Chapter 24,

Section 1:
Animal
Characteristics
BIOLOGY
Section Objectives
Examine adaptations that enable animals to live in different habitats

Compare and contrast animals structure and function

Distinguish among the stages of embryonic development in animals

Evolutionary Tree of Living
Things
General Animal Features
The ancestral animals at the beginning of the evolutionary tree are
eukaryotic and multicellular
◦ They developed adaptations in structure that enabled them to function in
numerous habitats
Feeding
All animals are heterotrophic
◦ Have to consume other organisms to obtain
their energy
◦ The structure or form of an animal’s
mouth parts determines how its mouth
functions
Digestion
Digestion occurs in different ways depending on the complexity of the
animal
◦ 1-way gut
◦ Has 2 openings (mouth and anus) in which food travels in 1 direction
◦ 2-way gut
◦ Has 1 opening in which food goes in and waste leaves through the same opening
◦ Gutless
◦ No gut (like a sponge)
Support
Animal bodies are supported in two different ways
◦ Determined by the presence or absence of a backbone
◦ Invertebrates are animals w/out backbones
◦ Vertebrates are animal w/ a backbone
Invertebrates
Have an exoskeleton
◦ Hard or tough outer covering that provides
a framework of support
◦ Protect soft body tissues
◦ Prevent water loss
◦ Provide protection from predators
◦ Animals must shed the old exoskeleton and
make a new one
Vertebrates
Endoskeleton
◦ Made up of calcium carbonate or cartilage
◦ Protect internal organs
◦ Provide support for the body
◦ Provide an internal brace for muscles to pull
against
Movement
The evolution of nerve and muscle tissues enables animals to move in
ways that are more complex and faster than organisms in other
kingdoms
Reproduction
Most animals reproduce sexually
◦ Some reproduce asexually

Males produce sperm and females produce eggs

◦ Some animals are hermaphrodites, which produce both eggs and sperm
Sexual Reproduction
Fertilization is key to sexual reproduction
◦ Occurs when the sperm penetrates the egg to form a fertilized egg called the
zygote
◦ Can occur one of two ways
◦ Internal fertilization
◦ Turtles, mammals, reptiles
◦ External fertilization
◦ Requires an aquatic environment
Asexual Reproduction
A single parent produces offspring that are genetically identical to itself

Can occur in different ways

◦ Budding: an offspring develops as a growth on the body of the parent (coral)
◦ Fragmentation: the parent breaks into pieces and each piece can develop
into an adult animal (sea stars)
◦ Regeneration: a new organism can regenerate from the lost body part
(planarians)
◦ Parthenogenesis: a female animal produces eggs that develop w/out being
fertilized (some lizards and sharks)
Early Development
The zygote undergoes mitosis and a series of cell divisions to form new
cells

The cells continue to divide, forming a fluid-filled ball of cells called the
blastula

The blastula continues to undergo cell division as some cells move

inward to form a gastrula
Early Development
Tissue Development
Endoderm: inner layer of cells in the gastrula
Ectoderm: outer layer of cells in the gastrula
Mesoderm: layer of cells between the endoderm and ectoderm