Living Organisms

Animalia

Porifera

- Invertebrate
- Neither bilateral nor radial symmetry
- No germ layers
- No body cavities
- Adsorb food through cells
- Respiration through diffusion
- No cephalization
- Asexual reproduction (when conditions allow it)
- Sexual reproduction (External fertilization)
- No movement
- No segmentation

Examples:
- Demosponge
- Calcareous sponge
- Hexactinellid
- Homoscleromorpha
- Stromatoporoidea
- Siliceous sponge

Structural description:
Porifera is a phylum with jelly-like sponges that have pores and fibre like networks.

Cindaria

- Invertebrate
- Radial symmetry
- Two germ layers
- No body cavities/specialized tissues
- Respiration through diffusion
- Asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction (external fertilization)
- Motile
- No segmentation
- Incomplete digestive system, meaning excretion happens through same opening as ingestion

Examples:
- Jellyfish
- Sea anemone
- Anthozoa
- Scyphozoa
- Box Jellyfish
- Myxozoa

Structural description:
Cnidaria is a phylum with species that are clearly divided into two parts with the outside being ectoderm and inside endoderm.

Platyphelminthes

- Invertebrate
- Bilateral symmetry
- Three germ layers
- No body cavities
- Respiration through diffusion
- Some cephalization
- Asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction (Internal fertilization)
- Motile
- No segmentation
- Incomplete digestive system (Ingestion and excretion same opening)

Examples:
- Tapeworms
- Flukes
- Turbellaria
- Monogenea

Structural description:
Platyhelminthes is a phylum with species that are worm shaped without any segmentation

Anneldia

- Invertebrate
- Bilateral symmetry
- Three germ layers
- Has Body Cavities
- Cephalization happens
- Closed circulatory system
- Sexual reproduction (Internal fertilization)
- Motile
- Segmentation

Examples:
- Earthworm
- Leech
- Polychaete
- Oligochaeta
- Clitellata
- Echiura

Structural description:
Annelida is a phylum with worm shaped species that are broken into segmentations

Mollusca

- Invertebrate
- Bilateral symmetry
- Three germ layers
- Has Body cavities/nerve tissue
- Cephalization happens
- Open circulation system
- Sexual reproduction (Internal and external fertilization)
- Some are motile
- No segmentation
- Complete digestion system

Examples:
- Bivalve
- Cephalopod
- Squid
- Octopus
- Cuttlefish

Structural description:
Mollusca is a phylum with species that have a mantle with a significant cavity used for breathing and excretion, the presence of a radula (except for bivalves), and the structure of the nervous system.

Echinodermata

- Invertebrates
- Bilateral symmetry
- Three germ layers
- Has Body cavities
- Respiration through diffusion
- No cephalization
- Open circulation system
- Sexual reproduction with some asexual (External fertilization)
- Some motile
- No segmentation
- Complete digestive system with two openings

Examples:
- Starfish
- Sea urchin
- Sea cucumber
- Crinoid
- Blastoidea

Structural description:
Echinodermata is a phylum that consist of species who have tentacle like extremities, mouths on their underside, and anus at the front.

Arthropoda

- Invertebrates
- Bilateral symmetry
- Three germ layers
- Respiration through diffusion using gills/lungs
- Cephalization happens
- Open circulation system
- Sexual reproduction (Internal fertilization)
- Motile
- Has Segmentation
- Complete digestion system with two openings

Examples:
- Spider
- Butterfly
- Housefly
- Centipede
- Cockroach

Structural description:
Arthropoda is a phylum with species who have an exoskeleton, are segmented, and have jointed appendages.

Chordata

- Vertebrates
- Bilateral symmetry
- Three germ layers
- Has Body cavity
- Respiration through Gills/lungs
- Cephalization
- Closed circulation system
- Sexual reproduction (Internal or external fertilization)
- Motile
- Segmented
- Complete digestion system with two openings

Mammalia

Aves

Reptillia

Amphibia

Osteichthyes

Chondrichthyes

Agnatha

Plantae

Bryphyta

- Nonvasular
- Don't have a system for transporting food and water
- Get their nutrients from the environment
- First land plants to evolve
- Grow in damp environments so they can adsorb water from the air and nearby sources
- They grow close to the ground and are small.
- The gametophyte is made up of the main plant and much larger than the sprorphyte which is attached to the gametophyte
- The dominant generation (gametophyte) produce sperm or egg, and when it is wet enough the sperm will swim to an egg
- Once egg is fertilized, sporophyte is created through gametophyte
- Spores release into the air and germinate to produce new gametophytes

Gymnosperms

- Vascular
- contain xylem and phloem
- Seeds are not protected by an ovary (non-enclosed seeds)
- Does not need water to reproduce sexually
- Ovule (female gametophyte) develops exposed on the cone's surface
- Pollen (holds male gametophyte) uses the wind to travel until it reaches a female cone
- It fertilizes the ovule which creates a seed

Angiosperms

- Vascular
- contain xylem and phloem
- Two types of angiosperm plants: monocot and dicot
- Monocots part into 3's, contain parallel veins in leaves, no main tap root, single cotyedon, and endospem and cotyledon are separate
- Dicots can part in 4's-6's, network of veins on leaves, contain main tap root and smaller side roots that branch off, have two cotyledons, and endosperm is contained in the cotyledon.
- Not that dependent on water
- seed can survive with no water for a couple of years and water is not required for fertilization
- Root systems obtain water from soil
- The dominant generation creates spores (microspores develops into male gametophyte generation and megaspores develop into female gametophyte generation).
- Flowers rely on animals to help them reproduce. They provide animals with food while animals provide transportation of pollen
- Perfect flowers contain both male gametophytes and female gametophytes
- The pollen would go to the female reproductive parts and fertilize eggs
- Once fertilized, the ovule would become a seed and the ovary starts to grow around it becomes a fruit

Ferns

- Vascular
- contain xylem and phloem
- Waxy cuticle prevents dehydration
- Sporophytes are much larger than gametophytes
- The dominant generation (sporophyte) produce spores that travel by wind to a moist ground and germinate
- Tiny gametophytes are created
- If wet enough, the sperm will swim to the egg and create a sporophyte

Fungi

Mycophycophyta

- Lichens are a symbiotic union between fungus and algae (or sometimes cyanobacteria). The algae provide nutrients & the fungus protects them from the elements. The result is a new organism different from both original species.
- Scientists have identified 25,000 species of Lichens.

Zygomycota

- Multicellular
- Mostly terrestrial
- Asexual reproduction produces sporangiospores
- Sexual and Asexual reproduction
- Sexual reproduction has two haploid hyphae of different types fuse to create diploid structure called zygospores and then it absorbs water and meiosis happens.
- Asexual reproduction is more common as they only reproduce sexually when environmental factors are not favourable

Deuteromycota

- Scientists are not certain that they are closely related to each other because there are many differences between species in this phylum
- Not similar in structure or appearance

Ascomycota

- Sexual and Asexual reproduction
- Sexual reproduction
- two mating types fuse together to form small sacs called asci
- Asexual reproduction
- cell nucleus divides and a small part of the cell detaches from parent cell

Basidiomycota

- largest part is underground
- Unicellular or multicellular
- Aquatic or terrestrial
- Sexual and Asexual reproduction
- sexual reproduction happens when basidiospores separate from basidia and land in a suitable environment, germinate, and produces hyphae. Two different mating types would come together to form a cell that has one haploid nucleus from each type. Under the surface of the soil, compact masses of hyphae form. Fusion and meiosis results in four haploid nuclei, which would all become a basidiospore.
- asexual reproduction is when outgrowth of parent cell separates into new cell or asexual spore formation happens in a structure called conidiophores