Phylum Phylum

Porifera Cnidaria

© Amy Brown Science

 Introduction to Phylum Cnidaria
The phylum Cnidaria consists of the:
Hydras Sea anemones

Jellyfish

Sea fans Corals

 Like the poriferans, cnidarians are
“__________.”
diploblastic
This means that during embryonic
development, these animals ...
... develop only two germ layers.
They have ______________________
endoderm and ectoderm
layers, but never develop
_______________.
mesoderm tissue
The two germ layers are separated by
a _______________.
jellylike mesoglea

The animals in this phylum are more ________

complex than the
animals in phylum Porifera because ...
... their cells are organized into tissues, and they have a
few simple organs.
 All cnidarians are ___________
carnivorous
animals that have
stinging tentacles arranged in
_______________
mouths
circles around their _______.
Cnidarians are the simplest
body symmetry
animals to have _____________
tissues
and specialized ______.

All cnidarians have _______________.

radial symmetry

Radial symmetry:
A shape that consists of a central axis
with the rest of the body radiating
from the axis.
The animal can be divided in two
equal sides by passing a line in any
direction through the central axis.
All cnidarians are aquatic, and most live in the ocean.

Cnidarians get their name because they possess cells

called cnidocytes.
Cnidocytes are ...
...the stinging cells that are located along the tentacles.
 The Cnidarian Body Plan
All cnidarians have a central _______
mouth
surrounded by numerous
tentaclesthat extend outward from the body.
_________
medusa or a polyp
The shape or body plan may be a ___________________.

Medusa Body Plan: Polyp Body Plan:

The medusa is bell-shaped and free The polyp consists of a tubular body
living. with a base at one end and tentacles at
It is specialized for swimming. the other end.
Polyps are sessile.
In the polyp, the mouth points upwards.
In the medusa, the mouth points downward.
 Comparison of Body Plans
Both the polyp and medusa have bodies composed of two layers of cells.
The outermost layer of cells is called the epidermis.
The innermost layer of cells is called the gastrodermis.

The two layers of cells are separated by a

jellylike substance called mesoglea.
ed usa
M
In the center of the body is a hollow space called the
gastrovascular cavity.
This is where the digestion of food takes place.

The gastrovascular cavity has a single opening which is the mouth.

Food must enter and wastes must leave the body through this single
opening.

In both body plans ...

... the mouth is surrounded by numerous tentacles.
Polyp
The two body plans are shown in this diagram.
Label each of the following structures.

a. Mouth a. Mouth
b. Tentacles b. Tentacles
c. Epidermis c. Epidermis
d. Gastrodermis d. Gastrodermis
e. Mesoglea e. Mesoglea
f. Gastrovascular cavity f. Gastrovascular cavity
Among the members of phylum Cnidaria,
only the jellyfish has the medusa body plan.

All other members (hydra, sea

anemones, sea fans, and coral)
have the polyp body plan.
 Feeding and Defense
in Cnidarians

Cnidarians are so named

because their tentacles contain
cells called cnidocytes.
These cells are used ...
... for defense and to capture
prey.
 Cnidocytes and Nematocysts
Prey Animal Each _________
cnidocyte contains
a structure called a
Barb
__________.
nematocyst
A nematocyst contains ...
... a long, coiled thread
Trigger
of material that has a
poison-filled barb at one
end.

Cnidocyte Nematocyst

Each cnidocyte has a “______.”

trigger
When an object brushes up against the The sharp-tipped barb
trigger, the nematocyst ________,
explodes and punctures the object
pushes out the thread ______________.
with great force and injects poison.
When a fish, shrimp, or other prey animal brushes up against the
tentacles of a cnidarian ...
... thousands of nematocysts explode into the animal.

Enough poison is injected to

paralyze or kill the prey.
 FEEDING:
Once the prey has been
paralyzed or killed, the
tentacles
__________ push the prey
mouthinto the
through the _______
gastrovascular cavity
_____________________.

The gastrovascular cavity

contains enzymes that break down
the food.

gastrodermis
The cells lining the gastrovascular cavity (______________) absorb
digested nutrients
the __________________.
Wastes and undigested materials are expelled through the mouth.
 A gastrovascular cavity is a ...
... digestive chamber that has only one opening.
Food enters and wastes leave the body through the same opening.

It is important to note that more advanced animals will possess a digestive

system with 2 openings, ____________________.
a mouth and an anus
Cnidarian Nervous System
1. Because the embryonic
development of cnidarians
consists of only two germ layers,
cnidarians will not have complex
organs or organ systems.
2. The cnidarian nervous system
consists of a “nerve net.” A
nerve net is a very loosely
organized network of nerve cells
that is distributed throughout the
entire body.
3. No brain or ganglion controls
the nerve net.
 Cnidarian Nervous System

This nerve net allows a cnidarian

simple stimuli in
to respond to _____________
their environment, such as
_____.
touch
The touch stimulus sends a
signal to the nerve net.
_____
The nerve net sends a message
contractile cells which cause
to ______________,
the cnidarian to respond.
A stimulus anywhere on the
body sends a signal along the
entire nerve net in all directions.

The result ...

... is a contraction of the entire body.
 The nerve net coordinates the
movement of ________
tentacles during
feeding, allowing the tentacles
to bring prey to the ______
mouth
and push it into the
___________________.
gastrovascular cavity

The nerve net also ____________

coordinates the
pulsing, rhythmic contractions that allow
the free-swimming medusae to ______
move the water.
through
Cnidarian Respiration, Circulation, and Excretion
After digestion is completed, nutrients are moved through the
body by _________. diffusion

diffusion
Gas exchange occurs by _________ across
thin tissues
the ____________ of the body.

Metabolic wastes are

excreted by diffusion
through the body wall.
 Classification of Cnidarians
The phylum Cnidaria is subdivided into four distinct classes of organisms.

Class Class Class Class

Hydrozoa: Cubozoa: Scyphozoa: Anthozoa:
Contains Contains Contains Contains
the the box the the sea
freshwater
hydra and
jellies. jellyfish. anemones
the marine and corals.
Portuguese
man-of-war.
 Class Hydrozoa
Class Hydrozoa consists of roughly 3,700
species of ...
... freshwater hydras and the Portuguese
man-of-war.

Most hydrozoans live as colonial organisms in

the oceans.
In these colonial organisms, polyps are
specialized to carry out different functions.
Some polyps are specialized for food-getting,
while others are specialized for reproduction.
 Portuguese
Man-of-War

1. This animal exists as a colony of medusae and

polyps.
2. One polyp forms a balloon-like float that
keeps the entire colony riding on the surface
of the water.
3. Other polyps produce long tentacles that sting
and capture prey. These tentacles may reach a
length of 65 feet.
4. Some polyps digest food, and other polyps
produce egg and sperm cells.
 Hydras are very different
from typical hydrozoans.
Hydras exist only as polyps
______,
colonial and
they are not _______,
freshwater
they live in __________.

Hydras are very small. They

range in size from 1 cm to 4
cm in length.

Hydras are found in quiet

ponds, lakes, and streams.
They use their base to
attach themselves to plants
or rocks.
 Structure of the hydra.
Label each of the structures seen in the diagram below.

a. Tentacles
b. Mouth
c. Epidermis
d. Gastrodermis
e. Mesoglea
f. Bud
g. Base
h. Gastrovascular cavity
i. Testes
j. Sperm
k. Ovary
l. Egg
 During warm weather, the hydra reproduces ...
... asexually by budding.

Small buds develop on the outside of the hydra’s body.

Once these buds grow tentacles, they separate from the
parent and live independently.
Some hydras, like the one seen in this diagram are ________________.
hermaphroditic
Others have ________________.
separate sexes
Sexual reproduction occurs
cold weather
during _____________.
When temperatures are colder,
the hydra produces
egg cells and sperm cells
_________________________.

Egg cells are produced by meiosis in the

ovaries.
Motile sperm are produced by meiosis in the
testes.
Sperm are released into the water and swim to
the egg cell.
zygote
Fertilization produces a _______ enclosed by a hard
covering.
When warm temperatures return, the embryo develops into a
new hydra.
Class Class Cubozoa contains the __________.
These animals are _____________ and
box jellies
exist as __________. cube-shaped
Cubozoa medusae
They range in size from a few centimeters
to 25 centimeters.

A group of __________
tentacles is found at each
corner of the “box.”
One example of a box jelly is the
__________.
sea wasp It can inflict a painful
sting and even death among humans.
 Class Scyphozoa
The word Scyphozoa means
“___________.”
cup animal This class
consists of more than 200 species
of ________. jellyfish

The dominant form of the life cycle

is a ________, but the jellyfish life
medusa
cycle does include both ...
... medusa and polyp forms.

Jellyfish range in size from 2

centimeters up to 4 meters across.
 Structure of the jellyfish.
Label each of the structures seen in the diagram below.

a. Epidermis
b. Mesoglea
c. Gastrodermis
D. Gastrovascular
cavity
e. Mouth
f. Tentacles
g. Gonads
 Most jellyfish exist as
_______________.
separate sexes

Reproductive organs are

called ________.
gonads

Gonads in females are the

________,
ovarieswhich produce
_________.egg cells

Gonads in males are ______,

which produce
testes
____________.
sperm cells
 Life Cycle Stages:
Jellyfish Life Cycle a. Male jellyfish release sperm cells
into the water.
b. Female jellyfish release egg cells
into the water.
c. Fertilization occurs in the water to
produce a zygote.
d. The zygote develops into a ciliated
larva called a planula.
e. The planula settles and attaches to
the ocean floor.
f. The planula develops into a polyp
by developing a mouth and
tentacles at the unattached end of
the body.
g. The polyp continues to grow.
h. The polyp forms a stack of
medusae.
i. The medusae detach and develop
into free-swimming jellyfish.
 Class Anthozoa
This class contains the sea anemones
and the corals, and consists of about
6,100 species.
The name Anthozoa means “flower
animals.”
Animals in this class have only the
polyp stage in their life cycle.
 Sea anemones
are polyps.

They attach to the

ocean floor where they
feed on fishes and
other small animals
that swim within reach
of their tentacles.
While sea anemones are active
_________ of other fish, they do
predators
mutualistic relationship
have a ___________
with the _________.
clownfish
The clownfish produces a slimy
mucus covering that prevents the
sea anemone from firing its
nematocysts into the clownfish
body.
The sea anemone provides the
clownfish with ...
... shelter and protection from
predators.
The sea anemone benefits from the
relationship when the clownfish ...
... chases off other fish that attempt
to feed on the anemone.
 polyps
Corals are very small ______
that live as ________.
colonies

Each polyp has a calcium

carbonate skeleton that it
cements to the skeleton of a
neighboring polyp.

When polyps die they live

behind their hardened
________
calcium carbonate skeleton.
Over many years, these
skeletons build up large
structures called coral
_________.
reefs
Only the ________
top layer of the reef
contains living
____________.
animals
Coral polyps have a mutualistic relationship with algae that
live within their tissues.

The algae carry out

photosynthesis
_______________ and
provide the coral with
_______.
oxygen
The algae also help to speed
up the accumulation of
________ by the coral in
calcium
order to build their
skeletons.
In turn, the coral supplies
______________ to the
algae. vital nutrients
 Ecology
of
Corals

Coral reefs are extremely important

to aquatic ecosystems.
They provide food and shelter to an
enormous variety of fish and other
invertebrates.
Coral reefs around the world are suffering from many types of human
activity.
a) Recreational divers and snorkelers
damage delicate polyps when they
touch the reef.
b) Runoff water into the ocean is
filled with silt from farming,
mining, and logging.
This silt smothers the corals.
c) Coral reefs are poisoned from
fertilizers, pesticides, and
industrial pollutants that are
contained in runoff waters.
d) Overfishing is disrupting the
balance of the reef ecosystem.
 Coral Bleaching
A new
environmental
problem is
“coral
bleaching.”

Global warming has led to rising ocean

temperatures.
Higher water temperatures kill the algae
that reside within the tissues of the corals.
When the algae die, only the clear cells of
the corals remain, giving the coral a
“bleached” appearance.