BIO 102

Classification, characteristics, structural, functional and evolutionary study of coelenterates

(Phylum Coelenterata)

What is Coelenterata ?
The term ‘Coelenterata’ comes from ancient Greek ‘hollow’ and ‘intestine’. Belonging to the
animal kingdom, Coelenterata, or more commonly known as the Phylum Coelenterata are the
simplest group of animals that fall under the category of invertebrates. They are usually found
living at the bottom of the sea, often attached to rocks. Coelenterates are multicellular organisms
and can be found living solitarily or also in groups. They can also be found sedentary or
swimming about freely.
The Phylum Coelenterata consists of marine organisms that have a body that is radially
symmetrical and a mouth that has sensory tentacles that help in capturing prey easily. Other
animals belonging to the Phylum Coelenterata are hydra, comb jellies, true jellies, sea pens, coral
animals, sea anemones and more.

Characteristics of Coelenterata
Usually known to be the simplest of all animal groups, Coelenterates have true tissues and the
gastrovascular cavity, which is the characteristic coelenteron.
However, these organisms also have a few other characteristic features that make them highly
different from other organisms in the animal kingdom, as listed below.

 These organisms are mostly aquatic. Some live-in marine water, for example, Sea
Anemones, while some live-in freshwater, for example, Hydra.
 They may live in colonies like obelia or may live solitarily like Hydra.
 Some Coelenterates are free-floating or are known to swim about freely, like Aurelia.
Others are sedentary like Corals.
 Their bodies are mostly cylindrical, flat or resemble the shape of a cup.
 Their bodies can be radially symmetrical with a central gastrovascular cavity or maybe
completely bilaterally symmetrical like Sea Anemones.
 Body organisation of organisms belonging to the Coelenterates are multicellular with
tissue grade.
 They have an inner layer of endoderm called the gastrodermis, and outer ectoderm called
the epidermis. Their body wall is diploblastic.
 Coelenterates are acoelomate animals.
 These organisms have a blind body sac plan.
 A non-cellular layer of mesoglea is present between ectoderm and endoderm. This layer
is gelatinous in nature.
 The function of an intestine in Coelenterates is played by an internal hollow cavity called
coelenteron, located inside the body.
 Coelenterates have a holozoic form of nutrition.
 The mouths of these organisms are encircled with tentacles which have nematocysts.
 There is no presence of an anus in these organisms; the mouth is responsible for both
ingestion and elimination.
 Coelenterates have tentacles that help them capture their prey, eat and digest it. These
tentacles are also used for defence purposes.
 Modes of digestion in these organisms are either intracellular or extracellular.
 There is no presence of a skeletal structure of any sort, however, certain coral polyps
secrete calcareous skeleton, which is made of up minerals like calcium carbonate.
 There are no circulatory, respiratory or excretory organs in Coelenterates. The outer body
surface is responsible for respiratory and excretory functions.
 These organisms use tentacles and their smooth muscle fibres for locomotion or general
movement. Organisms like Corals are fixed on the substratum though.
 Diffuse nerve cells make up the nervous system in Coelenterates; these organisms,
however, do not have a brain.
 Reproduction is seen in both sexual and asexual modes. While sexual reproduction takes
place by the method of fusion of gametes, asexual reproduction takes place by fission and
budding.
 These organisms exhibit the behaviour of polymorphism, which means during their life
cycle, they occur in the form of medusa- sexual form and polyp- asexual form. Medusa is
bell-shaped or umbrella-shaped while the polyp is cynlindrical and attached to a substrate
like a rock or coral.
 Polyps have an exo-skeleton and endo-skeleton.
  They have interstitial cells due to which the process of regeneration is well developed in
Coelenterates.
 The bodies of these organisms consist of cnidoblasts, which are knob-like structures
responsible for the secretion of hypnotoxin chemicals. These chemicals are useful in self-
defence or attacking and paralyzing the prey.
 The larva is ciliated and free-swimming.

Common examples include Obelia, Hydra, Metridium, Rhizostoma, Xenia, Aurelia and more.

Classification of Coelenterata
Coelenterates can be classified into the following three categories:

 Hydrozoa
 Scyphozoa
 Anthozoa

Here is a more detailed explanation of the functions of each of the categories.

1. Hydrozoa
Hydrozoa belongs to Class I of the Coelenterates. It derives its name from Hydra: water and
Zoon: animal. These organisms have the following characteristic features.

 Some hydrozoa are found to exist in colonies while few live solidarily.
 These organisms are mostly of the marine and freshwater kind.
 The dominant form among them is asexual polyps.
 The mesoglea is acellular in them and exists in the simplest form.
 The medusa has true valum.
 Examples of hydrozoa are Hydra, Tubularia, Obelia, Physalia physalis.
 The planula larvae (free living) are produced as a result of sexual reproduction.
 They have two distinct body forms - a medusa and a polyp.
 Hydrozoa has Cnidocytes present in their bodies. These are also known as stinging cells.
 Hydrozoa exists in 2700 specimens and 7 orders.

As marine organisms, Hydrozoa exists in all three layers of the marine ecosystem. Some live on
the surface and have large sail-like structures to keep them afloat above water, for example,
Physalia and Velella. These also help in locomotion. Long tentacles that also have nematocysts
or alternatively known as stinging cells that help Hydrozoa catch food that’s often below the
surface.
The second group of Hydrozoa live in the pelagic region, or more commonly known as the
middle water zone. This is where organisms like Bougainvillea and Chelia exist. These
organisms have long tentacles that help them jet propel themselves forward and sinking down
rapidly when required.
The third group of Hydrozoa exists in the bottom, that is the sea bed, where they usually anchor
themselves to the rocks. A good example of these is Sea Corals.
2. Scyphozoa
Scyphozoa or Scyphomedusae belongs to Class II of the Coelenterates. These organisms have
the following characteristics.

 They exclusively belong to marine habitats.

 These are mostly solitary and free-swimming organisms.
 The medusa in Scyphozoa resembles an umbrella or a large bell in shape and is of
dominant characteristic.
 Polyps are either completely absent in these organisms or extremely short-lived.
 The mesoglea is usually cellular in nature.
 Examples of Scyphozoa include Rhizostoma, Jellyfish or Aurelia aurita.

As a species, Scyphozoa can often be a source of trouble when they wash up on the beaches, or
when they come in direct contact with humans. Jellyfish stings have often been known to cause
deaths or serious damage to humans. They are also sources of trouble when it comes to large
scale fishing by often clogging the fishing nets or straying into communities.
3. Anthozoa
Anthozoa or Actinozoa belongs to Class II of the Coelenterates. These organisms have the
following characteristics. These derive their name from Anthos: flower and zoios: animal.

 These animals exclusively belong to the marine habitat.

 Their living habits are either colonial or solitary.
 These organisms do not have a medusa.
 The mesoglea of Anthozoa consist of ameboid cells and fibrous connective tissues.
  Examples of Anthozoa include Xenia, Telesto, Metridium, Tubipora and more.
 These organisms have a gastrovascular cavity.
 Anthozoa protects its soft body tissues and lends support to its body by secreting
nonliving substances around and outside its body.
 Not all Anthozoa belong to the same sex. Some are hermaphroditic while others are
segregated into separate sexes.

Anthozoa can be of varying appearances. They can range anywhere from a half-inch to almost a
two feet expanse of large clusters of sea pens. Colours can be as varied as red, purple, white,
yellow, blue, violet and more.
 PHYLUM PLATYHELMINTHS

Classification, characteristics, structural, functional and evolutionary study of Phylum

Platyhelminthes

Phylum Platyhelminthes is a phylum of invertebrates that consists of organisms that are

bilaterally symmetrical and unsegmented. Usually, species in this phylum are known as
flatworms or tapeworms as they have flat bodies. These are dual-parasitic and free-living. They
are a part of Kingdom Animalia. Approx. there are 13000-20000 species in this phylum. These
are acoelomates as they lack a cavity in their body. Different species have different sizes which
can vary up to 2-3 feet. The parasites in this phylum are known as blood flukes which can
regenerate themselves. They are invertebrates with soft bodies. Few species cause highly
damaging diseases in humans. Huge diversity can be seen in this phylum.

Examples of Platyhelminthes are Schistosoma mansoni, Taenia saginata, Taenia solium,

Dugesia tigrina, etc. They are responsible for multiple diseases in humans like Schistosomiasis
and Cysticercosis. Meat and Fish should be properly cooked to avoid infection from these
organisms.
Characteristics of Phylum Platyhelminthes
The following are the main characteristics of Platyhelminthes:
 They are both parasitic and free-living in nature.
 They have a bilateral symmetry.
 They have three germ layers and are known as triploblastic organisms.
 They lack cavities in them so they are recognized as Acoelomates.
 They lack Cilia and have a soft covering over their body.
 Platyhelminthes lack segmentation so no segments can be seen in them and they are
dorsoventrally flattened.
 They have a mouth for ingestion but they lack an anus and a digestive system.
 Respiration is done via the body’s surface through Simple Diffusion.
 In the same body, both male and female sex organs are present. Hence, they are
called Hermaphrodites.
  Reproduction occurs via both methods. Sexually they reproduce by fusion of
gametes and asexually they reproduce by Fission and Regeneration.
 Internal fertilization is seen in this phylum.
 One too many larval stages are seen in their life cycles.
 Transportation of food is done by the fluid and connective tissues present in the
space between body walls and organs.
Distinguishing Features of Phylum Platyhelminthes
Every phylum has some special or different characteristics which differentiate them from other
phyla. Some of the unique features that Platyhelminthes exhibits are as follows-
 For excretion, only Platyhelminthes have flame cells.
 The nervous system is ladder-like which is not seen in any other phylum.
 Fertilization is done by themselves only.
 The body cavity of Platyhelminthes has connective tissues which are a unique
feature of this phylum.
Other facts that make platyhelminthes special
 Estimated Species Count: There are around 13,000 known species of flatworms, though
some estimates suggest the true number may be higher.
 Size Variations: While many are just a few millimetres long, some tapeworms can grow
up to several metres within a host’s intestine.
 Evolutionary Importance: Flatworms are among the earliest bilaterally symmetrical
animals, giving insights into the evolution of more complex organ systems.

Examples of Platyhelminthes
Few examples of Platyhelminthes are:
 Taenia solium (Pork Tapeworm): Taenia solium is a parasitic tapeworm which
causes Taeniasis. Humans can get infected by eating pork that might be infested
with Taenia.
 Schistosoma: These are also known as blood flukes. This falls under the Trematoda
class and causes Schistosomiasis. This is mostly found in tropical and sub-tropical
regions.
  Echinococcus granulosus (Hydatid Tapeworm): It is a type of parasitic worm and
it also goes by the name dog tapeworm. Dogs get commonly infested with this
Hydatid tapeworm. It causes Echinococcosis.
 Planaria (Dugesia): These are free-living flatworms and are found in both marine
and terrestrial habitats. They have a particular trait that have high regenrative
power.
Classification of Platyhelminthes
Platyhelminthes are further divided into three classes:
Turbellaria
This species is usually found in both freshwater and marine environment. These are not
parasitic in nature.In the aquatic ecosystem, these organisms act as detritivores. Some of their
features are:
 The body is flat dorsoventrally.
 Suckers and hooks are absent in this class.
 For example, Planaria, Otoplana, etc.
Trematoda
This class includes all the parasitic worms known as flukes. They often inhabit multiple hosts.
Some of their features are given below:
 All the species are obligate parasites.
 They have an oral and ventral sucker.
 For example Diplozoon, Fasciola, Hepatica, etc.
Cestoda
This class includes species which are known as tapeworms. These are usually found in the
digestive tracts of humans, vertebrates and mammals. Following are some of their features:
 Hooks and suckers are present in this class.
 Only parasites are included in this class.
 Cause diseases in humans such as Taeniasis and Cysticercosis
 Examples are Beef tapeworm, Fish tapeworm, etc.