ms

Table 2
Plathyhelminthes
(Flatworms)
• Flatworms
Acoumolate - an animal
are thin, without any
flat acoelomate thatbody
can be
cavities
freely living or parasitic.
• They have a thin flat body that resembles a ribbon
and have a definite head region an body organs

CHARACTERISTICS
• Flatworm have no digestive system
• Flatworms are hermaphrodites because they
Hermaphrodites-an organisms with 2 sex organs
produce eggs and sperm cell.
• MostParasites-
flatworms anare
organisms
parasitesthat harm
living other
in the body of
aorganisms
variety ofby living but
animals on and
some byare
taking nutrients
freely living in
marine, freshwater, or moist
from land habitats.
the host
• Planaria- lives in stream,lakes,seawater or
damp soil.they have two dark eyes that can
detect light no dark .

examples
• Tapeworm- lives in human intestine anf
feeds completely on the digested food and
its host.
• Flukes- stay in the liver of their host. They can enter
through the skin. they cause disease called
schistosomiasis.
Flatworms can either infest in the digestive system or

DISADVANTAG
invade inside the body cavities; mainly to organs or
the central nervous system. The former causes

E
digestion discomfort and malnutrition, the latter can
cause adverse organ damage which can be fatal.
 Nematodes
(Roundworm)
• They have long, thin, round bodies, pointed at both
ends and are covered by a tough cuticle.
• They have muscles that run the length of their
body. These muscles cause the worms body to
CHARACTERISTIC
move in a trashing manner as one muscles
contracts and another relaxes.
S
• They found in marine and freshwater habitats even
in land. Some are parasites and attached to animals
or plants.
• Example of this are trichina ,filaria, pinworms, vinegar
eel and hookworms

EXAMPLES
• Hookworm inhabits the intestines of humans and other
animals. It has hooklike mouthparts with which it
attaches itself to the wall of the gut, puncturing the
blood vessels and feeding on the blood.
• Pinworm-common parasitic roundworm that can infect
children
• The Vinegar eel is a harmless that lives in vinegar.
Roundworms do pose a significant risk to humans.
Contact with contaminated soil or dog
DISADVANTA
feces can result in human ingestion
and infection. Roundworm eggs may accumulate

GE
in significant numbers in the soil where pets
deposit feces. Onceinfected, the worms can cause
eye, lung, heart and neurologic signs in people.
 Annelids
(segmented worms)
• Have body segments that allow for
specialization of tissues and for effecient
movement
CHARACTERISTICS
• Their bodies are divided into segments
with a ringed appearance
• Annelids have a bilateral symmetry
• Example of this group are the earthworms and leeches
• An earthworms are commonly found living in soil, feeding on live

EXAMPLE
and dead organic matter. An earthworm's digestive system runs
through the length of its body. It conducts respiration through its
skin. It has a double transport system composed of coelomic
fluid that moves within the fluid-filled coelom and a simple, closed
blood circulatory system. It has a central and a peripheral nervous

S
system. The central nervous system consists of two ganglia above
the mouth, one on either side.
• Leeches are blood sucking annelids
1.Having established their efficiency in converting organic
substrates to composts, they are now widely used
in vermicomposting for waste management, production of soil

ADVANTAG
amendments, and other uses.
2. These worms have been found to be an excellent source of
animal feed protein, essential amino acids, fats, vitamins, and
minerals for livestock and fish

E
3. They can be used in removing soil pollutants through
bioremediation. Heavy metals and other pollutants can be taken
up by the worms and removed from the soil, a process called
vermiremediation