The University of Dodoma

School of Biological Sciences

BI 112- Invertebrate Zoology

INTRODUCTION TO
METAZOA
Instructor: Alex Shayo
B.Sc, M.Sc, PhD
Dec, 2015

Metazoa refers to multicellular animals

The metazoa have evolved greater
structural complexity by combining cells
into greater units
A metazoan cell is a specialized part of the
whole organism and unlike a protozoan cell,
it is not capable of independent existence
Cells of multicellular organisms are
specialized for performing the various tasks
accomplished by subcellular elements in
unicellular forms

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Except for sponges, metazoan

cells are arranged into tissues.
Tissues are necessary to produce
organs and organ systems
Tissues, organs, and organ
systems enabled the evolution of
large, multicellular bodies. Thus,
most metazoa have an additional
level of complexity in which
different organs operate together
as organ systems
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Animal Symmetry
Symmetry refers to balanced
proportions or correspondence in
size and shape of parts on opposite
sides of a median plane
Asymmetrical animals have no
pattern of symmetry. The simplest
animals (sponges) are asymmetrical
Spherical symmetry means that any
plane passing through the centre
divides a body into equivalent, or
mirrored, halves (rare in animals)
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Animal Symmetry contd:

Radial Symmetry : type of animal body
symmetry in which body parts are
arranged around a central axis so that
each part extends from the center
the animal form can be divided into
halves by more than two planes passing
through the longitudinal axis
modified by the arrangement of some
structures in pairs or in other
combinations, around the central oral23/10/16
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aboral
axis

Animal Symmetry contd:

Radial animals are usually sessile,
freely floating, or weakly swimming
Radial animals, with no front or
back end, can interact with their
environment in all directions
This is an advantage to sessile or
free-floating forms with feeding
structures arranged to snare prey
approaching from any direction
Cnidaria and Ctenophores are
primarily Radiata phyla
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Animal Symmetry contd:

Bilateral Symmetry :means the animal can be
divided along a sagittal plane into two
mirrored portions-right and left
Bilateral animals are much better fitted for
directional
movement
than
radially
symmetrical animals
Bilateral symmetry is strongly associated with
cephalization i.e. differentiation of a head
Cephalization is always accompanied by
differentiation along an anterior posterior
axis (anterior end is the one that bears
concentration
of
feeding
and
sensory
structures)
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Animal Symmetry contd:

Bilateral symmetry and cephalization
confer several advantages to an animal:
i. Various ways to move through the water
or soil and more ways of interacting
with other organisms and their physical
surroundings
ii. Animals that have heads are often
active and mobile, moving through their
environment head first
iii. Since the sensory organs are at the
head end, the animal can test for food,
danger and mates as it enters new
surroundings
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Evolution of Symmetry
Sponges lack
symmetry, and
Cnidarians
exhibit radial
symmetry
The other
animals have
bilateral
symmetry
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10

Embryonic Development in
Metazoans
A fertilized
animal egg
divides to
produce a solid
ball of cells.
Then, cell
migration
results in a
hollow ball
called a blastula
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Embryonic Development in
Metazoans
Some cells of the
blastula migrate
inward producing a
gastrula
The opening is the
blastopore
The tube produced
by this process will
become the gut
(digestive tract) of
the mature animal
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Protostome & Deuterostome

conditions
In protostomes, the
initial opening
develops into the
mouth, and an
opening that
develops later
becomes the anus
In deuterostomes, it
develops into the
anus, and an opening
that develops later
becomes the mouth
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Thus:
protostome is a group of
animals with body cavity in
which the blastopore is
associated with the mouth
Whereas:
deuterostome is a group of
animals with body cavity in
which the blastopore is
associated with the anus; a
second opening is associated
with the mouth
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Determinate versus
Indeterminate Cleavage
Indeterminate cleavage is
characteristics of
deuterostomes
After the initial cell division the
fate of the resulting daughter
cells is not determined i.e. each
has the potential to develop
into an entire organism

Determinate cleavage is
characteristic of protostomes
After the initial cell division the
fate of the resulting daughter
cells is determined i.e. they can
only develop into specific
tissues, not the whole
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organisms

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Spiral Vs Radial cleavage

Radial cleavage is
characteristic of
deuterostomes
As the embryo undergoes cell
division (cleavage) and
changes from a four-cell
embryo to an eight-cell
embryo, the cells divide such
that each cell in the top four
cell plane is directly over one
other cell in the bottom plane
Spiral cleavage is
characteristic of protostomes
As the embryo undergoes cell
division (cleavage) and
changes from a four-cell
embryo to an eight-cell
embryo, the cells divide at
slight angles to one another,
so that none of the four cells
in one plane of the eight-cell
stage is directly over a cell in
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the other plane

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Germ Layers
The three layers of
tissues that
become
established during
early embryonic
development are
called germ layers
They give rise to
the body tissues.
These layers are
ectoderm,
mesoderm, and
endoderm
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Germ Layers
Ectoderm : forms from
the outer layer of cells.
It gives rise to the skin
and nervous system.
Endoderm : These cells
will form the lining of
the gut and the organs
derived from the gut.
Mesoderm : Forms
between the ectoderm
and endoderm
It becomes the
muscles, connective
tissues, skeleton,
kidneys, circulatory
and reproductive
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organs

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Body Cavities
Body cavity refers to the space, located
between an animals outer covering
(epidermis) and the outer lining of the
gut cavity, where internal organs
develop
It separates the gut and internal organs
from the rest of the body. It isolates the
internal organs from body-wall
movements. It also bathes the internal
organs in a liquid through which
nutrients and wastes can diffuse
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 The triploblastic animals can be

grouped in three categories,
according to the presence or
absence of a body cavity (coelom)
in addition to the digestive cavity
The coelom is a body cavity
formed between layers of
mesoderm and in which the
digestive tract and other internal
organs are suspended
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Body cavities contd:

Acoelomates: Animals
in which tissues derived
from the three germ
layers are packed
together and there is no
body cavity other than
the digestive cavity

Members of the phylum

Platyhelminthes are
acoelomates
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Body cavities contd:

Pseudocoelomates:
Animals in which there is an
additional cavity that
develops between the
endoderm and the
mesoderm
This cavity is known as a
pseudocoelom
It is a false coelom because
it lacks the epithelial lining
characteristic of a coelom
Members of the phylum
Nematoda, Rotifera,
Nematomorpha, Gastrotricha
and Acanthocephala
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pseudocoelomates

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Body cavities contd:

The coelomates are
animals that are three
layered, with a true
coelom, which is a fluidfilled cavity that
develops within the
mesoderm
Within the coelom, the
digestive tract ("gut")
and other internal organs
are suspended by the
mesodermal mesenteries
Examples: mollusks,
annelids, and all of the
more complex animals
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Body cavities contd:

Coelom confers several advantages to the
animal
1. Reproductive and digestive organs can evolve
more complex shapes and functions
2. In a fluid-filled chamber, the gut tube and
other organs are cushioned and thus better
protected
3. Since a liquid cannot be compressed, the
coelom can act as a hydroskeleton, providing
support and rigidity for the soft animal
4. The activities of a suspended gut can take
place undisturbed by the activity or inactivity
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of the animals outer wall

Enterocoelous versus
schizocoelous development of the
coelom
Enterocoelous development
of the coelom occurs in
deuterostomes
The mesoderm, and coelom,
initially develops as pouches
off of the primitive digestive
tract (the archenteron).
Thus, the mesoderm buds
from the walls of the
archenteron and hollows to
become the coelomic cavities
Schizocoelous development
of the coelom occurs in
protostomes
The mesoderm and coelom
initially develop from a solid
block of mesoderm tissue
that develops a split down
the middle. Thus, as the
archenteron initially forms,
the mesoderm splits to form
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the coelomic cavities

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 Coeloms in some
triploblastic animals
have been
subsequently lost
Loss of coelom is
correlated with
reduction in body size
Coeloms are absent
in diploblastic animals
such as cnidarians

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Gut Development
The gut is the digestive tract
It enables the animal to
digest food outside of the
cells (extracellular digestion)
In animals without a
digestive tract, food items
are brought into the cell for
digestion (intracellular
digestion)
A sac-like gut has one
opening
Food enters and leaves
through the same opening
A complete gut has two
openings, a mouth and an
anus
It is sometimes referred to as
a tube-within-a-tube
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Summary

When we consider evolutionary trends in the

invertebrates, five major anatomical and
physiological trends are revealed:

1.

Away from radial symmetry towards bilateral

symmetry

2.

Cephalization (development of head) with its sensory

apparatus that detects environmental stimuli.
Bilateral symmetry and cephalization provide many
advantages including various ways of interacting
with other organisms and their physical
surroundings
3. Away from a simple, sac-like body with a single
opening at one end towards a more complex,
elongated body containing a food digesting tube, the
gut, with opening at both ends. Among other
benefits, this trend in the evolution of body
structures led to a more complete breakdown and
use of food, making more energy available for rapid
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running, swimming, slithering, or flying

Summary contd:
4. Away from enclosure of the tube in solid tissue
towards suspension of the tube in a fluid-filled
space (coelom). This cushioned the gut and helped
the whole body from within, and allowed other
internal organs to develop more complex forms

5. Towards segmentation of the body. Development

of a series of body units; each containing similar
sets of muscles, blood vessels, nerves and other
structures. Segmentation allowed animals to
develop specialized body parts such as legs, wings
and antennae. In some animal groups, these
appendages become modified still further into
pincers, fangs, paddles, wing covers and other
attachments that perform very specific tasks
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