STD 10 CHAP 7 CONTROL AND COORDINATION

SCRIPT 2 – Nervous System in Animals

1. Hello students
2. In our last video we saw there are two systems in humans for control and coordination viz nervous system and chemical
system called endocrine system.
3. So the natural question is do all organisms have this Nervous System? Or which group of animals lack Nervous System?
4. Let us try to answer this
1. Animal without Nervous system
5. We have learnt that amoeba is a single-celled animal and lacks nervous system, though it does appear to be sensitive to
the environment. This tiny animal moves away from bright light or harmful toxic chemicals, so it looks that it has
nervous system but actually it does not have.
6. Similarly, Paramecium another single-celled animal, also lacks nervous system. However, it avoids cold, heat and
chemicals by moving away from these stimuli.

7.
8. Sponges are the only multicellular animals without a nervous system. Do you remember
students sponges are aquatic animals found in oceans. They do not have any nerve cells or
sensory cells. However, touch or pressure to the outside of a sponge will cause a local
contraction of its body.
9. Thus unicellular animals like amoeba and lowest multicellular animals like sponges lack
nervous system.

2. Nervous system in Hydra

1. Nervous system appeared first time in lower animals like Hydra.
2. The hydra has a nervous system characterized by a nerve net. A nerve net is a
collection of separate, but "connected" neurons. Neurons are simple in structure
Communication between neurons can be in both directions within a nerve net. The
hydra does have specialized cells for touch and chemical detection.
3. Thus it is simple and net like.

4. Nervous system in Flatworms

1. The nervous system of the flatworm has an organization different from the
animals describe above.
2. It does have a nerve net, but these are connected by long nerve cords.
3. These cords are connected to cerebral ganglia located in the head region.
Ganglia are nothing but collection of many neurons.
4. This arrangement of central nervous system is described as "ladder-like"
because of the nerves connecting the nerve cords.

5. Nervous System in Insects

1. The nervous system of the earthworm is "segmented" i.e. present in each segment of body. It is
made up of brain and nerve cord
2. The "brain" is located above the pharynx and is connected to the first ventral ganglion. The brain is
very simple group of neurons but important for movement: if the brain of the earthworm is
removed, the earthworm will move continuously.
3. Each segmented ganglion gets sensory information from only a local region of its body and
controls muscles only in this local region.
6. Nervous System in Starfish
1. Students have seen starfish? Yes underwater animal which looks like a star as it is named so.
2. The nervous system of the starfish is very simple...there is no brain and there are not even any
ganglia to coordinate movement. The nervous system is characterized by a nerve ring that
surrounds the mouth. A radial nerve branches off of the nerve ring and extends to each arm.

7. Nervous system in Vertebrates

1. Have seen lizard on wall, or frog, a jumping monkey or a flying parrot? Yes these
animals are vertebrates that they have vertebral column. It is bony rod like structure
which protects nerve cord or spinal cord.
2. Vertebrate have complex neural arrangement made up of brain and spinal cord and
nerves coming out of them.
3. Humans are also vertebrates and most complex brain. In this chapter we will it in detail.

Summary
1. Thus students Neural organization varies from lower animals to higher complex animals.
2. Sponges lack neural system, while in hydra its simple net like, while flatworms have ladder type neural system.
3. The neural system of earthworm has nerve ring and nerve cord. Starfish has radially organized nerves. Insects have
better organized neural system than other lower animals. While all vertebrates have well developed neural system
made up of brain and spinal cord.
4. All animals have a neural system that consists of highly specialized cells called neurons. These cells can perceive,
receive and transmit different kinds of signals. Hence neurons are called structural and functional unit of Nervous
system
5. So in the next video we will learn about structure of neurons in detail.