Nematoda
Classification: Nemotoda are the most plentiful multicellular animals on the planet, the live in all corners of the globe. They have a canal that extends from their mouths to their anus called the alimentary canal which is a unique characteristic of a nematode. They are closely related to many spices of marine animals like arthropods and share many characteristics with them.
Diversity: The phylum of Nemotoda includes thousands of species of flatworms that can be found anywhere from garden soil to the bottom of the ocean floor. These break down into Enoplea, adenophorea and secernentea. The first of these has a different kind of liver than any of the other lower classifications of Nemotoda and has a small excretory system often just made up of a single cell. Adenoporeas have a number of different characteristics including the number of testes and the shape of the body of the worm. The last are the most common of all the Nemotoda subclasses and has many kinds of parasites that are included in it. Life History: These animals produce through sexual reproduction where sperm fertilizes the eggs that are then laid by a female, sometimes up to 200,000 a day. This means these animals are very common in the world. The growth cycle of the nematode can vary depending on the adult size of the creature, as they can vary from about .3 mm to 8 m long. They develop a spacious cavity that is filled with liquid that is between the outside of the worm and the digestive track. Ecological Roles: Nemotodes have come to be able to survive in nearly any environment on the world, from the top of mountain ranges to the bottom of oceans. They make up around 90% of all life on the ocean floor. They often infect many other living things like plants and animals, including humans. They are predators and parasites and may feed on small organisms towards the ocean floor or live of the work of a larger organism. Without nematodes our world’s environment would be very different and unlikely to have come this far. Human Impacts: Humans have not had a significant impact on many members of this phylum. Drag fishing has damaged some of their natural habitat in the ocean and pollution that has seeped into the soil has destroyed their habitat, but they are very resilient and aren’t vey affected by man. In fact, parasites have had a created effect on man that we have had on them, due to the number f illnesses they have caused over the course of human history. Also they live all over the world so it difficult for them to be impacted so easily. By Jared Cusack |