INTRODUCTION TO METAZOA
Instructor: Alex D Shayo, PhD
What are metazoans?
Metazoan 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
04/02/23 2
Characteristics of Metazoans
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
Most Metazoa have an additional level of
complexity in which different organs
operate together as organ systems
04/02/23 3
Animal Symmetry
Symmetry refers to balanced proportions
or corresponden]ce 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)
04/02/23 4
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 oral-aboral axis
04/02/23 5
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
04/02/23 6
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)
04/02/23 7
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
04/02/23 8
04/02/23 9
Evolution of Symmetry
Sponges lack
symmetry, and
Cnidarians exhibit
radial symmetry
The other animals
have bilateral
symmetry
04/02/23 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
04/02/23 11
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
04/02/23 12
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
04/02/23 13
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
04/02/23 14
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
organisms
04/02/23 15
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 the other plane
04/02/23 16
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
04/02/23 17
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 organs
04/02/23 18
Body Cavities
Body cavity refers to the space, located between
an animal’s 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
04/02/23 19
Body Cavities contd…
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
04/02/23 20
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
04/02/23 21
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
pseudocoelomates
04/02/23 22
Body cavities contd:
The coelomates are animals
that are three layered, with a
true coelom, which is a fluid-
filled 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
04/02/23 23
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 of the animal’s
outer wall
04/02/23 24
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 the
coelomic cavities
04/02/23 25
Comparative evolution of coelom
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
04/02/23 26
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
04/02/23 27
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 running, swimming, slithering, or flying
04/02/23 28
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
04/02/23 29
04/02/23 30
