Radiate Animals

Chapter 13
Radiate Animals

l Phylum Cnidaria & Phylum Ctenophora

l Radial Symmetry
l Diploblastic – 2 embryonic tissue layers
Phylum Cnidaria

l All animals except

sponges belong to
the clade
Eumetazoa, the
animals with true
tissues.
Phylum Cnidaria

l Phylum Cnidaria is
one of the oldest
groups in this clade.
l Fossil history back
700 MY.
Phylum Cnidaria

l Cnidarians have:
l Radial symmetry
l Gastrovascular cavity – extracellular
digestion
l Tissues – derived from two embryonic germ
layers
l Cnidocytes – special cells with stinging
organelles called nematocysts.
Phylum Cnidaria

l Cnidarians have
diversified into a wide
range of both sessile
and floating forms
including jellies, corals,
and hydras.
l Polymorphism –
some species exist
as both polyps and
medusae during their
life cycles.
Phylum Cnidaria
l The basic body plan of a cnidarian is a
sac with a central digestive compartment,
the gastrovascular cavity.
l A single opening functions as both mouth
and anus.
Phylum Cnidaria

l In colonial forms that

share a
gastrovascular cavity,
polyps may be
specialized for
feeding, reproduction,
or defense.
Body Wall

l Cnidarians have an
outer tissue layer,
the epidermis,
derived from
ectoderm, and an
inner gastrodermis,
derived from
endoderm, with
jellylike mesoglea in
between.
Body Wall

l The epidermal layer contains several types of

cells organized into tissues.
Reproduction

l Polyps can reproduce asexually by

budding, fission, or pedal laceration.
Reproduction
l Cnidarians, typically medusae, can also reproduce
sexually.
l A zygote usually develops into a motile planula larva.
l Some species only exist as polyps, others only as
medusae, others alternate between the two.
Feeding
l Cnidarians are carnivores that use tentacles to
capture prey.
l The tentacles are armed with cnidocytes – unique
cells that function in defense and the capture of prey.
l Nematocysts contain toxins used for prey capture and
defense.
Feeding

l Extracellular digestion begins in the

gastrovascular cavity, but is completed
within the cells of the gastrodermis.
l Some cnidarians supplement their diet
with nutrients collected from algal
symbionts (zooxanthellae).
Nerve Net
l Cnidarians have a diffuse
nervous system.
l Nerve cells forming two
interconnected nerve nets in
the epidermis and
gastrodermis.
l No concentrated grouping of
nerve cells forming a central
nervous system.
l No advantage for radially
symmetrical animals where
stimuli approach from all sides.
Classification

l The phylum Cnidaria is divided into four

major classes:
Class Hydrozoa Class Scyphozoa Class Cubozoa Class Anthozoa
Classification

l A fifth class, Staurozoa (stalked jellyfish),

has been proposed.
l No medusae in life cycle but polyp topped
by medusa-like region.
Phylum Cnidaria
l Class Staurozoa
l Commonly called stauromedusans
l No medusa stage.
l Solitary polyp body that is
stalked.
l Uses adhesive disk to attach to
seaweeds, and objects on sea
bottom.
l Polyp top resembles a medusa
with eight extensions (“arms”)
ending in tentacle clusters
surrounding mouth.
l Reproduce sexually.
Class Hydrozoa
l Hydrozoans are
variable in form.
l Mostly marine.
l Usually colonial,
sometimes solitary.
Class Hydrozoa – Typical Life Cycle

l Most
hydrozoans
alternate
between polyp
and medusa
forms.
l Some have
only polyps.
l Some have
only medusae.
Class Hydrozoa - Polyps

l Typical hydroids have a

base, a stalk, and one or
more terminal zooids
(individual polyp animals).
l Thecate – presence of a
protective cup around
the polyp.
l Obelia
l Athecate – no such
protection.
l Ectopleura
Class Hydrozoa - Medusae
l Hydroid medusae are usually
smaller than those in the
class Scyphozoa.
l Gastrovascular cavity is
continuous from mouth to
tentacles and is lined by
gastrodermis.
l Velum, inward projection of
the bell, is present.
l Specialized organs:
l Statocysts – equilibrium
l Ocelli – light sensitive
Class Hydrozoa
l Members of the order
Siphonophora, such as
the Portuguese man-of-
war, are colonies of
polyp individuals.
l One polyp may be gas
filled and used as a
float.
l Feeding polyps each
with one long tentacle
l Reproductive polyps
Class Hydrozoa

l Hydrocorals
resemble true corals.
l Calcareous
skeleton
l Fire coral
Class Scyphozoa

l In the class
Scyphozoa, jellies
(medusae) are the
prevalent form of the
life cycle.
l No velum present.
l Rhopalium – sense
organ containing
statocysts and
sometimes ocelli.
Class Scyphozoa
l Tentacles around
the periphery of the
bell contain
nematocysts used
to paralyze prey
animals.
l In the center are four
oral arms used to
capture and ingest
prey.
Class Scyphozoa – Typical Life
Cycle
l Planula larvae
develop into a
polyp-like form.
l Saucer-like
buds called
ephyrae are
produced by
strobilation.
Class Cubozoa

l In the class
Cubozoa, which
includes box jellies
and sea wasps, the
medusa is box-
shaped and has
complex eyes.
l Polyps are tiny and
develop directly into
medusae.
Class Cubozoa
Class Anthozoa

l Class Anthozoa
includes the
corals and sea
anemones which
occur only as
polyps – no
medusa stage.
l All marine
l Solitary or
colonial
Sea Anemones – Order Actinaria

l Found in coastal waters all

around the world.
l Attach to rocks using their
pedal disc.
l Feed on fish or any other
food of suitable size.
Sea Anemones – Order Actinaria
l Sea anemones usually move by gliding slowly
along on their pedal discs.
l When a predator approaches, most withdraw.
l Stomphia detaches its disc and “swims” away.
Sea Anemones – Order Actinaria
l Tentacles arranged around the central mouth.
l The gastrovascular cavity is divided into six
radial chambers.
l Increases the surface area of the gastrodermis.
Mutualisms
l Sea anemones sometimes harbor
zooxanthellae (photosynthetic protists)
like hard corals do.
l Some crabs will decorate their shells with
anemones.
Mutualisms
l Some damselfish (anemone fishes) form
associations with large anemones.
l Fish gains protection from living in the
anemone.
l The fish may help ventilate the anemone or
keep it free of sediment.
Hexacorallian Corals
l Hexacorallian corals
(Order Scleractinia) are
the true or stony corals.
l Like tiny anemones
living in calcareous cups.
Hexacorallian Corals

l Hexacorallians
(Subclass
Hexacorallia) have
a gastrovascular
cavity subdivided by
septa in multiples of
six.
l The calcium
carbonate skeleton is
secreted below living
tissue.
Hexacorallian Corals
l Polyps may be retracted into the skeleton.
l Often retracted during the day.
l The polyps expand for feeding.
Tube Anemones and Thorny Corals
l Members of
subclass
Ceriantipatharia.
l Have coupled but
unpaired septa.
l Tube anemones
l Solitary and live in
soft sediments.
Tube Anemones and Thorny Corals
l Thorny or black corals
l Colonial and attach to firm substrata.
l Both groups have few species and live in
warmer seas.
Octocorallian Corals
l Members of the
Subclass Octocorallia
have eight pinnate
tentacles and eight
septa.
Octocorallian Corals
l Sea fans, sea pens & sea pansies
belong to this group.
l Often beautifully colored.
Sea pansy
Sea pen
Coral Reefs
l Coral reefs are one of the most productive
and diverse ecosystems on Earth.
l Found in shallow tropical seas.
l They require warm water.
l Sunlight required for symbiotic zooxanthellae.
Coral Reefs

l The main structure of

the reef is calcium
carbonate secreted by
hermatypic (reef-
building) corals and
coralline algae.
Coral Reefs
l Octocorallian corals and some
hydrozoans (those known as fire coral)
also contribute calcium carbonate.
Types of Reefs
l Fringing reefs are close to a landmass with
no lagoon or a narrow lagoon.
Types of Reefs

l Barrier reefs run parallel to shore and have a

wide, deep lagoon.
Types of Reefs

l Atolls are reefs that encircle a lagoon, but

not an island.
Types of Reefs

l Patch reefs are scattered throughout a lagoon.

Reef Zones
l The fore reef slope, or reef front, is the side that faces
the sea.
l Slopes into deeper water.
l The reef crest is the shallow or even slightly emergent
top of the reef.
l The reef flat is the shallow back reef area that slopes
into the lagoon.
Phylum Ctenophora

l Phylum
Ctenophora are
the comb jellies.
l No nematocysts.
l Tissue level of
organization, like
cnidarians.
l Mostly free
swimming.
Phylum Ctenophora

l They use their

ciliated comb
plates for
swimming.
l Not strong
swimmers.
l Ctenophores are
bioluminescent.
l Statocyst –
sense organ
Phylogeny
l Cnidarians may have evolved from a radially
symmetrical planula-like ancestor.
l Trichocysts and toxicysts found in some ciliates
may be precursors to nematocysts.