Unit #9 Coral Reefs – Cnidaria & Arthropods Name:___________________

Essential Skills

I. Be able to describe the classification, support/skeleton, sensory/nervous system, circulatory/transport,

respiration/gas exchange, and reproduction/development characteristics of the organisms in the Phylum

Cnidaria.
II. Be able to describe the classification and 4 main characteristics of the organisms in the Phylum Ctenophora

III. Be able to describe the three main types of coral reefs and their general locations in the oceans.

IV. Be able to describe the classification, body cavity, symmetry, support/skeleton, movement/locomotion,

sensory/nervous system, circulatory/transport, respiration/gas exchange, and reproduction characteristics of the

organisms in the Phylum Arthropoda.

Review Questions

1. Describe the two life cycle stages of cnidarians include the basic shape and the type of existence it is specialized for.

Polyp: Vase-shaped -specialized for sessile life Medusa: Bell-shaped -specialized for swimming

2. Describe the type of nervous system that cnidarians have.

• Web of interconnected nerve cells. Some forms have cells clustered. Medusa - clustered around the edge of
bell.

3. List the four classes that make up cnidarians and describe the differences in their life cycle stages. Give an example
of an organism in each.
Anthozoa: Includes all cnidarians that exhibit a polyp body plan only (for example sea pens & corals). Scyphozoa: Includes all the jellies
and is exclusively a marine class, and their life cycle is polymorphic (for example, Cyanea capillata). Cubozoa: Includes jellies that have a
box-shaped Medusa (for example, Malo kingi). Hydrozoa: Includes roughly 3,200 species; most are marine although some freshwater
species are known (This class of animal are polymorphs. One example is Portuguese Man O War).
4. What is the Scyphozoan larval stage called? Describe the three main stages of the life cycle of a scyphozoan.

5. What is the special cell used for capturing prey called in Ctenophorans? What characteristic do Ctenophorans have
that helps to attract potential prey to them? Describe the nervous system of Ctenophorans.

The are called colloblasts. Ctenophores have no brain or central nervous system, but instead have a nerve net that forms a ring round the
mouth and is densest near structures such as the comb rows, pharynx, tentacles and the sensory complex furthest from the mouth.

6. What organisms form coral reefs? Which are the most common reef builders? What organisms are symbiotic with the
coral? What do those organisms provide for the coral?

Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. staghorn corals, massive corals, and
crustose coralline algae. Algae has a symbiotic relationship with the coral. The algae provides food for the coral and the

reef regulates sunlight and provides the algae a home.

7. List the three conditions that are harmful to coral. Briefly explain how each is harmful.

Pollution, warming of the ocean, and coral mining. Pollution makes corals more susceptible to disease, impede coral
growth and reproduction, and cause changes in food structures on the reef. Rising (or even falling) water temperatures

can stress coral polyps, causing them to lose algae (or zooxanthellae) that live in the polpys' tissues.

8. What are the three types of reefs? Where does each of these reefs form?

The three main types of coral reefs are fringing, barrier, and atoll. The fringing reef forms seaward directly from shore. Barrier

reefs border the shoreline but are separated from land by an expanse of water. Atolls are rings of coral that create protected
lagoons and are usually located in the middle of the sea.

9. Define the following:

- compound eye: Many individual light detectors, each with own lens

- tagmata: Segments fused over time into larger structures

10. Compare the following:

- cirri, cheliped: Cirri are Tendrils or claspers. Cheliped’s are leg bearing a chela, or pincer-like claw.

Carapace: A hard protective covering of bone or chitin, especially one which covers

- carapace, ossicles:
the dorsal portion of an animal. Ossicles: Head.

- cephalothorax, thorax: thorax is the middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body while

cephalothorax is (anatomy) the fused head and thorax of spiders and crustaceans.

11. What are characteristics shared by all arthropods?

Arthropods are 3/4 of all animals, they have bilateral symmetry and are
coelomates, plus they can adapt to almost every environment on earth.

12. List the classification of a crab beginning with Domain and ending with Class. Be sure to include all of the
classifications we have discussed!!! Domain: Eukarya

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda

Subphylum Tr i l o b i t a
Subphylum Crustacea

Class Maxillopoda
Class Malacostraca

13. Describe each layer in an arthropods skeleton. Which layer is the hardest layer?

Outer layer: prevents desiccation. Middle layer: Provides primary protection- made of chitin

(hardest layer). Inner layer: Flexible and allows for muscles attachment and movement.

14. Describe molting. Why do arthropods have to go through this process?

Process of shedding skeleton to grow. Tissues swell and put pressure on

skeleton, Epidermal cells begin to secrete new skeleton, old skeleton loosens
and is shed, organism swells new soft flexible skeleton and then it hardens.

15. Which subphyla of Arthropoda has branched appendages and what are those appendages called?

Crustacea and the appendages are called Biramous.

16. After its old exoskeleton is shed, but before the new one hardens, an aquatic arthropod absorbs water and swells.

Why?
This process allows the endoskeleton being shed to rupture and results in an

easier and speeding-up of the molting process.

17. Describe how arthropods move. Be sure to include both main types of locomotion in marine Arthropods.
Arthropods move with appendages modified for uses in air, land, and sea. ,ost are specialized
movement duse to evolutionary effects. Marine Arthropoda utilize both swimming and walking.

18. What characteristics are shared by most all crustaceans?

two pairs of appendages on their head that serve as feelers
- each of their other body segments generally has a pair of appendages, at least some appendages are unbranched

19. What is the function of the chelipeds on a lobster?

specialized tools crayfish use for cutting up food, capturing prey, attacking one another and as a defense against
predators.

20. What is the evolutionary significance of several of nearly identical segments fusing into one large structure? What are
these large structures called?

21. List 4 examples of a crustacean and place each example into the correct Class.

22. List 4 examples of organisms in the Subphylum Chelicerata. What class are the horseshoe crabs grouped under?

23. Describe the two characteristics that the organisms in the Subphylum Chelicerata have that make them unique.
24. Describe the appendages on the organisms in the class Merostomata. Include the number, and what the function of
each is (6 pairs).

25. Describe the body cavity of arthropods.

26. How is the nervous system of arthropods constructed? (parts and location) And what does this tell you about their
complexity?

27. The organisms in the Subphylum Crustacea have a particular type of larvae. Name it and describe some of its unique
features.

28. What is the one feature that has allowed arthropods to be the most successful type of organism so far on this planet?
That is, what one feature has allowed them to colonize so many different habitats?