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What Are Invertebrates?
Invertebrates are animals without backbones. They may have hard outer shells to protect and support their soft bodies. They are the most numerous and diverse kind of animal on Earth and they play a critical role in the functioning of ecosystems (ie: pollination, nutrient cycling, food webs). There are several general categories of invertebrates:
spiders
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Terrestrial invertebrates live on the land.
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molluscs
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Marine invertebrates are common along ocean beaches.
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Aquatic invertebrates live at least part of their life in freshwater ponds, lakes, streams or rivers. Some of the adult insects that we see flying around us have spent their early lives feeding underwater.
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Macroinvertebrates are species large enough to be seen without using a microscope but they are generally less than 2 cm long.
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Benthic invertebrates are species that live underwater hiding inbetween bottom rocks and plants or in the mud. |
The invertebrates that we see in Alberta rivers could be called "aquatic benthic macroinvertebrates"! However, most people just end-up calling them "bugs", "critters" or "inverts".
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