Do Lancelets Filter Feed?

Like most tunicates, lancelets are filter feeders with the pharynx situated in an atrial cavity where it functions to filter food particles from the water currents that flow through the cavity. Water is taken in through the mouth and expelled through an opening called the atriopore.

How do lancelets feed?

Lancelets are suspension feeders that extract small particles suspended in the water. The mouth is covered by an oral hood, the edges of which form the buccal cirri. ... During feeding, the cirri form a kind of grid that keeps out large particles. Water is drawn into the mouth by the beating action of cilia on the gills.

What are the characteristics of adult lancelets that make them important organisms to study?

Cephalochrodates: The lancelet, like all cephalochordates, has a head. Adult lancelets retain the four key features of chordates: a notochord, a dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail. Water from the mouth enters the pharyngeal slits, which filter out food particles.