GENERAL HISTOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -All ctenophores are carnivores, which means they are animals that eat other animals. Their prey consists of zooplankton including copepods, krill, amphipods, and clam and snail larvae. Because of this generalist feeding behavior, they are able to optimize what they eat based on prey availability.

Detailed explanation-2: -Many Ctenophores, Many Ways to Feed The lobate ctenophores have two flattened lobes that reach below their mouths. Special cilia waving between the lobes generate a current to pull planktonic food between the lobes and into the jelly’s mouth, allowing them to feed on plankton continuously.

Detailed explanation-3: -Ctenophores are planktonic organisms that are jelly-like in form but, unlike true jellies, they propel themselves by beating rows of compound cilia in waves. Their movement is therefore very gentle and gradual.

Detailed explanation-4: -Comb jellies (or Ctenophores) feed on phytoplankton as larvae, but quickly begin to feed on crustacean zooplankton once they grow larger. Their populations explode in the spring, and where they’re abundant, they can eat almost all of the copepods in the area.

Detailed explanation-5: -Most ctenophores use muscles to suck in large volumes of water to capture prey. But T. inconstans has little muscle; instead, it waits until a euphausiid (small crustacean) or copepod accidentally swims inside its bell, where it sticks to the mucus-covered inner surface.