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Phylum Nematoda

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Basics Nematodes, also known as roundworms, are cylindrical, unsegmented, bilaterally symmetrical pseudocoelomates. Nematodes are very numerous and live in diverse habitats. Many live in soil. We estimate there are around 1 million species of nematodes! While we believe that most nematodes are free-living, over half of the 25,000 described species are parasitic. Question: Why are scientists more likely to discover and describe parasitic nematodes, compared to those that are free-living? more damaging; e.g. need to diagnose humans with parasites are found in organisms we already study, or in humans!

Structure & Function They have a waterproof body covering called a cuticle. Question: What could be the function of the cuticle ? Prevent water loss Allows them to live in wider variety of habitats Unlike flatworms, nematodes have a tube-like digestive tract with an opening at each end (mouth and anus). Free-living nematodes may be predators or eat algae, fungi, or decaying matter. Parasitic nematodes generally eat body fluids of their host. Most species are dioecious (di = 2, ecious = house), meaning there are separate male and female sexes. They reproduce sexually: the eggs are fertilized inside the female. Parasitic roundworms, like parasitic flatworms, often have very complex life cycles. Nematodes move by contractions of their muscles, which run the length of their body. These muscles can produce a snake-like movement or a thrashing movement. Their bodies are supported by fluid in the pseudocoelom this form of support is called a hydrostatic skeleton. Like platyhelminthes, nematodes breathe and excrete metabolic waste through body walls (no internal transport system). They rely on diffusion to carry nutrients and wastes. Nematodes have simple nervous systems. They have groups of nerve cells in the head region, as well as dorsal and ventral nerves that extend through the body. Fun fact: nematodes hatch with a determined number of cells, and as they develop the number of cells stays the same they just get bigger!

The Good Nematodes living in the soil help decompose organic matter, recycling nutrients for other organisms. C. elegans is a model organism that has provided a lot of insight for scientists researching animal development. It was the first multicellular organism to have its entire genome sequenced! Question: What is a model organism? What advantages are there in studying simple animals instead of more complex ones? - A model organism is a simple organism we use to study a process (such as cell development) in order to understand more complex organisms - Simple animals are smaller (easier to store), often have shorter lifespans (less time to conduct research), there are often fewer complex processes happening at once and the processes may happen in a more simple manner that is easier to understand and research. The Bad Many parasitic nematodes infect crop plants, such as tomatoes. They may attach to the roots of plants or burrow into plant tissue, causing damage. The Ugly As with flatworms, there are many examples of parasitic roundworms causing disease in humans, including hookworms, Trichinella, filarial worms and eye worms. Observe the Ascaris specimen at your table. Make a sketch.

Look at the diagrams of Ascaris on p. 576-577, and read the corresponding text. Compare Ascaris to Planaria. How are they similar? How are they different? (Think about body structures as well as lifestyle.) Here are some similarities and differences you may have noticed: - Similar: bilateral symmetry, cephalisation, diffusion for breathing and excretion, sexual reproduction, egg is fertilized internally, both have simple nervous system - Different: Ascaris is parasitic, Planaria is free-living; Ascaris is a pseudocoelomate, Planaria is an acoelomate; Ascaris has a one-way digestive tract (mouth & anus), Planaria has only one opening to digestive cavity (mouth/pharynx); Ascaris has no eyespots, Planaria has eyespots; Ascaris is dioecious, Planaria is hermaphroditic Why should you cook meat thoroughly in areas with parasitic worms? Parasitic roundworms often form cysts in the muscle tissue of their hosts If the meat is eaten, the cysts hatch in the new host Cooking the meat kills the cysts

ODE TO THE NEMATODE: Using p.576-579 of the textbook, choose a parasitic roundworm and (on a separate piece of paper) write/draw a unique explanation of its lifestyle/life cycle. This could be a poem, letter, song, short story, or cartoon Be creative! Be sure to include: name of worm, important and unique parts of its life cycle, and how it performs the basic life functions (breathing, feeding, etc.). Hand it in to me at the end of class. (/5) Creativity 1 mark Complete life cycle 2 marks Basic life functions 2 marks

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