Chapter 24,

Section 2:
Animal Body
Plans
Biology
 Section Objectives
• Analyze how animal body plans are related to phylogeny

• Demonstrated how body cavities are related to animal

phylogeny

• Distinguish between the two types of coelomate development

Evolution of Animal Body
Plans
• Anatomical features in animals’ body plans mark the
branching points on the evolutionary tree

• Relationships on this tree are inferred by studying similarities

in embryological development and shared anatomical features
Tree Based On Phylogeny
 Development of Tissues
• The first anatomical feature to indicate a major change in body
plan was the development of tissues
o Marks the first branching point on the evolutionary tree
o Only animals w/out tissues are sponges
• All other animals have some type of tissue
Tree Based On Phylogeny
 Symmetry
• Next branch in the evolutionary tree

• Describes the similarity or balance among body structures of

organisms

• Three types of symmetry

o Asymmetry – irregular shape and no lines of symmetry
o Radial symmetry – can be divided along any plane, through a central axis, into equal
halves
o Bilateral symmetry – can be divided into mirror image halves only along one plane
through the central axis
Symmetry
 Bilateral Symmetry
• All animals w/ bilateral symmetry develop from three
embryonic cell layers
o Ectoderm
o Endoderm
o Mesoderm

• Allows for cephalization – the tendency to concentrate

nervous tissue and sensory organs at the anterior end of the
animal
Tree Based On Phylogeny
 Body Cavities
• A body cavity is the next branch in the evolutionary tree
o Includes a gut, which is either a sac inside the body or a tube that runs through the body
• Sac-like guts have one opening
• Tube-like guts have openings at both ends

• 3 body plans dealing w/ body cavities

o Coelomates
o Pseudocoelomates
o Acoelomates
Coelomates
• Have a fluid-filled cavity w/
tissue formed from
mesoderm that lines and
encloses the organs in the
coelom
Pseudocoelomates
• Have a fluid-filled cavity
that develops between the
mesoderm and the
endoderm rather than
developing entirely w/in the
mesoderm
Acoelomates
• Have solid bodies w/out a
fluid-filled body cavity
between the gut and the
body wall

• Branches off from the tree

before the body cavity
branch
Tree Based On Phylogeny
 Development in
Coelomate Animals
• Two major lines of development have been identified in
coelomate animals
o Protostome development
• The mouth develops from the first opening in the gastrula
o Deuterostome development
• The anus develops from the first opening in the gastrula
Tree Based On Phylogeny
 Segmentation
• Seen in both protostome and deuterostome branches

• Segmented animals can be put “together” from a succession of

similar parts

• Two advantages
o Can survive damage to one segment
o Movement is more effective