Lecture 5

Marine Animals
Sponge & Cnidaria

Dr. Mohammed Adnan

 Phylum of Invertebrates

• Porifera-sponge

• Cnidarians- “jellyfish”

• Symmetrical Worms-flat, round, segmented worms

• Molluscs-snails, clams, oysters, scallops, octopuses

• Arthropods-copepods, shrimp, and lobster

• Echinoderms- seastars, brittlestars

• Most (97%) of the life which is located within the oceans,

doesn’t have a backbone!
 Contents

1- Phylum Porifera (por-if-er-a)

Multicellular animals with no well-defined tissue.

They are sessile, and asymmetrical (sometimes with

radial symmetry). Body organized around a system of
water canals and chambers

Ostia (tiny pores) – allow water to enter and circulate

through series of canals where plankton and organic
particles are filtered and eaten

Flexible skeletal frame (spicules) gives spongy texture

Jenna Hellack Fall 2000
 Contents

Some unique characteristics

Spicules
Collar cells
No true tissue
Pores

Jenna Hellack Fall 2000

 Porifera-Sponges (Leucosolenia)

Spicules are like calcium carbonate or silica re-bar for sponges,

providing support for this animal.
 Leucosolenia : Composition

• Spicules are transparent and made of siliceous or

calcareous supporting structures of different shapes and
sizes
• Skeleton made of protein sponging
• Spicules, spongin, or both
• Wandering cells, amebocytes, secrete spicules and
sponging, transport and store food particles, and
transform into other types of cells to quickly repair
damage
 Leucosolenia : Feeding

• Outer surface covered with flat cells called pinacocytes and

pore cells (porocytes) which allows water to enter
• Water pumped into larger feeding chamber lined with collar
cells (choanocytes)
• Each choanocytes have flagellum that creates currents and a
thin collar that traps food particles, which is ingested by
body of cell
 Leucosolenia : Reproduction

• Asexually
• If piece breaks off, it can form new sponge
• Sexually
• Most are hermaphrodites
• Some have separate male and female organisms
• Specialized collar cells or amebocytes can turn into
gametes
• Large nutrient rich egg and smaller sperm with
flagellum
 2- Phylum: Cnidaria

General Characteristics
Mostly marine except for hydra which is a fresh water form .
 Lives either solitary (single) or colonial (in groups).
Radially symmetrical.
Body wall consist of two germ layers (diploblastic) ,Outer layer of cells
(Epidermis) and (gastrodermis) which lines the gut cavity , In between these
tissue layers is a noncellular jelly-like material called mesoglea.
Single opening that serves as both mouth and anus which is usually
surrounded by tentacles.
Possess special stinging cells called cnidoblasts (cnidocytes) which help in
food capturing.
 Respiration and excretion occur by simple diffusion .

 Soft body may be naked or supported by calcareous

exoskeleton.
 Many Cnidaria exhibit polymorphism (they exist in two
different body forms ) a polyp and medusa.
 Polyp gives rise to medusa by asexual reproduction by budding
and medusa produces polyps by sexual reproduction in which
the fertilized egg developed into a ciliated free swimming
Planula larva.
Polyp form
 Tubular body, with the mouth directed upward.
 Around the mouth are a whorl of feeding tentacles.
 Only have a small amount of mesoglea.
 Sessile.
 asexual stage.
Medusa form
 umbrella shaped body, with the mouth is directed downward.
 Small tentacles, directed downward.
 Possess a large amount of mesoglea.
 Motile ( free swimming ).
 sexual stage.
 1. Class: Hydrozoa:
Genus: Hydra sp.;
Characteristics:
Lives in fresh water, its size is about 2-20mm in length and feed
on small crustaceans.
Has only polyp stage in its life cycle ,it does not have medusa
stage.
The tentacles (6-8) in number arranged around the mouth ,
The body wall consist of epidermis , mesoglea , and
gastroderms .
 Hydra reproduces asexually by budding and sexually by gametes
formation. They are mostly hermaphroditic.
 Class : Hydrozoa
Genus : Obelia sp.

Characteristics:
It is colonial and has life cycle in which the polyp and medusa stages
alternate ( an asexual reproducing polyp stage is followed bye a
sexual medusa stage ).
( polyp budding medusa sperm or egg ) and this
phenomena called polymorphism or alternation of generation .
It’s surrounded by a chitinous exoskeleton.
Polyp consists of two types , feeding polyp (gastrozooid) and
reproductive polyp (gonozooid).