Animal Phyla Features
- Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms
- They are heterotrophs and most have a nervous system that enables responses to the surrounding environment
- There are over 30 animal phyla, some of which are vertebrates and some of which are invertebrates
- Vertebrates have a backbone, or spinal column, while invertebrates do not
- Some of the major animal phyla include:
- Porifera
- Cnidaria
- Platyhelminthes
- Annelida
- Mollusca
- Arthropoda
- Chordata
Porifera
- Simple aquatic organisms consisting of a colony of cells
- Commonly known as the sponges
- Once thought to be plants
- Two layers of cells surround an internal cavity
- They do not have a mouth for taking in food, or an anus for egestion
- Water is drawn in through pores in the outer layer of cells, before suspended particles from the water are filtered out and taken up by surrounding cells for food
- Porifera are filter feeders
- There is no symmetry in the body plan of the porifera
- The structure of poriferans is supported by calcium or silica formations known as spicules
Porifera take in water through pores for filter feeding
Cnidaria
- Aquatic organisms also known as the coelenterates
- Their body cavity is surrounded by two layers of cells and has a single opening for both ingestion and egestion
- There are two distinct body forms present in the cnidaria phylum
- Polyps, or hydroids are sessile e.g. coral and anemones
- Medusae (singular medusa) float in the water e.g. jellyfish
- Some cnidaria go through both the polyp and medusa body form during their life cycle
- Polyps are filter feeders, while medusae catch prey using stinging cells on their tentacles
- There is radial symmetry in the body plan of the cnidaria
- Most cnidaria have soft bodies that rely on the surrounding water for support, but corals secrete an exoskeleton made of calcium carbonate
Cnidaria have two distinct body forms; polyps and medusae
Platyhelminthes
- Flat-bodied, unsegmented worms that include the flatworms, tapeworms, and flukes
- Three layers of cells surround a branched gut with one opening for both ingestion and egestion
- Platyhelminthes can be free-living predators or scavengers, or parasites that feed on their hosts
- The flat body shape of platyhelminthes means that the diffusion distance to all cells is short, and no circulatory system is present
- There is bilateral symmetry in the body plan of the platyhelminthes
- Platyhelminthes have soft bodies with no skeletal support
The body structure of a member of the phylum Platyhelminthes
Annelida
- Round-bodied, segmented worms that include the earthworms and the leeches
- Each ring-shaped body segment contains a repetition of the structures of blood vessels and nerves
- The gut has separate openings for the mouth and anus
- Annelida can be free-living predators or scavengers, or parasites that feed on their hosts
- Annelida have a closed circulatory system
- There is bilateral symmetry in the body plan of the annelida
- Annelida have soft bodies which are supported by a hydroskeleton
- The hydroskeleton is an internal fluid-filled cavity called the coelom, against which the muscles of the body wall exert pressure
The annelida have a segmented body structure
Mollusca
- A diverse group of animals that includes the snails, slugs, mussels, limpets, and octopuses
- It is the second-largest phylum (i.e. it contains a higher number of recorded species than any other phylum, except for Arthropoda)
- Most molluscs are aquatic, with some terrestrial species
- The body structure contains a muscular foot and a visceral mass
- The foot is used for motion and/or anchorage e.g. as in limpets
- The visceral mass is located above the foot and contains the internal organs (i.e. it is the soft, metabolic region that contains the digestive, excretory and reproductive organs)
- The gut has separate openings for the mouth and anus
- Mollusca have several feeding methods, including:
- Filter feeding e.g. in bivalves such as mussels
- Scraping at food sources such as leaves or algae on rocks using a rough, tongue-like organ called a radula e.g. snails and limpets
- Active predation e.g. sea slugs
- Most mollusca have an open circulatory system in which the transport fluid bathes the internal organs
- The cephalopods, which include squid and octopuses have a closed circulatory system
- There is bilateral symmetry in the body plan of the mollusca
- Mollusca have soft bodies that sometimes secrete a calcium carbonate shell from a mantle e.g. snails
The body structure of snails; members of phylum Mollusca
Arthropoda
- Animals with segmented bodies, a hard exoskeleton, and jointed limbs
- It is the largest phylum (i.e. it contains a higher number of recorded species than any other phylum)
- It includes insects, arachnids, crustaceans, centipedes, and millipedes
- There is usually one pair of jointed limbs per body segment, though this is not always the case
- The gut has separate openings for the mouth and anus
- Arthropoda have an open circulatory system
- There is bilateral symmetry in the body plan of the arthropoda
- Arthropoda have a hard exoskeleton made of chitin
- The exoskeleton is shed as the animal grows
Insects are members of the phylum Arthropoda; they have three body segments, each with a pair of jointed limbs
Chordata
- The phylum chordata includes all of the vertebrates, as well as some invertebrates such as the tunicates; commonly known as sea squirts
- To be classified as a chordate, an organism must have the following features at some stage during its development:
- A rod-like structure along the dorsal length of the body known as a notochord
- Dorsal refers to the back of an organism
- A hollow nerve cord located in the dorsal region
- A series of slits behind the mouth known as pharyngeal slits
- A tail that extends beyond the anus, known as a post-anal tail
- A rod-like structure along the dorsal length of the body known as a notochord
- Some chordates only have these features during the embryonic stages of development, e.g.
- In vertebrates, the notochord is replaced with the spinal column in fully developed individuals
- The dorsal hollow nerve cord develops into the brain and spinal cord in most species of chordate
- The pharyngeal slits are only retained into adulthood in some types of chordate e.g. in the gills of fish
- The post-anal tail has become a vestigial structure in the great apes
- Vestigial structures are those that have lost their function, and are sometimes known as 'evolutionary leftovers'
Human embryos have all of the features of phylum chordata
Phyla Features Table
Examiner Tip
You do not need to be able to describe each of the above phyla in great detail, but be sure that you can state how each phylum is distinct from the other phyla, e.g. annelids are segmented worms while platyhelminthes are unsegmented worms, mollusca is the only phylum with a muscular foot, etc.