Janeth Rios

04/13/15
BIOL 112 Section 518
Main Evolutionary Characteristics in Animal Kingdom
The main difference that distinguishes the kingdom Animalia to the rest of the other kingdoms is
its complexity. The kingdom has gone through many changes that has help it thrive on land and the ocean.
They lost the ability to use photosynthesis for energy, however gain other characteristics that make it a
diverse group that can survive in different environments.The animal is multicellular organism that has
multiple adaptations that made it successful not only in the ocean but in land as well.
What all phylum in the animal kingdom have in common is specialized cells.Animals have nerve
cells and muscles cell which are unique to this kingdom. They also made of multiple cells that create an
organism. Having ectoderm and endoderm germ layers allowed them develop true tissues. With true
tissues, the animal is able to transfer oxygen through the body without loosing force. This gave them the
advantage to grow bigger. Theres two types of organization: diploblastic or triploblastic. In diploblastic
animals they have two germ layers called the ectoderm and endoderm. Ectoderm develops into the
epidermis and central nervous system and the endoderm forms into the lining of the gut and other
associated organs which is surrounded then by mesoglea. On the other hand, triploblastic contain contain
another germ layer called the mesoderm which contributes to everything between the gut and skin such as
muscle, bone, blood, and connective tissues( muscles and various internal organs). The animal can
further be distinguished by the development of the embryo. They may be protosome or deuterostome.
Protosome animals develop the mouth from the blastopore and the coelom, or body cavity is formed due
to splitting of the mesoderm. The fate cells are determinate and they have a spiral cleavage. Deuterosomes
animals develop the anus from the blastopore and the coelem is developed as an oupouching of
archenterons. (De Robertis, ,E.M.,1997)The fate of the cells are indeterminate and they have a radial
cleavage. The main advantage is having the development of two openings (the mouth and the anus) and a
gut that is able to processed different types of food in different parts of it to maximized absorption and
efficiency.
Each phylum contains a characteristic the distinguishes it from the rest.The phylum poriferia is
the only phylum that does not contain true tissues however its outer wall is filled with collared flagellated
cells (choanocyte) which indicates the beginning of the formation of true tissues (Reece, Jane B., 2011).
True tissues are multiple cells that act together as an organ. The phylum Cnidaria contains radial
symmetry and thus diplosblastic development. This demonstrates the primitive development of the
nervous system and the epidermis. Diploblastic animals have gastrovascular cavity that serves as both the
gut and hydrostatic skeleton. The gastrovascular cavity functions as the mouth and anus.Then the
triploblastic development consist of more complex animals that have a mesoderm. They are three
different types of arrangements of the germs layers. Acoelomates lack lack a cavity between the digestive
tract and outer body wall. Pseudocoelomates have their digestive tract lined by endoderm , and the body
cavity is partially lined by mesoderm. Coelomates have a body cavity fully lined by the
mesoderm(Harris-Haller, 2012).The triploblastic animals consist of the phylums Nematoda, Mollusca,
Arthropoda,Platyhelminthes, Annelida, Echinodermata and Chordata.What distinguishes the phylum
chordata from the rest is five important main characteristics. Notochord is a semi-flexible rod running
along the length of the animal.( Waggoner et al.,1995),All chordates contain a notochord except for
tunicate that loose it in their adult stage and vertebrates that replace with a vertebrae.(Boundless et al.,
2014) .Chordates also contain a dorsal hollow nerve cord that branches out to the muscles. Another
distinguish characteristic is pharyngeal slits. Pharyngeal slits were first use to filter food particles from
the water but as they evolved they had other uses such as gas exchange in amphibians. All chordates have
the post-anal tail feature which is an extension of the notochord and nerve cord past the anus but people
and frogs have lost it in their adult stages. All chordata have an endostyle, a longitudinal groove of ciliate
cells in pharynx or in the case of vertebrates a thyroid gland in vertebrates that aids in iodine metabolism.

Janeth Rios
04/13/15
BIOL 112 Section 518
The animal kingdom evolve to its best of its ability to become an efficient organisms. Each phylum
develop an adaptation that suited their environment.
De Robertis, ,E.M. "Evolving Protostomes and Deuterostomes." Nature 387.6628 (1997): 25. ProQuest.
E-journal. 13 Apr. 2015.
Reece, Jane B. "Animals Can Be Characterized by "Body Plans"" Campbell Biology Jane B. Reece ... [et
Al.]. 10th ed. Boston: Benjamin Cummings :, 2011. 674. Print.
Waggoner, Ben. "Chordata: More on Morphology." Morphology of the Chordata. UCMP Web Server, 13
July 1995. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
Harris-Haller, Tonna. Biology 112 Laboratory Manual. Plymouth, MI: Hayden-McNeil, 2012. Print.
Source: Boundless. Chordates and the Evolution of Vertebrates. Boundless Biology. Boundless, 03 Jul.
2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.