18 March 2008

Life Science

Kingdom Animalia
Characteristics of animals:
1. More than 30 different phyla of animals
2. Multicellular-“metazoan” is another term for multicellular
3. Cells form tissues except for one phyla- sponges(Porifera)
4. Heterotrophic
5. Diploid- most reproduce sexually, some asexually, some do both
6. Motile at some point in their lives
7. Typical animal life cycle
1. Egg- three germ layers. These give rise to different tissue types.
1. Ectoderm- forms skin and sensory tissues (nerves, brain, skin)
2. Mesoderm- forms muscle, blood, testes
3. Endoderm- alimentary canal- “gut” -from the mouth to the anus
2. Zygote
3. Embryo
4. Larva
5. Adult- able to reproduce

5 Features Used to Measure Animal Complexity

1. Symmetry
• most primitive- no symmetry or asymmetrical-the only group that falls
under this category are the sponges
• next most privative- spherical symmetry- shaped like a basketball – no
spherical animals, but there are some spherical protestants
• more sophisticated- radial symmetry- jelly fish- no sense organs on
one end of their body or the other (no head)
• most sophisticated- bilateral symmetry- have sense organs on one
end of their bodies (head)

2. Cephalizaion- distinct head region (brain + central nervous system)

3. Type of gut-
• complete- has an entry point and an exit point
• incomplete- most primitive- has only one opening, for example,
jellyfish
4. Type of Coelome-
• Acoelomate- ex.: planarian-flat worm
• Psudeocoelomate - nematode-round worm- cavity is lined on one side
with mesoderm- coelom is packed with ovaries, testes, and water
• Eucoelomate or coelomate) - earthworm- cavity is lined on both sides
with mesoderm tissue. Mollusks are another example of
eucoelomates.

5. Segmentation
 • non-segmented- most primitive
• segmented-more advanced-
o somites- embryonic segments
o myomeres- muscle segments
o neuromeres- brain segments
Tagmosis- occurs in segmented animals. Groups of segments are organized
into functional units. A good example is in arthropods, where segments are
grouped into body regions like the head, thorax, and abdomen, each having
its own suite of information.

Phylum Porifera
-Sponges
-These are the simplest of all animals
• asymmetrical
• no cephalizaion
• no gut
• no coelom
• no segmentation
-Cells no not make tissues
-Two cell layers- inside layer and outside layer
-Two body styles
• 5%- remain small to increase efficiency getting food
• 95%- center is filled with tissue to prevent food escaping and these can
grow larger (ex. Barrel Sponge)
-Sponges typically get their color from algae that live within it. Some sponges can
pump a thousand gallons of water an hour. , must pump 1,000 gals to obtain one
ounce of food.
-Attached to a substrate, which makes them “sessile”

Phylum Cnidarians
-Hydrozoans, jellyfish, sea anemones, coral
-Entirely aquatic
• radial symmetry
• oral end but no definite head, no cephalization
• incomplete gut
• not coelomates
• not segmented

-Two stages of cnidarians

Polyp stage- attached state- 2n, has reproductive tentacles
Medusa stage- looks like jellyfish- 1n reproduces sexually with another
Medusa stage cnidarian

-Diploblastic- two tissue layers (gastrodermis and epidermis, have no mesoderm).

-They have stinging cells called nematocysts (ex. Man-o-war).
-No central nervous system but they do have nerves.
-Have sexual and asexual reproduction.

-Three Classes of Cnidarians

Hydrozoa
Hydra
o Portuguese Man of War
o Nomeius- live in the tentacles of the Man of War
Scyphozoa
o true jellyfish
o Medusa stage dominates the life cycle
o Polyp stage is very small
o Range in size from the small to the very large
o Bluebell- size of a dime
o Giant Jellyfish- bell is 6 feet across, tentacles are up to 8 feet
long

Anthozoa
o Coral and sea anemone
 Usually found in shallow water because they have
symbiotic relationships with algae
 If the petal disk is severed, it will become separate sea
anemones
o Coral forms reefs.
o Great Barrier Reef is the only life form that can be seen from the
moon.
o Brain coral reproduces at the same time- they reproduce
sexually and the larvae land and begin a new colony. After the
new colony is established, they reproduce asexually.