Zoology 250 Lecture 6/7
INTRO. TO METAZOA, PHYLUM PORIFERA (sponges)
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- 1) Metazoa=Animalia: capable of movement, heterotrophic, multicellular, pass through a blastula stage, possess collagen
- 2) Origin of Metazoa. Choanoflagellates are the likely living sister group; they share key characters with primitive metazoans:
- a) cells with single cilium/flagellum (=monociliated) surrounded by ring of microvilli
- b) diplosome- curious anchoring structure for flagellum
- 3) Metazoa exhibit substantial cell specialization: 'division of labor' permits tremendous diversity of form (differentiation & integration)
- 4) Porifera (sponges) are sessile, show the least cellular differentiation & integration of metazoans and lack true tissues, endoderm, mouth & gut (cellular level of organization); difficult to distinguish from colonial protists; hence sometimes placed in subkingdom Parazoa
- 5) Three classes of note: Calcarae, Demospongiae, Hexactinellida
- 6) Specialized cells include: epithelial-like cells, collar cells (pumping, feeding), porocytes (incurrent pores), mesenchyme cells (make spicules, spongin), contractile cells (encircle excurrent pores)
- 7) Common features of the water-canal system are: multiple (small) incurrent pores, only one or a few (large) excurrent pores
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- 8) Colony form varies from simple (ascon type- single pumping cavity) to intermediate (sycon type- multiple radial pumping canals) to complex (leucon type- many distinct flagellated chambers)
- 9) Collar cells feed like choanoflagellates: phagocitize tiny particles (bacteria, spores, gametes, fine organic debris, etc.) from water
- 10) Reproduction: hermaphroditic, internal fertilization, larval stage
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Copyright © 1997 by A. Richard Palmer. All rights reserved.(revised Jan. 20, 1997)