Phylum Cnidaria

Common Name: coelenterata None a.k.a.

Examples: Hydra, jellyfish, coral, Portuguese man of war, sea anemone

Phylum Cnidaria
A. B. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K.
L.

Gr. knide nettle) + L. aria, -like ny dar' e-a 9,000 species. Odd name = ph. Coelenterata, early 1900's coelenterate = Cnidaria + Ctenophora Metazoans, have tissue but organs poorly defined Tentacles present, can be fused Mouth(=anus), digestive area = gastro-vasula cavity(GV) Body can have covering skeleton, 98% of body is Diploblastic ; 2 tissue layers(=ectoderm & endoderm) during gastrula stage In marine & fresh water

Cnidaria - Morphology and Digestion

E. F. G.
H. I.

Radial or Biradial symmetry Gastrovascular cavity Most small; colonial organisms may be the most massive on Earth Tissue level of organization, a few organs Extracellular digestion in gastrovascular cavity intracellular in gastrodermal cells

Cnidaria Excretion, Nervous System & Locomotion

J. K. L. M. N.
O.

Simple excretion Simple respiration by diffusion Nerve cells and nerve net Sense organs (statocysts and ocelli) Some can swim by jet propulsion or through cilia Polymorphism in some species medusa and polyp

Cnidaria Skeleton and Reproduction

P.
Q.

hydroskeleton or exoskeleton or endoskeleton Reproduction can be sexual or asexual

1. Asexual reproduction by budding in polyps 2. Sexual reproduction by gametes in all medusae, some polyps 3. Sexual forms monecious or dioecious 4. Planula larvae

Reproduction
Hydra
Warm: Asexual (budding) Dropping Temp triggers sexual
www.dpo.uab.edu

Jellyfish
Polyps are asexual Medusa are sexual

Hermaphrodite
Anemone, mostly Produce both egg and sperm

fr.wikipedia.org

Reproduction
Individual Jellyfish are either male or female. The eggs and sperm develop in very colourful special areas called 'Gonads' inside the body wall. When all of the eggs and sperm are fully developed, they are released into the stomach and then through the mouth into the sea. In most cases, to reproduce, a male jellyfish releases his sperm into the surrounding water. The sperm then swims into the mouth of the female jellyfish, allowing the fertilization of the ova process to begin. Moon jellies, however, use a different process: their eggs become lodged in pits on the oral arms, which form a temporary brood chamber to accommodate fertilization.

Reproduction
When the eggs are released into the sea they are fertilized by the sperm and continue to develop. As in all many-celled animals, the microscopic fertilized eggs begin a series of cell divisions which finally result in an embryo. However, the embryo does not develop directly into a baby jellyfish, but becomes a tiny, flattened creature called a 'Planula'. The Planula, which is covered with rapidly beating hairlike cilia (thin, tail-like projections), is able to swim and may be carried a considerable distance by ocean currents during its short swimming period, lasting from a few hours to several days. The tiny Planula then makes its way toward the sea bottom where it actively looks for a suitable place to attach itself. At this point, a amazing series of events take place.

Reproduction
The tiny Planula floating in the sea. Searching for a place to attach itself. Once attached, it feeds on passing, floating food. At this stage, the Polyps mouth and tentacles are facing upwards. Grooves appear and become deeper, eventually cutting through the Polyps body. A pile of disc-shaped structures emerge and break away. Each being a baby Jellyfish. At this stage it is called a Medusa and is the Jellyfish form we recognise in our oceans.

Cnidaria - Ecology
R. S. T. Mostly marine, some freshwater Mostly freeliving Feed by capture of prey; endosymbionts 1. Cnidocytes - stinging cells containing nematocysts

www.jcu.edu.au

Nutrition: sting prey with nematocysts, push food into mouth with tentacles.

www.palaeos.com

The freshwater hydra is a simple organism with a basal suction disk or foot, and apical tentacles.

Nematocyst

Cnidaria Evolution and Taxonomy

U. V. Cnidarians from ancestral radially symmetrical planula larva 4 Classes:
1. 2. 3. 4. Hydrozoa Scyphozoa Cubozoa Anthozoa (

Class Hydrozoa
a) b) c) d) e) Gr. Hydra - water serpent + zoon, animal Hi-dro-zo'-a Dominated (in most) by the polyp form Mostly marine, mostly colonial 2,700 species

universe-review.ca

Class Scyphozoa
Gr. skyphos, cup + zoon, animal Si-fo-zo'-a dominated (in most) by the medusa form (1) polyp (strobila) form free-swimming medusa some (Cassiopeia) with endosymbionts 200 species

Cassiopeia, the upside-down jellyfish, harbors endosymbionts which photosynthesize. Laying upside-down in sunny areas brings light to the endosymbionts.

Class Cubozoa
a) b) c) d) e) Figure 13-20 (266) Gr. Kybos, cube + zoon, animal Ku' bo-zo' a dominated (in most) by the medusa form about 100 species

Class Anthozoa
Gr. Anthos, flower, zoon, animal An-tho-zo' a all polyps - no medusae all marine 6000 species

3 main groups of anthozoans:

(1)
(2) (3)

Sea anemones and hard corals tube anemones and thorny corals soft corals, horny corals, sea fans, sea pens, sea pansies

Anenomes are exclusively marine, as are all anthozoans.

Clownfish often live among the tentacles of the anenome. The clownfish are not stung by the anenome, and may help bring food to it. In return, the fish is protected by the stinging tentacles.

Rather than stinging, sun anenomes stick to their prey.

It is obvious as to how brain coral got its name.

Here is a young brain coral. These colonies can build for thousands of years.

Other organisms, such as these Christmas Tree worms, make theur home in or on the coral.

Corals compete for light just the way plants do on land.

This is Elkhorn Coral.

Here a damselfish hides among the branches of fire coral. Fire coral has tiny spines which irritate the skin, much as a stinging nettle does.

Soft corals such as dead-mans fingers can bend with waves and currents.

This is another soft coral.

Sea fans are also anthozoans along with sea anenomes, hard corals, tube anenomes, thorny corals, soft corals, sea pens and sea pansies.

"Why do evolutionary biologists care who's related to whom, and how do scientists find out how different animals are related?"

Scientists care because phylogeny is the fundamental product of evolution. Therefore, a phylogenetic hypothesis is essential if you want to understand biological phenomena, most of which have an evolutionary explanation.
Since many scientists would like to know how animal diversity and animal body plans came to be, presently there is a great deal of work on resolving the evolutionary relationships among the major groups of animals. Much of this research has relied upon morphological characters, especially those expressed in early development (e.g. embryological characters). More recently, a significant advance in our understanding of animal phylogeny has been brought about by the study of molecules (in particular genes and their protein products) contained within animal cells. The phylogeny presented here is a relatively conservative guess based upon various published studies of 18S ribosomal RNA sequence data. As you can see, there are quite a few unresolved branches, and therefore a great deal of work to be done in this area. Note that the phylum Porifera (the sponges) is paraphyletic. A few lines of independent evidence suggest that one group of sponges is actually more closely related to non-sponge animals than it is to the other sponges. This is an important finding for it implies that the lineage leading to all other animals (including ourseleves!) was directly descended from an animal with a sponge body and a sponge life style.