Explain details of distribution about Polychaeta, Oligochaeta, Hirudineae sizes and importance in food chain.

 

Polychaetas, Oligochaeta and Hirudinea are all worms classified under phylum Annelida. They all live in water areas and have different modes of feeding; more is as discussed below;

Step-by-step explanation

The polychaeta are marine worms. They are also known as bristle worms. They are classified under phylum Annelida. They are usually found hiding under rocks and reefs in the sea bed and crawl under the sea floor looking for food. Most of the polychaeta are scavengers meaning that they feed on dead matter and thus lead to the recycling of organic matter in the food chain.

The Oligochaete are also found in phylum Annelida found in different habitats in the ecosystem some live in the sea while others live in fresh water and others live in most soil areas. Similarly, they also feed differently, some are predators whereas other are detritivores. Both feeding methods are beneficial to the food chain as predators feed on other animals and when they die or get eaten by other bigger animals, they transfer the energy to the next level of the food chain. Detritivores on the other hand just like decomposers help breakdown organic matter does recycling nutrients.

The Hirudinea are also known as true leeches. Hirudinea live on the surface of fresh water bodies and mostly in warm shallow areas. They are found living in plants, stones and debris as shelter. Some can also be found in terrestrial and marine environment. Most of them are parasitic as they attach themselves to the host and suck blood while others are predators feeding on small invertebrates.

All of these are small animals classified under the phylum Annelida.

Importance in food chain.

As we have spoken about, polychaetas are scavengers while oligochaetes can be predators or detritivores and the Hirudinea are parasitic and predatory. All of these methods of feeding are important to the food chain. For instance, scavengers and detritivores breakdown dead decaying matter into smaller pieces thus promoting decomposition and eventual recycling of organic matter that is take up by primary producers. Predators and parasites take up energy from the prey and when they die or get eaten by other bigger animals, they transfer the energy to the next level of the food chain.