Unit

5. Invertebrates.

Unit 5. Invertebrates

1. Most simple animals
Sponges, polyps and jellyfishes are aquatic animals, most of them marine. They
look like plants due to their appearance and behaviour. Because of this in the past
they were considered to be plants until scientists discovered their type of
nutrition, as you know, all of them are heterotrophs.

1.1 Porifera or sponges
Sponges (phylum Porifera) are the simplest of all animals. Some sponges have a
tube or cup shape, but most are irregular and lack symmetry.
A sponge is formed by a sac perforated with holes, Porifera means pore-bearer
in Latin.
Sponges are filter feeders because they
collect food particles form water. They feed
by filtering food particles suspended in the
water. Water enters through the pores into
a central cavity, then flows out through a
large opening.

1.2 Cnidarian. Polyps and jellyfishes

Cnidarian bodies have radial symmetry and we can find two different forms:

Polyps: They are bag-like cnidarians. In the base

they have a sucker that allows them to be attached
to the soil, on the other side they have only one
hole surrounded by tentacles that is used for
mouth and anus. Corals are most common polyps.
Jellyfishes: They are umbrella-like cnidarians.
They look like inverted polyps that float free swimming
in the water.

Cnidarians are carnivores and capture their preys with the tentacles.

The skin of the tentacles contains little capsules full of poison. Thanks to this
poison they can paralyze their preys. This is responsible for the pain and irritation
that the bite of a jellyfish produces in our skin.

2. Segmented worms. Annelids

The earthworm, the leech and most of marine worms are annelids (annelus = little
ring).
Most of annelids are aquatics, but there are more common for us those who live in
the humid soil, like earthworms.
The body of an earthworm have the following characteristics:

It is soft, elongated and it is divided into rings or segments. All segments

are similar, that is the reason why the head is not different than the rest of
the body. Segments have little needles that allow the worm to move. In the
centre of the body some thicker rings form the reproductive organs and
eggs are produced here, this is called clitellum.

It has bilateral symmetry.

It breathes due to its skin, which is always humid.

Earthworms dig galleries
in humid and rich in
organic matter soils, this
organic matter is its food.
While they are digging,
they eat the earth with
the nutrients, and then
they excrete and return
the earth to the soil. That
ventilates and enriches
the soil, so earthworms
are
beneficial
for
agriculture.

2.1 An organization that is more complex

If we cut an annelid we will see a tube, the digestive tube, that is inside other tube,
the body wall.
Between these two tubes there is a space with different organs located. Sponges
and cnidarians lack of this space.
Annelids, like most animals, have an organization that is more complex than
sponges and cnidarians one.


3. Animals with shell. Molluscs
A snail, a mussel or a squid are molluscs. Most of them are marine animals.
All molluscs have the following characteristics:

Its body is not divided into rings and is soft. This characteristic gives the
name to the group (molluscus=soft).

They have a muscular foot with diverse functions.

They have a fold, called mantle, in the dorsal part of the body. This fold
contains respiratory organs and, in most of cases, produces a protective
shell of a hard calcareous material.

The shell can be formed by one piece, usually with spiral shape, or can consist of
two joined shells.

3.1 Snail, an example of gastropod mollusc

The snail is one of the few terrestrial molluscs. In its body we can find:

The shell, that is composed by only one piece and it has spiral-shape.

The foot, it is a large muscular organ that supports the body.

The snail is herbivore. It
moves continuously its
tentacles in its slow shift,
which
gives
to
it
information about the
environment.
Once a suitable leave is
located, it cuts the food in
small pieces thanks to its
tongue that is covered by a
lot of small teeth.

3.2 Mussel, an example of bivalve mollusc

Mussels live attached to the rocks by means of strong filaments produced by them.
Its body has:
A black shell that is formed
by two shells. The shells are fixed
one to each other in the dorsal part
and they can open and close thanks
to a strong internal muscle.

A foot with axe-shape. Mussel uses it to move.

They feed filtrating water. The water enters and leaves its body by two tubes or
siphons; the food particles become trapped in the interior of the animal.

3.3 Squid, an example of cephalopod mollusc
Unlike snails or mussels, squids are very active animals. In its body we can find:

A shell that is reduced to a thin layer, called pen, completely covered by the
mantle.

A set of tentacles with suckers that surrounds the mouth. These tentacles
replace the foot of other molluscs.

Squids are carnivores and use its
tentacles to capture its preys.
They expel the water in the mantle
violently through a siphon that allows
the squid to swim very fast.
This siphon is mobile, so they can
change direction very easy. When they
feel attacked, they expel ink with the
water. That confuses their predators.

4. Animals with shell. Arthropods
More than 75% of the animals on Earth are arthropods (Artro= articulated,
Podos=feet). In this group we can find spiders, centipedes, crabs, ants, butterflies
The main groups of arthropods are arachnids, crustaceans, myriapods and
insects. This group has the following characteristics:

They have a segmented body, but its segments are no equal, like annelids.
The segments are grouped in regions. There are three regions: head,
thorax and abdomen.

They have articulated appendixes. Those that they use to move are called
legs.

They have a hard shell that is called exoskeleton.

When the animal needs to grow, it must give up their old exoskeleton then grow
quickly and form a new one. This process is called moulting.

4.1 Arachnids
In this group spiders, scorpions, ticks and tiny mites are included. Most of them
live in warm and dry habitats.
The body of an arachnid, as spiders, are divided into two regions:

Cephalothorax. The union of the head and the thorax forms it.

In its anterior part it has two appendixes with nail shape called chelicera (that are
connected with a venom gland). It has also a pair
of pedipalps that it uses to manipulate its preys.
It has four pairs of legs.

Abdomen. It is a rounded and non-
segmented region. The glands that create the
spider silk are located at the end of the
abdomen.
Spiders are carnivores. They trap their preys
thanks to their spider web and inject the venom
with its chelicera.

4.2 Crustaceans
Crustaceans are aquatic arthropods. Most common ones are the edible
ones, such as shrimps, prawns or crabs. Its exoskeleton is quite hard
because it is a calcareous skeleton.
We can find in its body two parts:

Cephalothorax. With two pairs of antennas and five

pairs of legs; the first of these pairs are transformed
into claws.

Abdomen. It is segmented and it has several

appendixes that the animal does not use for movement.

Crabs are carnivores and use their claws to capture their preys.
Other crustaceans feed on dead animals, are filter feeders or even
parasites.

4.3 Myriapods
Myriapods, which mean a lot of feet,
are terrestrial arthropods. In this
group centipedes and millipedes are
included.
Its body is divided into:

Head with a pair of antennas.

A lot of equal rings, in each ring centipedes have a pair of legs and
millipedes have two pair of rings.

Some myriapods, such as escolopendra, develop an intense activity and they have
poisonous claws to capture its preys. On the other hand, millipedes move slowly
and most of them are herbivores.

4.4 Insects
It is the larger group of arthropods. They can live in all habitats, except in the
deepest zones of the oceans. Flies, butterflies, bees, and grasshoppers are insects.
We can three parts in the body of
the insects:

Head. With a pair of

antennas and a pair of eyes.

Thorax. Three rings form it and

each ring has a pair of legs, three
pairs in total.

The two posterior rings have a pair of wings each one. They have two pairs
of wings in total.

Abdomen. It is segmented and it does not have appendixes.

Grasshoppers are very active herbivores that cut and grind grass with its hard
mandibles.
Other insects are predators, such as praying mantis; dead matter eaters, such as
dung beetle; parasites, such as flea or louse; or they feed on plants juices, such as
butterflies or plant louse.

5. Echinoderms
Echinoderms are marine invertebrates. In this group sea urchins, sea cucumbers
and sea stars are included.
Sea stars are the most familiar
echinoderms; we can find the
following characteristics in these
animals:

They have a flat body. A

central disc with five arms
forms it; the mouth is its
inferior part.

They
have
symmetry.

pentameter

Most stars are carnivores and feed on other invertebrates. They can also attack
other stars, and start eating them by its arms. In most cases, this attack does not
cause the death of the attacked star because it can regenerate its lost arms.

5.1 The water vascular system

Echinoderms move using a unique system in animals, the water vascular system.
It consists of a small internal tubes connected with small feet in the exterior called
tube feet. Each foot ends in a small sucker.
When these tubes fill up with water, feet extend due to the pressure of the water
inside; then, feet raise the body of the animal, allowing its slow movement.