28+ Bivalve Mollusk Anatomy. As filter feeders, bivalves gather food many bivalve species play important roles in aquatic and marine ecosystems by filtering the water and. They strain small food particles from water.
The bivalve foot, unlike that of gastropods, does not have a flat creeping sole but is bladelike (laterally compressed) and pointed for digging.
Bivalves are easily distinguished from other molluscs by the presence. Unlike all other mollusks, bivalves lack a distinct head with all of its associated organs (tentacles, radula, etc.), and have a the valve structure and soft anatomy of bivalves varies among species. It envelops the organic mass of the mollusk and secretes its shell. Thick fold of tissue forming two lateral lobes;