Mantle’s role in mollusks includes which primary function?

Mantle’s role in mollusks includes which primary function?

• A. Secretes a shell composed of calcium carbonate
• B. Houses the brain
• C. Stores fat
• D. Produces silk

Answer: (A)

Mantle tissue is the shell-maker for most mollusks. It lines the mantle cavity and contains specialized secretory cells that lay down calcium carbonate minerals and an organic matrix to build the shell around the body. As the mantle deposits layers, it creates the familiar shell’s structure, with an outer prismatic layer and an inner nacreous (pearly) layer in many species. This is why shell secretion is the primary function associated with the mantle. Other options don’t fit because the brain is organized in ganglia rather than housed by the mantle, fat storage is handled by adipose tissues, and silk production is characteristic of spiders and some insects, not mollusks.

Mantle tissue is the shell-maker for most mollusks. It lines the mantle cavity and contains specialized secretory cells that lay down calcium carbonate minerals and an organic matrix to build the shell around the body. As the mantle deposits layers, it creates the familiar shell’s structure, with an outer prismatic layer and an inner nacreous (pearly) layer in many species. This is why shell secretion is the primary function associated with the mantle. Other options don’t fit because the brain is organized in ganglia rather than housed by the mantle, fat storage is handled by adipose tissues, and silk production is characteristic of spiders and some insects, not mollusks.