Phylum Cnidaria (Coelenterata) Flashcards
Habitat?
Aquatic (mostly marine)
Symmetry
Radial
Multiple life stages? If so, what kind?
Yes, 2 major life stages
- Polyp
- Medusa
Gut?
Blind gut, gastrovascular cavity
Nematocysts
Specialized cells for prey capture (and defense)
- Distinctive of Cnidaria
- some inject toxins
Parts of nematocyst
- Filament, barb, cnidocyte, cnidocil
What is a Cnidocyte
Specialized cell housing nematocyst
- Abundant on tentacles
What are the barbs and filament of a nematocyst used for?
Piercing and entangling prey
What triggers nematocysts?
physical and chemical stimuli
What is the Mesoglea?
Middle layer of cells, jelly material
What does the endoderm do?
Takes up nutrients
What is the major function of tentacles
Capture and transport prey to mouth
- Can grow new ones
- Retractable
Gastrovascular cavity
Where initial digestion occurs, with enzymes
- digestion completed intracellularly
Symbiotic relationships?
Algae cells that grow in endoderm or mesoglea
Nervous system?
Nerve net and muscular system
Reproduction method
Sexual and Asexual
Larva?
Planula, develop from gametes
What are 2 major distinguishing characteristics of Cnidaria?
Life stages (polyp and medusa)
and
Nematocysts
Coelom?
Acoelomate
What are the 2 life stages of Cnidaria?
Polyp and Medusa
5 Facts about Polyps
- Sessile
- Aboral and oral ends
- Feeding tentacles
- Singular or colonial
- Polymorphic (feeding, defense, or reproductive polyps)
3 Facts about Medusa
- Free swimming
- Bell shaped
- Tentacles around mouth
(- lifespan usually annual)
Locomotion
Medusa swim by jet propulsion
- Polyps have limited movement if any
Reproduction
- release of gametes into water column
- Embryo develops into planktonic planula larva