Radiate Animals

Radiate Animals

 Phylum Cnidaria & Phylum Ctenophora

 Radial Symmetry
 Diploblastic – 2 embryonic tissue layers
Phylum Cnidaria

 All animals except

sponges belong to
the clade
Eumetazoa, the
animals with true
tissues.
Phylum Cnidaria

 Phylum Cnidaria is
one of the oldest
groups in this clade.
 Fossil history back
700 MY.
Phylum Cnidaria

 Cnidarians have:
 Radial symmetry
 Gastrovascular cavity – extracellular
digestion
 Tissues – derived from two embryonic
germ layers
 Cnidocytes – special cells with stinging
organelles called nematocysts.
Phylum Cnidaria

 Cnidarians have
diversified into a wide
range of both sessile
and floating forms
including jellies,
corals, and hydras.
 Polymorphism –
some species exist
as both polyps and
medusae during their
life cycles.
Phylum Cnidaria

 The basic body plan of a cnidarian is a

sac with a central digestive
compartment, the gastrovascular
cavity.
 A single opening functions as both mouth
and anus.
Phylum Cnidaria

 In colonial forms that

share a
gastrovascular
cavity, polyps may
be specialized for
feeding,
reproduction, or
defense.
Body Wall

 Cnidarians have an
outer tissue layer,
the epidermis,
derived from
ectoderm, and an
inner gastrodermis,
derived from
endoderm, with
jellylike mesoglea in
between.
Body Wall

 The epidermal layer contains several types of

cells organized into tissues.
Reproduction

 Polyps can reproduce asexually by

budding, fission, or pedal laceration.
Reproduction
 Cnidarians, typically medusae, can also reproduce
sexually.
 A zygote usually develops into a motile planula larva.
 Some species only exist as polyps, others only as
medusae, others alternate between the two.
Feeding
 Cnidarians are carnivores that use tentacles to
capture prey.
 The tentacles are armed with cnidocytes – unique
cells that function in defense and the capture of prey.
 Nematocysts contain toxins used for prey capture and
defense.
Feeding

 Nematocysts are
used to inject a
toxin.
 Variable in form.
 May be used for
prey capture or
defense.
Feeding

 Extracellular digestion begins in the

gastrovascular cavity, but is completed
within the cells of the gastrodermis.
 Some cnidarians supplement their diet
with nutrients collected from algal
symbionts (zooxanthellae).
Nerve Net

 Cnidarians have a diffuse nervous

system.
 Nerve cells forming two interconnected
nerve nets in the epidermis and
gastrodermis.
 No concentrated grouping of nerve cells
forming a central nervous system.
 No advantage for radially symmetrical animals
where stimuli approach from all sides.
Classification

 The phylum Cnidaria is divided into four

major classes:
Class Hydrozoa Class Scyphozoa Class Cubozoa Class Anthozoa
Classification

 A fifth class, Staurozoa, has been

proposed.
 No medusae in life cycle but polyp topped
by medusa-like region.
Phylum Cnidaria
 Class Staurozoa
 Commonly called stauromedusans
 No medusa stage.
 Solitary polyp body that is
stalked.
 Uses adhesive disk to attach to
seaweeds, and objects on sea
bottom.
 Polyp top resembles a medusa
with eight extensions (“arms”)
ending in tentacle clusters
surrounding mouth.
 Reproduce sexually.
Class Hydrozoa

 Hydrozoans are
variable in form.
 Mostly marine.
 Usually colonial,
sometimes solitary.
Class Hydrozoa – Typical Life Cycle

 Most hydrozoans alternate between polyp

and medusa forms.
 Some have only polyps.
 Some have only medusae.
Class Hydrozoa - Polyps

 Typical hydroids have a

base, a stalk, and one or
more terminal zooids
(individual polyp animals).
 Thecate – presence of a
protective cup around
the polyp.
 Obelia
 Athecate – no such
protection.
 Ectopleura
Class Hydrozoa - Medusae
 Hydroid medusae are usually
smaller than those in the
class Scyphozoa.
 Gastrovascular cavity is
continuous from mouth to
tentacles and is lined by
gastrodermis.
 Velum, inward projection of
the bell, is present.
 Specialized organs:
 Statocysts – equilibrium
 Ocelli – light sensitive
Class Hydrozoa

 Members of the order

Siphonophora, such as
the Portuguese man-of-
war, are actually colonies
of polyp individuals.
 One polyp may be gas
filled and used as a
float.
 Feeding polyps each
with one long tentacle
 Reproductive polyps
Class Hydrozoa

 Hydrocorals
resemble true corals.
 Calcareous
skeleton
 Fire coral
Class Scyphozoa

 In the class
Scyphozoa, jellies
(medusae) are the
prevalent form of the
life cycle.
 No velum present.
 Rhopalium – sense
organ containing
statocysts and
sometimes ocelli.
Class Scyphozoa

 Tentacles around
the periphery of the
bell contain
nematocysts used to
paralyze prey
animals.
 In the center are four
frilly oral arms used
to capture and ingest
prey.
Class Scyphozoa – Typical Life
Cycle
 Planula larvae
develop into a
polyp-like form.
 Saucer-like
buds called
ephyrae are
produced by
strobilation.
Class Cubozoa

 In the class
Cubozoa, which
includes box jellies
and sea wasps, the
medusa is box-
shaped and has
complex eyes.
 Polyps are tiny and
develop directly into
medusae.
Class Cubozoa
Class Cubozoa
 not true jellyfish
 size of a grapefruit, with
tentacles ranging to 2.5 m (8
ft.)
 strong swimmers and inhabit
shallow waters off Australia
 nematocysts densely
packed—over 3 million/cm2
(500,000 per in2)
 65 human deaths
Class Anthozoa

 Class Anthozoa
includes the
corals and sea
anemones which
occur only as
polyps – no
medusa stage.
 All marine
 Solitary or
colonial
Sea Anemones – Order Actinaria

 Found in coastal
waters all around the
world.
 Attach to rocks using
their pedal disc.
 Feed on fish or any
other food of suitable
size.
Sea Anemones – Order Actinaria

 Sea anemones usually move by gliding slowly

along on their pedal discs.
 When a predator approaches, most withdraw.
 Stomphia detaches its disc and “swims” away.
Sea Anemones – Order Actinaria

 Tentacles arranged around the central mouth.

 The gastrovascular cavity is divided into six
radial chambers.
 Increases the surface area of the gastrodermis.
Mutualisms

 Sea anemones sometimes harbor

zooxanthellae (photosynthetic protists)
like hard corals do.
 Some crabs will decorate their shells
with anemones.
Mutualisms

 Some damselfish (anemone fishes) form

associations with large anemones.
 Fish gains protection from living in the
anemone.
 The fish may help ventilate the anemone, or
keep it free of sediment.
Hexacorallian Corals

 Hexacorallian
corals (Order
Scleractinia)
are the true or
stony corals.
 Like tiny
anemones living
in calcareous
cups.
Hexacorallian Corals

 Hexacorallians
(Subclass
Hexacorallia) have
a gastrovascular
cavity subdivided by
septa in multiples of
six.
 The calcium
carbonate skeleton
is secreted below
living tissue.
Hexacorallian Corals

 Polyps may be retracted into the skeleton.

 Often retracted during the day.
 The polyps expand for feeding.
Tube Anemones and Thorny Corals

 Members of
subclass
Ceriantipatharia.
 Have coupled but
unpaired septa.
 Tube anemones
 Solitary and live in
soft sediments.
Tube Anemones and Thorny Corals

 Thorny or black corals

 Colonial and attach to firm substrata.
 Both groups have few species and live in
warmer seas.
Octocorallian Corals
 Members of the
Subclass Octocorallia
have eight pinnate
tentacles and eight
septa.
Octocorallian Corals

 Sea fans, sea pens & sea pansies belong to

this group.
 Often beautifully colored.
Phylum Cnidaria
Cnidaria
Medusozoa
Anthozoa Staurozoa Scyphozoa Cubozoa Hydrozoa

Trachyline- Hydroids Man-of -war Other

like hydrozoa
Gut with Strobilation Complex eyes hydrozoa
septal
f ilament Velarium
s Boxlike
Siphonoglyph Polyp lost
medusa body

Anthozo Rhopalium Velum in medusae

an Polyp
pharynx reduced Medusae produced by
Creeping lateral
Hexaradial planula or lost
Medusoid body formbudding and entocodon
and without cilia
octaradial Motor nerve net
symmetry
Primary polyp tentacles hollow

Mouth surrounded by solid tentacles

Planula larva
Cnidocytes
Radial, polypoid body form
Coral Reefs

 Coral reefs are one of the most productive

and diverse ecosystems on Earth.
 Found in shallow tropical seas.
 They require warm water.
 Sunlight required for symbiotic zooxanthellae.
Coral Reefs

 The main structure of

the reef is calcium
carbonate secreted by
hermatypic (reef-
building) corals and
coralline algae.
Coral Reefs

 Octocorallian corals and some

hydrozoans (those known as fire coral)
also contribute calcium carbonate.
Types of Reefs

 Fringing reefs are close to a landmass with

no lagoon or a narrow lagoon.
Types of Reefs

 Barrier reefs run parallel to shore and have a

wide, deep lagoon.
Types of Reefs

 Atolls are reefs that encircle a lagoon, but

not an island.
Types of Reefs

 Patch reefs are scattered throughout a

lagoon.
Reef Zones
 The fore reef slope, or reef front, is the side that
faces the sea.
 Slopes into deeper water.
 The reef crest is the shallow or even slightly emergent
top of the reef.
 The reef flat is the shallow back reef area that slopes
into the lagoon.
Coral Reefs
 Nutrients from fertilizer
and sewage threaten
coral reefs with
excessive algal growth.
 Coral reefs in many
areas are threatened
by factors mostly of
human origin.
 Higher atmospheric concentrations of carbon
dioxide (from burning hydrocarbon fuels) tends
to acidify ocean water, which makes
precipitation of CaCO3 by corals more difficult
metabolically.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAaRJKKTOys
Coral Reefs

 Symbiosis between
zooxanthellae and corals
is threatened by global
warming.
 Warmer water damages the
photosynthetic mechanism
in zooxanthellae.
 Coral tissues turn white and
brittle, this is called coral
bleaching.
 Zooxanthellae die or are
expelled by corals.
Phylum Ctenophora

 Phylum
Ctenophora are
the comb jellies.
 No nematocysts.
 Tissue level of
organization, like
cnidarians.
 Mostly free
swimming.
Phylum Ctenophora

 They use their

ciliated comb
plates for
swimming.
 Not strong
swimmers.
 Ctenophores are
bioluminescent.
 Statocyst –
sense organ
Phylum Ctenophora
Phylogeny
 Cnidarians may have evolved from a radially
symmetrical planula-like ancestor.
 Trichocysts and toxicysts found in some
ciliates may be precursors to nematocysts.