Animal Kingdom - Vocabulary Flashcards

A set of 50 vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions from the Animal Kingdom notes.

Porifera

Sponges; marine and mostly asymmetrical; cellular level of organisation; water canal system with ostia, spongocoel, and osculum; choanocytes line canals; digestion is intracellular; skeleton made of spicules or spongin; hermaphroditic; reproduction by fragmentation and internal fertilisation; indirect development with a larval stage.

Choanocytes

Collar cells lining the spongocoel and canals of sponges; help in water flow, feeding, and digestion.

Ostia

Minute pores in the body wall of sponges through which water enters.

Osculum

The large opening of a sponge through which water exits.

Spongocoel

Central cavity inside a sponge where water collects before exiting.

Spicules

Structural, needle-like skeletal elements of some sponges.

Spongin

Fibrous protein forming a flexible skeleton in some sponges.

Hermaphrodite

Organism that is not strictly male or female; eggs and sperm may be produced by the same individual.

Intracellular digestion

Digestion that occurs within individual cells in sponges.

Cnidaria (Coelenterata)

Aquatic, mostly marine animals with cnidoblasts/cnidocytes; radial symmetry; tissue level of organisation; diploblastic; gastro-vascular cavity with a single opening.

Nematocysts

Intracellular stinging capsules inside cnidoblasts used for defence and prey capture.

Polyp

Sessile, cylindrical body form of cnidarians; often attached to a substrate.

Medusa

Free-swimming, umbrella-shaped form of cnidarians.

Ctenophora

Sea walnuts; marine, radially symmetrical, diploblastic animals with eight rows of ciliated comb plates for locomotion; often bioluminescent.

Platyhelminthes

Flatworms; dorso-ventrally flattened; bilaterally symmetrical; triploblastic; acoelomate; organ-level organisation; often parasitic with hooks and suckers; flame cells for osmoregulation; regeneration in Planaria.

Aschelminthes

Roundworms; circular cross-section; pseudocoelomate; bilaterally symmetrical; triploblastic; complete alimentary canal; excretory pore; dioecious.

Annelida

Segmented worms; metameric segmentation; coelomate; organ-system level; circular and longitudinal muscles; parapodia in some; closed circulatory system; nephridia; ventral nerve cord with paired ganglia; dioecious or monoecious.

Parapodia

Lateral appendages in some annelids (e.g., Nereis) aiding in swimming.

Malpighian tubules

Excretory tubules in many arthropods used for removing wastes.

Arthropoda

Largest animal phylum; segmented body with head, thorax, abdomen; exoskeleton of chitin; jointed appendages; open circulatory system; various respiratory organs; mostly dioecious; usually oviparous; development may be direct or indirect.

Exoskeleton

Hard external covering made of chitin in arthropods.

Mollusca

Second largest phylum; soft-bodied animals often with a calcareous shell; mantle and mantle cavity; visceral hump; muscular foot; radula in feeding; unsegmented body.

Mantle cavity

Space between mantle and visceral mass in molluscs; houses gills and other organs.

Radula

File-like rasping organ in most molluscs used for feeding.

Echinodermata

Marine, radial symmetry in adults with a water vascular system; endoskeleton of calcareous ossicles; organ-system level; no excretory system; sexual reproduction usually external.

Water vascular system

Unique system in echinoderms for locomotion, feeding and respiration.

Hemichordata

worm-like marine animals; previously a subphylum of Chordata; features include stomochord; open circulatory system; proboscis, collar and trunk.

Stomochord

A structure in hemichordates similar to a notochord found in the collar region.

Chordata

Animals with notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal gill slits, and post-anal tail; coelomate; closed circulatory system; subdivided into 3 subphyla.

Notochord

A mesodermal, rod-like structure on the dorsal side of the embryo; a defining chordate feature.

Dorsal hollow nerve cord

A hollow nerve cord located dorsally; a key chordate characteristic.

Pharyngeal gill slits

Gill slits in the pharyngeal region; chordate feature.

Post-anal tail

Tail that extends beyond the anal opening; chordate characteristic.

Urochordata

Tunicates; protochordates; notochord present mainly in larval tail.

Cephalochordata

Amphioxus; protochordates; notochord extends along the body and is persistent.

Vertebrata

Subphylum where the notochord is replaced by a vertebral column; includes fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

Cyclostomata

Jawless vertebrates; ectoparasites on fishes; elongated body; multiple gill slits; circular, suction mouth; cartilaginous cranium; closed circulation; Petromyzon (lamprey) and Myxine (hagfish) as examples.

Chondrichthyes

Cartilaginous fishes; cartilaginous endoskeleton; placoid scales; ventral mouth; persistent notochord; separate gill slits without an operculum; powerful jaws; must swim to avoid sinking.

Osteichthyes

Bony fishes; endoskeleton of bone; four pairs of gills with an operculum; cycloid/ctenoid scales; air bladder; two-chambered heart; mostly external fertilisation; usually oviparous.

Amphibia

Animals adapted to both aquatic and terrestrial life; two pairs of limbs; moist skin; tympanum; cloaca; gills, lungs, and skin for respiration; three-chambered heart; external fertilisation; oviparous; indirect development.

Reptilia

Terrestrial, dry, scaly-skinned animals; no external ears; tympanum; limbs often present; heart usually three-chambered (four in crocodiles); poikilothermic; internal fertilisation; oviparous; direct development.

Aves

Birds; feathers; beak; forelimbs as wings; hollow pneumatic bones; dry skin with oil gland; four-chambered heart; warm-blooded; air sacs; crop and gizzard; oviparous; internal fertilisation; direct development.

Mammalia

Mammals; presence of mammary glands and hair; warm-blooded; four-chambered heart; internal fertilisation; mostly viviparous; some monotremes are oviparous (e.g., Ornithorhynchus).

Level of Organisation

Progression: cellular level → tissue level → organ level → organ-system level.

Symmetry

Body plan pattern: asymmetrical, radial, or bilateral symmetry as described for various phyla.

Coelom

Body cavity lined by mesoderm; coelomate animals have a true coelom; pseudocoelomates have a body cavity not completely lined by mesoderm; acoelomates lack a body cavity.

Pseudocoelomate

Animal with a body cavity not lined by mesoderm (e.g., Aschelminthes).

Acoelomate

Animal lacking a body cavity between the gut and body wall (e.g., Platyhelminthes).

Segmentation (Metamerism)

External and internal division of the body into segments or metameres; seen in annelids.

Notochord

Mesodermally derived rod-like dorsal structure, fundamental to chordates.

Dorsal nerve cord

Nerve cord located dorsally and hollow in chordates.

Gill slits

Pharyngeal slits present in chordates for respiration.

Post-anal tail

Tail extending beyond the anal opening, a chordate feature.

Operculum

Gill cover in bony fishes (Osteichthyes) that protects gills.

Radula

Rasping, file-like feeding organ in many molluscs.

Mantle

Fold of tissue covering molluscan body; forms mantle cavity and often exudes a shell.

Mantle cavity

Space between mantle and visceral mass housing gills and some organs in molluscs.

Water vascular system

Unique hydraulic system in echinoderms aiding locomotion, feeding, and respiration.

Parapodia

Limb-like lateral appendages in some annelids used for locomotion.

Malpighian tubules

Excretory tubules in many arthropods for waste removal.