Unit 5:  Pseudocoelomate Animals:  Phylum Nematoda, Phylum Rotifera,  Phylum Nematomorpha

1.  Examine further the characteristics of parasitic lifestyles.
2.  Appreciate that the ability to move potentially allows parasites to be more harmful to their hosts.  Form an opinion as to whether the parasites in the phylum nematoda adhere to the rules of being a parasite.
3.  Discuss the advent of the pseudocoel and contrast this development with the coelom of the previous group.
4.  Discuss common trends within the roundworms, specifically, a complete digestive tract, non-cellular cuticle made of collagen, ecdysis, parthenogenesis and eutely.
5.  Compare the digestive tract, body wall covering, reproductive pattern, regenerative ability and cell arrangement in flatworms and roundworms.
6.  compare the number of species of free-living nematodes and parasitic nematodes.
7.  Describe the habitat and size of free-living nematodes, and compare these with parasitic nematodes.
8.  Describe the general morphology of nematodes, and compare the size and form of males and females.
9.  Explain what body movements are possible in nematodes and relate this to the composition and arrangement of structures in the body wall.
10.  Explain a hydrostatic skeleton and how it works with respect to the cuticle.
11.  Compare the excretory systems of parasitic and free-living nematodes.
12.  Describe the reproductive organs and the unique features of reproduction in general in nematodes.
13.  Observe live vinegar eels, describe their form and activities, and outline their life cycle.
14.  Describe the morphology and outline the lifecycles of the following:  Ascaris lumbricoides, Necator americanus, Trichinella spiralis, Enterobius, and Wuchereria bancrofti.
15.  Discuss the impact and diseases caused world wide by the nematode worms in the previous objective.
16.  Describe the size, general appearance and distribution of rotifers.
17.  Describe the food habits and method of feeding of rotifers, including the function of the corona, mastax and trophi.
18.  Define syncytium and describe the unique features of the cell arrangement in rotifers.
19.  Define parthenogenesis and outling the reproductive pattern of a rotifer species in which there are no males.
20.  Outline the reproductive pattern in a rotifer species in which males occur including the capabilities of amictic and mictic females.
21.  Describe the developments in each of the following areas:  excretion, digestion, nervous function, muscular system and reproduction.
22.  Discuss the evolutionary significance of the Phylum Nematomorpha.  Relate this group to earlier beliefs in spontaneous generation.
23.  Describe the general morphology and body plan of a horsehair worm and outline a typical life cycle.

Resources:  Text:  Animal Diversity, Chapter 9
Internet Resources:
    http://www.culver.edu/homepages/faculty/mjones/pseudo.htm
    http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/chieber/izlabref6b.html
    http://dmoz.org/Science/Biology/Zoology/Pseudocoelomates/
    http://www.mhhe.com/hickmanad4e

Pseudocoelomates

                                                                                                        Ectoderm
 
 

                                                                                                        gut, endoderm
                                                        Pseudocoel

                                                                                                        mesoderm
 

    -Tube within a tube
    -No peritoneum, therefore, various internal organs lie free in the cavity;
        TUBE-WITHIN-A-TUBE
    -permits the mechanical breakdown of food, digestion, absorption and feces
        formation to proceed in a well defined sequence continually from anterior to posterior

    -most important function of pseudocoel is for hydrostatic pressure for "skeleton"

    all worms round due to equal outward force generated in all directions

    -cavity for circulation, digestion

**Once upon a time:  One phyla, Aschelminthes (asc --> cavity), since then this has
    been divided into  eight distinct phyla

COMMON TRENDS:

    1. psuedocoel ; triploblastic

    2. complete digestive tract (except for parasitic forms)

    3. non-cellular cuticle made of collagen
        -specialized structures (spines, bristles)

    4. some forms molt (ecdysis) cuticle
        -epidermis secretes new cuticle

        -molt necessary because noncellular cuticle can't grow!!

    5. Dioecious

    6. no ability to regenerate
    7. asexual reproduction ---> parthenogenesis

    8. Eutely---> constant # of cells and nuclei in adults (mitosis stops)

        -constant for whole animal or a given organ
        Ex. nematode C. elegans, # of somatic cells 959, in pharynx there are 80

    9. Cylindrical

    10. protonephridia excretory (except nematodes)
 

Phylum Nemathelminthes (nematos- thread) (Nematoda)- round worms
10,000 ---> 500,000 species, most abundant animal on earth  ~5 billion in every
        acre of fertile garden soil.
    -marine, freshwater, terrestrial (soil)

    -parasitic, carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, saprozoic
    -most microscopic but some several meters
    -largest pseudocoel phyla
    -feed on every conceivable source of organic matter
    -cylindrical

    -moncellular, collagenous cuticle, can be smooth or contain spines, bristles,
        warts, redges, all   with taxonomic significance

    -cuticle usually molted about 4 times
    -no cilia/flagella except in sensory structures

    -sperm amoeboid
    -tissue/organ grade construction

LOCOMOTION
    -longitudinal muscles only, no circular muscles

    -cuticle serves as antagonist rather than another muscle group

    -dorso-ventral coiling (thrashing) while laying on its side

    -hydrostatic skeleton, internal pressures (*balloon)

DIGESTION/FOOD GETTING

    Pharynx only muscular part
        -contracts rapidly to suck in food into lumen (cavity)

        -relaxation closes lumen

        -muscle contractions pass food posteriorly

        -expelled materials shot out by muscle contraction

RESPIRATION (NOT BREATHING)
    -much like us (glycolysis, ETS)

    -aerobes- complete breakdown of glucose in presence of Oxygen

    -anaerobes- glycolysis only in absence of Oxygen

NERVOUS SYSTEM
    -ring around pharynx (circumpharangeal)
    -2 nerve cords, one dorsal, one ventral

REPRODUCTION- Dioecious
    -male smaller
    -copulatory organs at posterior
    -sperm amoeboid
    -Internal fertilization
        oviparous- egg layers
        ovoviviparous- eggs hatch in mother, undergo molts

        PARASITES -infective stage ususlly larva

            -larva develop in intermediate hose (damaging)

            -adult in definitive host (vertebrate)

 LIFE CYCLES OF COMMON PARASITIC NEMATODES

    1.  Ascaris lumbricoides  (Round worm)
        -most common human parasite
        -females capable of ~200,000 eggs/day

            a.  eggs enter body through contaminated water, green veggies,
                    unsanitary conditions (eggs   in feces)
            b.  mouth to small intestine where eggs hatch.

            c. young penetrate wall of intestine into blood stream

            d. travel to heart ---> lung capillaries (alveoli)

            e.  from capillaries up respiratory tract to pharynx (esophagus) where they are
                swallowed and   reach intestine to grow
 

    2.  Hookworm- Necator americanus
        a. similar to Ascaris

            -adult in sm. intestine ---> eggs (non-infective) pass in feces

            -larva feed on organic material/bacteria
            -molt twice, then infective

            -larva penetrate skin upon contact (ground itch)

            -enters blood ---> lung ----> intestine

        b. once in intestine cutting mouth parts attach to wall
        c. suck blood (more than necessary); anticoaggulant

    3.  Trichinella spiralis - trichinosis (potentially lethal in large #)
        a. acquired by injesting poorly cooked pork

        b. most damage done by migrating larva from intestine to muscle

        c. juvenile encyst in muscle and become calcified

        d. common life cycle

            -adult in small intestine of rat/mouse
            -larva encyst in muscle

            -pig eats infected rat/mouse; worms mature and produce new larva in flesh of pig

            -poorly cooked pork, smoked sausage eaten by man

            -larva become adult ---> eggs ---> encyst in human muscle

            **degeneration of muscle, inflamations

    4.  Pinworms- most common nematode parasite in U.S..  Enterobius fortunately not
            very harmful
        -live in large intestine
        -females become distended w/ eggs and lose grip on intestine, move  w/ prevailing
            currents to anus
        -crawl and lay eggs about anal and vaginal openings, creates itch

        -scratching gets them under fingernails, nails to mouth, etc

    5.  Filarial worms- Wuchereria bancrofti

        -major diseases, So. Pacific, Elephantiasis
            1. worms live in lymphatic system

            2. adults in lymph nodes ---> larva into blood

            3. mosquito bites man taking up larva

            4. larva matures in mosquito
            5. larva reenters human w/ mosquito bite

            Elephantiasis- chronic infections, excessive growth of connective tissues of infected parts
                -plug nodes cause swelling
 

PHYLUM NEMATOMORPHA- horsehair worms

    -formerly thought to arise spontaneously from the hairs of horses tail in drinking troughs
        or other stock watering places

    -adults free living but juveniles parasitic in arthropods

    -larva must quickly enter host quickly after hatching

    -worm leaves host only when near water

PHYLUM ROTIFERA- wheel bearing ciliated crown (corona)

    -small
    -mostly freshwater, few marine
    -epizoic (live on surface of other animals)

    -planktonic forms ciliated for locomotion
    -Benthic ciliated for food gathering

    -predator, herbivore, detritivore

BODY PLAN
    -pseudocoel (big surprise!!)

    -pseudosegmentation, telescoping, no molt, cuticle must stretch for growth
        (Eutely ~ 1000 cells; organs eutelic as well)

    -head contains corona, may be retracted or not, cilia of corona,  create currents;
        food in, locomotion
    -mouth opens into mastax (muscular pharynx) appears as a beating heart, mastax
        unique to rotifers
    -mastax has trophi, jaws used for grasping and chewing used for species classification
    -trunk, pseudocoel ---> stomach, intestine

    -foot, not always present, means of anchoring

EXCRETORY SYSTEM
    -Protonephridia (2), tubules w/flame cells along length of body.   osmoregulatory in nature

    -drain into cloaca that leads to anus
    -cloaca common cavity into which digestive excretory and reproductive systems connect

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM- complete mouth ---> anus

    Stomach shows extracellular digestion

    mastax ---> esophagus ---> ciliated stomach ---> salivary and digestive glands secrete
    digestive enzymes into pharynx and stomach

NERVOUS SYSTEM
    bilobed brain (ganglionic) located anterior, nerve cords, sensory bristles, "eyes", ciliated
        sensory pits

MUSCLES- longitudinal and circular

    1. move foot, toe
    2. control corona
    3. extend body (telescoping)

REPRODUCTION
    -all dioecious w/ internal fertilization (adaptation to freeliving mode of life)

    -males few and far between, usually degenerate (no digestive), testes comprise most of
        body
        LADIES PLEASE REFRAIN FROM MAKING WILD COMPARISONS!!!

    -reproduction sexual although several types of parthenogenesis occur

        Class Monogononta (2 egg types)

            Amictic eggs (thin shelled, summer eggs)
                -produced by mitosis, therefore, diploid eggs (2N)

                -develop directly into amictic females

            Mictic eggs (thin shelled, Haploid)
                -if eggs not fertilized ---> devel partheno into male

                -if fertilized ---> mictic egg secretes a thick, heavy shell and becomes dormant

                -hatch with melting snows and spring rains into amictic females (2N)

                -most females lay either amictic or mictic eggs, but not both

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