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5.8: Invertebrates

  • Page ID
    97164
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    Invertebrate animals are those without a cranium and defined vertebral column or spine. In addition to lacking a spine, most invertebrates also lack an endoskeleton. A large number of invertebrates are aquatic animals, and scientific research suggests that many of the world’s species are aquatic invertebrates that have not yet been documented.

    • 5.8.1: Introduction
      A brief look at any magazine pertaining to our natural world, such as National Geographic, would show a rich variety of vertebrates, especially mammals and birds. To most people, these are the animals that attract our attention. Concentrating on vertebrates, however, gives us a rather biased and limited view of biodiversity, because it ignores nearly 97 percent of the animal kingdom, namely the invertebrates.
    • 5.8.2: Phylum Porifera
      The simplest of all the invertebrates are the Parazoans, which include only the phylum Porifera: the sponges. Parazoans (“beside animals”) do not display tissue-level organization, although they do have specialized cells that perform specific functions. Sponge larvae are able to swim; however, adults are non-motile and spend their life attached to a substratum.
    • 5.8.3: Phylum Cnidaria
      Phylum Cnidaria includes animals that show radial or biradial symmetry and are diploblastic, that is, they develop from two embryonic layers. Nearly all (about 99 percent) cnidarians are marine species. Cnidarians contain specialized cells known as cnidocytes (“stinging cells”) containing organelles called nematocysts (stingers). These cells are present around the mouth and tentacles, and serve to immobilize prey with toxins contained within the cells.
    • 5.8.4: Superphylum Lophotrochozoa- Flatworms, Rotifers, and Nemerteans
      Animals belonging to superphylum Lophotrochozoa are protostomes, in which the blastopore, or the point of involution of the ectoderm or outer germ layer, becomes the mouth opening to the alimentary canal. This is called protostomy or “first mouth.” In protostomy, solid groups of cells split from the endoderm or inner germ layer to form a central mesodermal layer of cells. This layer multiplies into a band and then splits internally to form the coelom.
    • 5.8.5: Superphylum Lophotrochozoa- Molluscs and Annelids
      The superphylum Ecdysozoa contains an incredibly large number of species. This is because it contains two of the most diverse animal groups: phylum Nematoda (the roundworms) and Phylum Arthropoda (the arthropods). The most prominant distinguising feature of Ecdysozoans is their tough external covering called the cuticle. The cuticle provides a tough, but flexible exoskeleton tht protects these animals from water loss, predators and other aspects of the external environment.
    • 5.8.6: Superphylum Ecdysozoa- Nematodes and Tardigrades
    • 5.8.7: Superphylum Ecdysozoa- Arthropods
    • 5.8.8: Superphylum Deuterostomia
      The phyla Echinodermata and Chordata (the phylum in which humans are placed) both belong to the superphylum Deuterostomia. Recall that protostome and deuterostomes differ in certain aspects of their embryonic development, and they are named based on which opening of the digestive cavity develops first. The word deuterostome comes from the Greek word meaning “mouth second,” indicating that the anus is the first to develop.
    • 5.8.9: Key Terms
    • 5.8.10: Chapter Summary
    • 5.8.11: Visual Connection Questions
    • 5.8.12: Review Questions
    • 5.8.13: Critical Thinking Questions

    Thumbnail: Drosophila melanogaster. (CC BY-SA 2.5; André Karwath aka Aka via Wikimedia Commons).


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