes onto or into their prey and then suck up the digested organic matter. So saprophytic could apply to this mode of nutrition. Holozoic nutrition usually refers to the ingestion of solid organic matter, which spiders tend not to do. Some definitions of holozoic, though, include the ingestion of liquid organic matter, which would apply to spiders.
- June 15, 2012 at 5:53 am #111582plasmodesmata11Participant
Well said. Saprophytic in this context could be rather misleading.
- August 11, 2012 at 6:14 pm #112074hymenoptera7Participant
Biologists use the term "sea star" not starfish. It’s an Echinoderm people!
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