Ok , so the whole thing didn't fit . But here is the question . Please Help ! :)
After its old exoskeleton has been shed but before the new one has hardened, an aquatic arthropod absorbs water and swells. How is this behavior adaptive ?
I didn't know how to answer this one. Could somebody please help me ?
Please & Thank You .
After its old exoskeleton has been shed but before the new one has hardened, an aquatic arthropod absorbs water and swells. How is this behavior adaptive ?
I didn't know how to answer this one. Could somebody please help me ?
Please & Thank You .
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After an aquatic arthropod loses its exoskeleton, it swells so that when the new shell forms it will be larger. This way, when it "unswells", so to speak, it will have more room to grow in this new, larger shell. Terrestrial arthropods do the same thing, but they swell with oxygen instead of water. In the meantime, however, they are very susceptible to predation. Swelling may also be a defense mechanism to make them appear larger and more intimidating than they actually are...