Introduction to Animals

Characteristics
• Multicellular
Organization
• Heterotrophic
• Sexual
reproduction and
development
• Movement
 Multicellular Organization
• Most animals contain large numbers of cells.
• Humans contain 50 trillion cells.
• In most animals, there is a division of labor.
• Specialization is the adaptation of a cell for a particular
function.
• Tissues are the organization of cells. Cell are able to
organize by the joining of cells by cell junctions.
• Cell specialization has allowed organisms to evolve
and adapt to many environments.
Animals are Heterotrophic
• They must obtain
complex organic
material from other
sources.
• Most accomplish this
through ingestion.
• Digestion is
accomplished within the
animal. This process
extracts the
carbohydrates, protein
and lipids from the food
eaten.
Sexual Reproduction and Development
• Sexual reproduction restores the diploid number
and increases genetic variation.
• During the developmental process, the zygote
undergoes many mitotic divisions. These
identical cells must undergo differentiation.
• Differentiation is process of cell becoming
different from each other and being specialized.
Movement
• Most animal are able to
move.
• The ability to move
results from the
interrelations of two
types of tissues found
only in animals: nervous
tissue and muscular
tissue.
• There are a few animals
that are sessile.
Origin and Classification
• The first animals probably
arose from the sea.
• Taxonomists have grouped
animals into several phyla
based on evolutionary
relationships.
• Many taxonomist recognize 30
or more animal phyla. We will
investigate 11 phyla. Ten of the
phyla include invertebrates and
only Chordata includes the
vertebrates.
Animal Body Structure
•Symmetry
•Germ layers
•Body Cavities
Symmetry
• Asymmetry refers to the consistent overall pattern
of structure of an animal.
• Animals have three patterns of symmetry.
• Asymmetry – no symmetry
• Radial Symmetry – similar parts branch in
all directions from a central point
• Bilateral Symmetry- similar halves on
either side of a central plane.
Patterns of Symmetry
Identify the Type of Symmetry
• Most animals have a dorsal, ventral, anterior
and posterior side or orientation.
• Dorsal – top
• Ventral – bottom
• Anterior – head
• Posterior - tail
• Most animals exhibit cephalization, the
concentration of sensory and brain structures
in the anterior. Animals with cephalization
have a head!
Germ Layers
• Germ layers are
fundamental tissue
types found in all
animals except sponges
(no true tissues).
• Ectoderm
• Mesoderm
• Endoderm
Body Cavities
• Most animals have a
fluid filled space that
forms between the
digestive tract and the
outer wall of the body
during development.
This space is known as a
COELOM.
• Acoelomate (without a coelom)
• 2 germ layers
• ectoderm and endoderm
• not separated by a cavity
• least complex body plan
• sponges and cnidarians
• 3 layer acoelomate
• 3 germ layers
• endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm
• not separated by a cavity
• flatworms
• Pseudocoelomate
• pseudocoelom
• cavity formed between mesoderm and endoderm
• roundworms and rotifers
• Coelomate
• cavity developed within the mesoderm
• most complex body plan
• mollusks, annelids, arthropods, echinoderms, and chordates
Animal Diversity
• Invertebrates
• 10 phyla
• 95% of animals Kingdom Animalia

• Chordates Invertebrates Chordates

• Notochord
• Dorsal nerve cord Vertebrates
• Pharyngeal pouches
• Postanal tail
• Vertebrates
• Include fishes, birds and
mammals
What is the difference in a
vertebrate and an
invertebrate?
A vertebrate is an animal with a
backbone and invertebrates do not
have a backbone.
Comparison of Invertebrates and Vertebrates
Invertebrate Vertebrate

symmetry
germ layers
Body cavities
Segmentation
support
Respiratory/
circulatory
Digestive/excretory
Nervous
reproduction