Does an exoskeleton limit arthropods' size?

Answer 1

It can, which is why many arthropods go through a process called "molting" or "ecdysis." This is where they shed their exoskeleton and replace it with a new, larger one.

Answer 2

YES . An exoskeleton, in contrast to an endoskeleton, is an external anatomical feature that supports and protects an animal's body. All arthropods (such as insects, spiders and crustaceans) and many other invertebrate animals (such as shelled mollusks) have exoskeletons. Lobsters, for example, have tough outer shell systems which provide rigidity and shape to their bodies, in addition to an endoskeleton. The endoskeleton of arthropods is continuous with and an extension of the exoskeleton and is shed at the same time as the exoskeleton.

An insect's exoskeleton (integument) serves not only as a protective covering (armour) over the body but also as a surface for muscle attachment, a water-tight barrier against desiccation and a sensory interface with the environment. It is a multi-layered structure with four functional regions: epicuticle, procuticle, epidermis and basement membrane Note that, while the arthropod exoskeleton is chitin-based, it is not composed entirely of chitin. In fact, the membranous portions of the exoskeleton and endoskeleton are closer to pure chitin than the hardened external sclerites.


------------> An exoskeleton may interfere with an animal's growth. To overcome this, arthropods go through a process called ecdysis in which they shed their exoskeleton and replace it with a new, larger one. Excellent as a principle of defence, exoskeletons may nevertheless cause problems where entities carry an excessive weight to surface-area ratio or whenever organism growth requires an enlargement of the exoskeleton. Exoskeletons are found on shellfish, insects ,and maybe even plankton.

Answer 3

yes!! of course they do!!

in order to grow in size, they would need to undergo moulting or to shed this exoskeleton. before the new exoskeleton has fully hardened, the arthropod may have to take in air or water to expand the exoskeleton as much as possible.
after the exoskeleton has hardened the arthropod will decrease back to its orginal size leaving some space within the new exoskeleton for actual growth to occur

Answer 4

not really, no. The circulation of oxygen to the body is what REALLY limits the size of arthropods, since the arthropod circulatory system is pretty basic. That's why there are no especially large arthropods around today but fossils of VERY large arthropods from the Palaeozoic, when the level of atmospheric oxygen was much higher. 1 metre millipedes? 2.5 metre eurypterids? That's a proper size. My Man,

Answer 5

They shed their exoskeletons, a process called ecdysis or molting. The arthropods genes regulate their growth and body proportions. One key trait that gave arthropods the evolutional edge, was the development of jointed limbs and appendages. The specialized various functions of these appendages( sensory, feeding, walking). Not to mention the nifty ability of flight the insects have.

Answer 6

an exoskeleton is an protective outer sheath on the surface an insect or an artropod, the phylum to which the insects belongs However does not limit the size of an insect it is shed out for every ecdysis (moulting) the size generally depends on the lengths of the tagma of the insects i.e, head thorax and abdomen greater the length of these greater will the insects body

Answer 7

aside from the sea bottom dwelling and intertidal crabs, which can grow to different and often larger sizes than land arthropods-the very unusual set of insects which live in the "North and South" islands of New Zealand where, there are few flighted or winged predators of bugs and numerous flightless but slow ones. The absense of predatory rats or small mammals , marsupials or dog-like animals lso led a number of insect pyla to gro to fill the niche's of small rodents. These "insects" are armred like bugs and setioned off like bugs. They shed annually and, grow much larger than ordinary inscts and spiders, but there are no dog or lion sized bugs to take those predatory niches.
WHile there are good explanations for many things, like bug size, there are always exceptions.

Answer 8

No.
The crabs exoskeleton for example grows with the crab.

Answer 9

Absolutely not.. the size is determined by natural means(genes, etc etc over time)