U.A.S.V.M.

of Bucharest
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Department of Preclinical Sciences

Discipline: Animal Biology

Course 3 – METAZOA: general characteristics

Assoc. Professor Mariana IONITA

DVM, PhD
 Kingdom ANIMALIA - (Metazoa)
- Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom
Animalia (also called Metazoa).
- metazoan are mobile, heterotrophic and develop from embryos.
-they are heterotrophic, generally digesting food in an internal chamber, which
separates them from plants and algae.
- they are also distinguished from plants, algae, and fungi by lacking rigid cell walls.
- all animals are motile, if only at certain life stages.
- in most animals, embryos pass through a blastula stage which is a characteristic
exclusive to animals.

Characterized
Characterizedby
by
diversity
diversity ccomplexity
omplexity

over40
over 40phyla
phyla
 metazoan
metazoanbody
bodyconsists
consistsof
ofthree
three
Body
Bodystructure
structure different
differenttypes
typesof
ofstructural
structural
elements:
elements:

I.I.cells differentiated
differentiatedinintissues
tissuesspecialized
specializedfor
for
cells
specific
specificfunctions
functions

collagen
II.
II.intercellular
intercellular intercellular
intercellularsubstance
substance
substance
substance elastin

amorphous
amorphousintercellular
intercellular polymer long chains of
material
material mucopolysaccharides

••fluid
fluidfrom
fromgeneral
generalcavity
cavityand
andhemolymph
hemolymph––
for
forInvertebrate
Invertebrate
III.body
III. bodyfluids
fluids
••blood,
blood,lymph
lymphand
andintercellular
intercellularfluids,
fluids,in
in
vertebrates
vertebrates
 the
thegeneral
generalpattern
patternof
ofmetazoan’s
metazoan’s
development
development

The
Thespecialization
specializationand
anddifferentiation
differentiationof ofcells
cellsfor
foraaparticular
particularfunction
functionis is
achieved
achievedthrough
throughaagradual
gradualtransition
transitionfrom
fromeggeggtotoadult,
adult,which
whichisisspecific
specificfor
for
metazoans,
metazoans,and andirreversible
irreversibleprocess
processcalled
calledontogeny
ontogeny(the (thedevelopment
developmentofofthe the
individual
individualorganism),
organism),which
whichrepeats,
repeats,with
withslight
slightmodifications,
modifications,thethephylogeny
phylogeny
(history
(historyofofthe
thespecies);
species);
--includes
includestwo
twoperiods:
periods:

embryonic
embryonicdevelopment
development
(morphogenesis)
(morphogenesis)

postembryonaldevelopment
postembryonal development
 The
Thestages
stagesof
ofembryogenesis:
embryogenesis:

Fertilization
Fertilizationand
andzygote
zygote
formation:
formation:
during this phase, occurs restoring of the diploid
number of chromosomes;

Segmentation
Segmentation
- with different stages:
- morula: a solid mass of blastomeres formed by cleavage of a
zygote
-blastula/ blastosphere: consisting of a single layer of cells
(blastoderm) surrounding a fluid-filled cavity (blastocoele).
 Gastrulation
Gastrulation
(tissues
(tissuesformation)
formation)
is a phase early in the embryonic development of most
animals, during which the single-layered blastula is
reorganized into laminar structure known as the gastrula.

Gastrulation
Gastrulationisisfollowed
followedbybyorganogenesis,
organogenesis,when
whenindividual
individual
organs
organsdevelop
developwithin
withinthe
thenewly
newlyformed
formedgerm
germlayers.
layers.

Each
Eachlayer
layergives
givesrise
riseto
tospecific
specifictissues
tissuesand
andorgans
organsin
inthe
the
developing
developingembryo.
embryo.
Gastrulation occurs when a blastula, made up of one layer, folds inward
and enlarges to create a gastrula.
This diagram is color-coded: ectoderm, blue; endoderm, green; blastocoel (the yolk
sack), yellow; and archenteron (the gut), purple.
 gastrula
gastrulahas
hastwo
twoprimary
primarygerm
germlayers:
layers:
--primitive metazoa
primitive metazoa
ectoderm,and
ectoderm, and
endoderm.
endoderm.
Diploblastic
Diploblastic
organisms
organisms Sponges, coelenterates [cnidaria (which include
jellyfish, corals and hydra), ctenophora]

--superior
superiormetazoa
metazoa gastrula
gastrulawith
withthree
threegerm
germlayers
layers
(a
(amesoderm
mesodermas
aswell
wellas
asectoderm
ectodermand
and
endoderm).
endoderm).
Triploblastic
Triploblastic ..
organisms
organisms
 Gastrulationisisfollowed
Gastrulation followedbybyorganogenesis,
organogenesis,whenwhenindividual
individualorgans
organsdevelop
developwithin
within
thenewly
the newlyformed
formedgerm
germlayers.
layers.
Eachlayer
Each layergives
givesrise
riseto
tospecific tissuesand
specifictissues andorgans
organsininthe
thedeveloping
developingembryo.
embryo.

The
Theectoderm
ectodermgivesgivesrise
riseto
to The
Theendoderm
endodermgivesgivesrise
riseto
to
epidermis,
epidermis,and andtotothe
theneural
neural the
theepithelium
epitheliumofofthe
thedigestive
digestive
crest
crestand
andother
othertissues
tissuesthat
that system
systemand
andrespiratory
respiratory
will
willlater
laterform
formthe
thenervous
nervous system,
system,andandorgans
organs
system.
system. associated
associatedwith
withthe
thedigestive
digestive
The system.
Themesoderm
mesodermisisfoundfoundbetween
betweenthethe system.
ectoderm and the endoderm and
ectoderm and the endoderm and gives gives
rise
risetotosomites,
somites,which
whichform
formmuscle;
muscle;thethe
cartilage
cartilageofofthe
theribs
ribsand
andvertebrae;
vertebrae;the
the
dermis,
dermis,the thenotochord,
notochord,blood
bloodand
andblood
blood
vessels,
vessels,bone,
bone,and
andconnective
connectivetissue.
tissue.

Following gastrulation, cells in the body are either organized into sheets of connected
cells (as in epithelia), or as a mesh of isolated cells, such as mesenchyme.
 The
The coelom
coelom
The coelom (Greek koilōma, hollow, cavity) refers to the main body cavity in
most multicellular animals.
In developed animals, it is lined with a mesodermal epithelium while
in primitive metazoa it remains undifferentiated.

Animals having coelom are called coelomates, and those without are called
acoelomates.
Some organisms may not possess a true coelom - may have a false coelom –
pseudocoelomates.

- Acoelomate: porifera to platyhelminthes

- Pseudocoelomate: nemathelminthes (roundworms)
- Coelomate:
- schizocoelomate develops from split in mesoderm
found in annelids, arthropods and molluscs
- enterocoelomate develops from wall of embryonic gut
found from echinodermata to chordata
 In the embryonic development, the embryo forms a dent on one side, the blastopore, which deepens to
become the archenteron, the first phase in the growth of the gut
In deuterostomes, the original dent becomes the anus while the gut eventually tunnels through to make
another opening, which forms the mouth.
The protostomes were so named because it used to be thought that in their embryos the dent formed the
mouth while the anus was formed later, at the opening made by the other end of the gut.
 CLASSIFICATION - major metazoa groups – Phyla,
based on the number of germ layers, simmetry, embryonic
development, and the body cavity (coelom)

GROUP PHYLLUM

RADIATA Sponges,
Diploblastica Cnidari, Ctenari (Coelenterata)
Plathelminthes
Acelomate
Nemertina

Nemathelminthes
BILATE Protostomes Pseudocelomate
Endoprocta
RALIA
Triplo-
Celomate Mollusca, Annelida
blastica
schizocelic Arthropoda

Celomate Echinodermata
Deuterostomes
enterocelic Chordata