Lesson 17 Outline list Lesson 19
Fundamentals of Biology
Lesson 18
Worms
I. Phyla.
A. Platyhelminthes - Flatworms.
B. Nematoda - Roundworms.
C. Annelida - Segmented Worms.
II. General Characteristics of all Worms.
A. Bilateral symmetry.
B. Cephalization.
C. Gas exchanged across body surface or at cell level.
D. Body composed of three cell layers.
III. Platyhelminthes.
A. General Characteristics.
1. True organs.
a. Digestive.
b. Sex.
c. Neural.
2. Mostly parasitic.
B. Digestive and excretory functions.
1. Only one opening.
2. No circulatory system.
3. Gut extends throughout body.
C. Turbellaria.
1. Small, free-living, inhabit
freshwater.
2. Ventral surface is ciliated.
3. Light-sensing eyespots.
4. Feed on smaller organisms or dead
organic matter.
5. Reproduction.
a. Asexual:
budding, transverse fission.
b.
Hermaphroditic, but never self-fertilize.
c. Some
parthenogenic (development from unfertilized eggs).
D. Characteristics of parasitic flatworms.
1. Few sense organs as adults.
2. Thick tegument covers ths body to
protect from digestive fluids.
3. Suckers and/or hooks for attaching
to a host.
4. Absorb nutrients pre-digested
directly from the host.
5. Most of the body is devoted to
reproductive organs.
E. Flukes.
1. Parasitic.
2. 1 to few cm long.
3. Suckers at anterior end and one on
ventral surface.
4. Suck host tissue or body fluids
through a mouth.
5. Simple digestive system.
6. Most hermaphroditic.
7. Serious health problem in
undeveloped areas.
8. Life cycle of the sheep liver
fluke.
a. Egg
hatches from sheep feces.
b. Ciliated
larva.
c. Enters a
snail – intermediate host.
d. Asexual
reproduction.
e. Emerges as
tailed larvae.
f. Form cyst
on vegetation.
g. Sheep eats
the cyst.
h. Fluke
migrates to the liver.
F. Tapeworms.
1. Parasitic.
2. No head, mouth, digestive system.
3. Anterior end called scolex; has
hooks and suckers.
4. Attaches to lining of host’s
intestine.
5. Rest of the body is reproductive
organs.
6. Produces sections called
proglottids by budding.
7. Each proglottid has a complete set
of reproductive organs.
8. Proglottid full of fertilized eggs
breaks off and passes out of host with feces.
9. Life cycle of the pork tapeworm.
a. Pig eats a
proglottid.
b. Eggs hatch
in the intestine.
c. Larvae
migrate to muscle tissue and form cysts (bladderworms), each with a scolex.
d. A person
eats infected, poorly cooked pork, and the scolex attaches to the intestine.
IV. Nematoda.
A. Fascinating Facts.
1. The most abundant animals – 5
billion in top 3 inches of an acre of soil.
2. 10,000 to 500,000 species
estimated.
3. Found in every environment –
from hot springs to the arctic.
4. Female can produce 200,000 eggs
per day.
B. General Characteristics.
1. Very small – less than 1 inch.
2. Digestive, reproductive,
excretory, neural systems.
3. No circulatory system.
4. Nutrients diffuse through the
fluid in the pseudocoelom.
5. Cuticle covers outside of body.
6. Many parasitic
a. Damaging
to humans in unsanitary conditions.
b.
Trichinella spiralis - trichinosis.
C. Systems.
1. Digestive: mouth, pharynx,
intestine, anus.
2. Reproductive: genital pore,
vagina, uterus, ovary.
3. Always reproduce sexually;
separate sexes.
V. Annelida.
A. General Characteristics.
1. Metamerical segmentation,
partitioned by septa.
2. Closed circulatory system.
3. Some blood vessels especially
muscular, function as "hearts".
4. Gas exchanged across body surface.
5. Gills may enlarge surface area.
B. Bristle worms.
1. Mostly marine.
2. Parapodia on each segment - fleshy
paddle-like appendages.
3. Setae - bristles on the parapodia;
made of chitin.
4. Separate sexes.
C. Earthworms.
1. Have setae (four pairs per
segment), but no parapodia.
2. Locomotion by planting the
anterior setae, then pulling the posterior end forward.
3. Ingest soil, extract organic
matter, excrete inorganic material.
4. Hermaphroditic.
5. Australian earthworm 3 m long, 5
cm thick.
6. Systems.
a. Digestive:
mouth, pharynx, esophagus, crop, gizzard, intestine, anus.
b.
Circulatory: dorsal blood vessel, ventral blood vessel, aortic arches.
c. Excretory:
nephridia filter waste from the blood and expel it.
d. Nervous:
“brain” is a pair of ganglia; double ventral nerve cord.
e.
Reproductive: testes, seminal vesicles; ovaries, oviducts.
D. Leeches.
1. Most ectoparasites; some predators
or scavengers.
2. .5 to 20 cm.
3. Body often flattened.
4. 34 segments.
5. Sucker at each end of body.
6. No circulatory system.
7. Hermaphroditic.
8. Mammalian parasites.
a.
"Teeth" to break through skin.
b. Local
anesthetic to keep host unaware.
c.
Anticoagulant.
d. Quickly
remove much blood - survive months between meals.