Annelid


 * Annelid's **



**//Annelida// **

 * Body Structure **

- Round, segmented worms -Annelids are mostly ring shaped organisms that are bilaterally symmetrical - The left part of their body is almost identical to the right part of their body - Annelids range in size from less than 1 mm up to 2 m - Annelids contain a coelom which is a fluid like substance that is between their guts and the outer body wall - In some leeches there is no coelom found - Annelids have a cuticle layer on the outside of their body that is never shed or molted - Under that is a layer of Chaetae which is also cuticle structure but contains chitin - Para podia are muscular extensions that act as paddles to help swim or claws that help to dig - Annelids have a brain that usually resides in the head - If the Annelid is more motile the brain will be more complex - If the Annelid is more just a burrowing organism the brain will be more simpler - Connected to the brain is a ventral nerve chord that runs down the length of the body - Chords that run off of that are connected to muscles and the gut - Annelids have a closed circulatory system - There is no circulatory system in leeches instead they have coelmic canals - There are two fluid systems in most Annelids, the coelom an the circulatory system - Both involve with the excretion process - To do so there are ducts within the body to help with the process - Referred to as segmented worms- each segment has a compartment of the Coelom containing its internal organs - The body wall consists of tough muscles and short rigid hairs collectively called “setae.” - The body of the Annelid consists of three separate sections: prosomium, a trunk, and a pygidium. == = =

**//Filogranella elatensis// **
=Unique Facts=
 * Annelids have the unique ability to inhabit a variety of unusual places such as inside of other spineless or invertebrate animals and they live in cylinders or tubes that are actually produced by their own systems and discharged around their bodies.
 * There are 12,400 species of annelid. All are warm blooded.
 * Repeating of the segments in an annelid is called Metamerism.
 * The reproduction normally is gonochoristic or hermaphroditic.
 * There is an absence of distinct respiratory organs.
 * Reproduction in these animals happens a sexually, or sexually. Budding, fragmentation, and fission, happen asexually.
 * Eggs of terrestrial annelids are enclosed inside these cocoons which eventually develop into miniature versions of the adults.
 * Annelid earthworms are members of the phylum Annelida, which means "a little ring" in Latin.
 * Most Annelid earthworms are red, brown or pink. Bluish-colored earthworms live in the Philippines, while the United Kingdom is home to a green earthworm species.
 * More than 1 million earthworms can live in one acre of land.

=Approximate size of the species = = = **//Ampharetidae//** =Geographic Distribution = =﻿ =  //Sabellastarte// = Feeding Mechanisms = = =
 * There are more than 9,000 species in this phylum.
 * In some soils, 50-500 earthworms may be harbored.[[image:http://tolweb.org/tolarchive/3/20080902/Public/treeImages/Eukaryotes.png%3Fx=-1946766633 width="658" height="433"]]
 * **Classes of Animals included in the Phylum**
 * __Myzostomaria__- A small group of parastitc worms. They are found in deep waters off of the the North American coast
 * __Polychaeta__- Marine worms that vary greatly in body shape and appearance. Each segment of their bodies have Parapodia, outgrowths of tissue bearing bristles. Sometimes are known as Bristle Worms
 * __Hirundinea-__ Leeches
 * __Oligochaeta-__ Terristrial and freshwater earthworms
 * Annelids live throughout the world where most live in marine environments there are many terrestrial species that live on in dryer areas.
 * They live in protective habitats like mud, sand, and rock crevices. Many also live in tubs or cylinders that they are able to make to protect themselves.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While the distribution and populations of Annelids are generally not well known, Annelids can be found in many marine environments from oceans to freshwater streams, and on moist terrestrial land
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Two species of Annelids, Mesonerilla prospera and Phallodrilus macmasterae are critically endangered
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The class Polychaeta are mostly marine animals, who either live in sedimentary holes, or live more active lives
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The class Aelosomata live in the areas of fresh and brackish water environments that are empty between areas of matter
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The class of Clitallata contains three sub classes: Oligochaeta, Branchiobdella and Hirundinea
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Oligochaeta live in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Branchiobdella are small aquatic animals that are either commonsals or parasites on crayfish, and are usually found in the northern hemisphere
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Hirundinea contains the animals known as leaches, and like Oligochaeta are found in marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats

= = =<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px 0.5in; padding: 0px 0px 0px 3em; text-indent: -0.25in;">Reproductive Mechanisms =
 * Annelids eat dead plants and animals
 * Has digestive Structure similar to polychaetes
 * Digest their food in two ways
 * Either they flirt centering floating material by using their ciliated tentacles or pump water through their burrows and capture the fine material on a mucous secretion, which they feed
 * Surface deposit - feeders take over the material with pharyngeal in their jaws
 * While eating they also take in soil and tiny pebbles, by doing so they take in nutrients
 * When they excrete the food it takes the form of casts, the casts are rich in nutrients
 * Annelids can either reproduce asexually or sexually.
 * Asexually- Reproduction takes place through a process called fission. The rear end of the body splits from the rest of they body to form a new annelid.
 * Sexually- Reproduction takes place by species that are hermaphroditic, species that have seperate females and males. During this process fluids are transferred from the male pore to a female ovipore.
 * Annelids tend to mate in moist areas. So throughout the year they mate quite often.

= Ecological Niche = <span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**//Lumbricidae//**
 * They play an important role in helping organice matter decompose.
 * They add nutrients to the soils.
 * They aerate the soil, allowing better water filtration which leads to healthier plant growth.
 * Some species kill cutworms that cause harm to gardens.
 * They recycle the nutrients that come from decomposing organisms.
 * Even help dilute or rid of harmful chemicals.
 * Castings help to fertilize the soil

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 29px; line-height: 44px;">__Works Cited__ “characteristics of annelida.” __Tolweb.org__ 16 february 2011 []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 29px; line-height: 44px;">__ <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; color: #000080; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; padding-right: 10px;">[] 1999 Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 29px; line-height: 44px;">__ http:www.nhm.ac.uk/resources-rx/images/ampharetidae-29494-1.jpg __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 29px; line-height: 44px;">__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Lauer,Melissa http://www.ehow.com/ <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">1999-2011 __

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<span style="color: #2d2d2d; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;">Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2008. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 15, 2011 at http://animaldiversity.org. ======

Rouse, Greg W., Fredrik Pleijel, and Damhnait McHugh. 2002. Annelida. Segmented worms: bristleworms, ragworms, earthworms, leeches and their allies. Version 07 August 2002. http://tolweb.org/Annelida/2486/2002.08.07 // in // The Tree of Life Web Project,  http://tolweb.org/

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">See R. O. Brinkhurst and B. G. Jamieson, Aquatic Oligochaeta of the World (1972); K. Fauchald, The Polychaete Worms (1977); R. W. Pennak, Fresh-water Invertebrates of the United States (3d ed. 1989).

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> “The Phylum Annelida” earthlife.net. 16 February 2011 < [] >

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;">Torres, Orthry “ <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> __Annelida Characteristics__ ”. Buzzle.com: 2000-2010, 2011

"Annelids" __darwinsgalapagos.com__. 26 November 2009 <[]>

"Regenwurm Im Natur Lexikon." //Tiere / Pflanzen / Pilze Im Natur Lexikon//. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. < []


 * WINEGAR, THOMAS ||
 * JEGABBI, ROBERT ||
 * WHITMARSH, MADOLYN ||
 * MARVELL, CASEY ||
 * PARZYCH, IULIANA ||
 * MCKENNA, JACOB ||
 * FIEDERLE, FARAH ||
 * PEDINOTTI, FREDERICK ||