DLA-AKT: Animals Overview

Quick!
Name as many animals as you can in 30 seconds!

Did you list a dog or furry animals found at the zoo? You may not realize that there is a wide diversity of animals, including a sea sponge, a tapeworm, or even a hermit crab.

In this unit, we will examine the characteristics of the animal kingdom, focusing on some of the major animal phyla. You will explore and compare the characteristics and physiology of each animal phylum and examine how animals adapt and respond to their environment. Finally, you will evaluate animal behaviors and their benefit to those organisms.

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

• Introduction to the Animal Kingdom
  • Learn about characteristics of the animal kingdom, including important terminology
• Phyla [Porifera, Cnidaria]
  • Learn characteristics and examples of the Phyla Porifera and Phyla Cnidaria
• Phyla [Platyhelminthes, Nematoda, Annelida]
  • Learn characteristics and examples of the Phyla Platyhelminthes, Nematoda, and Annelida
• Phyla [Mollusca, Arthropoda]
  • Learn characteristics and examples of the Phyla Mollusca and Arthropoda
• Phyla [Echinodermata, Chordata]
  • Learn characteristics and examples of the Phyla Echinodermata and Chordata
• Animal Behavior
  • Learn about different types of animal behavior that make the animal kingdom unique

Module Key Terms

Key Terms

• herbivores- animals that eat plants or plant products
• carnivores- animals that eat other animals
• omnivores- animals that eat plants and animals
• detritivores- organisms that feed on pieces of dead or decaying organisms
• filter feeders – use the flow of water through their body to filter or trap food
• dorsal- the back or top side
• ventral- the front or stomach side
• anterior- the head region
• posterior- the tail region
• lateral- along the side
• cephalization- the concentration of sensory and brain structures in the anterior end of the animal
• radial- the body can be divided into two identical halves by any plane that passes through the longitudinal axis
• bilateral- the body can only be divided into two identical halves by a plane that passes through the center of the body on a longitudinal axis
• asymmetrical- the body cannot be divided into two identical halves
• coelom- body cavity surrounding the digestive tract and the cavity is lined on all sides with mesoderm tissue. It allows muscles to grow independently of the body wall
• pseudocoelom- body cavity surrounding digestive tract that is partially lined with mesoderm tissue
• acoelomate- animals that lack a coelom or a “tube within a tube” body plan and their bodies are solid layers of tissue with no cavity to house organs
• one-way digestive tract – with a gut that begins with a mouth and ends with an anus
• closed circulatory system- having a heart with blood vessels that keep blood contained within its closed boundaries
• open circulatory system- having a heart with few or no blood vessels. The tissues of the body are bathed in blood, which diffuse back to the heart
• hermaphrodites- produces both egg and sperm
• amniotic egg- an egg that is protected externally by a shell and membranes in reptiles, birds, and mammals
• nerve net- no central control for the network of nerves and react to touch anywhere as if touched everywhere
• sessile- cannot move; remains in one place
• spongin – flexible, fibrous protein material of a sponge that contributes to its shape/skeleton
• spicules- calcium carbonate or silicon dioxide spikes that make up the skeleton of the sponge
• choanocytes - specialized cells that line pores in a sponge and contain flagella that beat to move water (and therefore nutrients) through the sponge so it can filter feed
• amebocytes- specialized cells that carry food to all other parts of the sponge’s body
• osculum- opening at the top of a sponge
• ostia- small pores all over the sponge that allows for water flow
• polyp- body form with tentacles and mouth on top
• medusa- body form with tentacles and mouth on the bottom
• mesoglea- a jelly-like, non-living material forming the inner materials of Cnidarians
• epidermis- outermost tissue layer that surrounds the mesoglea
• nematocysts (or cnidocytes)- structures on the tentacles of Cnidarians that are poisonous and shoot out like a harpoon to paralyze or kill prey
• eyespots- light-sensitive regions anterior end of planaria
• flame cells- helps to get rid of waste in Planaria
• proglottids- sections of a tapeworm that each have a complete reproductive system producing fertilized eggs
• scolex- anterior end of a tapeworm, has hooks for holding on to the inside of intestines of the host
• cuticle- a thick protective covering on the epidermis of worms that is flexible and can molt
• setae- external bristles made of chitin that help to move the earthworm through the soil
• foot- muscular structure in mollusks whose structure is modified/different among its subgroups
• visceral mass- a mass of internal organs in mollusks
• mantle - wraps around the visceral mass and secretes the shell (if present), in the mollusks
• incurrent and excurrent siphons- tubes circulating water containing food and oxygen in the bivalve mollusks
• ecdysis – molting or shedding the exoskeleton of arthropods for growth
• chelicera- fangs used for piercing and paralyzing prey of arachnids
• pedipalps – sensory appendages of arachnids that can help move food into the mouth
• spinnerets- appendages on the posterior end of a spider’s abdomen that produce silk to make webs
• antenna-to smell and detect chemicals and are found on arthropods
• ovipositor- and egg-laying tube on the posterior of some insects
• pheromones- communication chemicals that can be detected in very small quantities of other members of the species
• tympanic membranes- on the abdomen of insects, that along with sensory hairs can detect sound waves
• spiracles- holes that line the sides of the insect’s abdomen that open into their breathing tubes or trachea
• complete metamorphosis- changes in form as an organism matures and includes egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages
• incomplete metamorphosis- changes in form as some insects mature and include egg, nymph, and adult stages
• chordata- a phylum of animals that all possess a notochord, a dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal pouches, and a post-anal tail at some point in their lifetime and include vertebrates
• notochord- a firm, flexible rod of specialized cells that becomes the endoskeleton in vertebrates
• dorsal nerve cord- a hollow tube above the notochord that becomes the brain and spinal cord in vertebrates
• pharyngeal pouches- out-pockets of the pharynx; the portion of the digestive tract between the mouth and the esophagus. They become gill chambers and gills in aquatic chordates, or becomes jaws, inner ear, and tonsils in terrestrial chordates
• monotremes- egg layers, no true mammary glands
• marsupials- pouched animals where offspring are born prematurely and develop in a pouch
• placentals- vertebrates whose embryos develop inside uterus, attached to a placenta