Annelida
Classification: The bodies of these creatures has two layers of cells making up the outer layer of its body. There are more than 9,000 species of worms that fall under this phylum. They have a number of unique features including that they have no true respiratory system and that they live in most places around the globe.
Diversity: They are divided into many classes including Aelosomata and Clitellata. They are found across the globe but are not as numerous as their counterparts in the Mollusca phylum and so on. They have common characteristics like having one tube that connects the mouth to the anus like many of the creatures they are related to. Life History: These creatures have been evolving on earth for hundreds of millions of years, and have made it out of the ocean and onto land as well. They reproduce through sexual interaction by members of the opposite gender. They hatch from eggs like many similar animals and grow from hatchlings into full-fledged worms. Ecological Rolls/ Human interaction: These have to go hand and hand in this one, because their ecological rolls have had great interaction with humans. The earth worm has allowed for agriculture to become what it is today, and without it the human race would have never come as far as it is right now. They also are prey for many birds of pray on land, so they are an important part of the ecosystem and provide food for larger animals, without them the human race may never have come to be, especially not as we know it anyways. By Jared Cusack |