Phylum Profiles
Meghan Sloop
- Phylum: Porifera (Sponges)
Characteristics: Asymmetrical, no true tissue system. Reproduce asexually through budding, or sexually.
- Phylum: Cnidaria (Hydrozoans)
- Characteristics: Organized tissue made of 2 layers— Epidermis and gastrodermis. Can reproduce sexually and asexually. Radially symmetrical.
- Phylum: Platyhelminthes (Flatworms and tapeworms)
- Characteristics: Bilaterally symmetrical; 3-layer tissue system; may produce sexually or asexually
- Additional: 12,000 species, main habitat: earth/water
Body plan of a sponge
Body plan of a jellyfish
Body plan of a flatworm
- Phylum: Nematoda (roundworms)
- Characteristics: Reproduce sexually; bilaterally symmetrical; body has more than two cell layers with tissues and organs.
- Additional: 12,000 species, main habitat: earth/water
- Phylum: Rotifera (Wheel animals)
- Characteristics: Bilaterally symmetrical; more than two cell layers with tissues and organs; parthenogenesis is most common for reproduction. May also reproduce sexually.
- Phylum: Mollusca (snails, seas slugs)
- Characteristics: Bilaterally symmetrical, more than two cell layers with tissues and organs; sexual reproduction
- Additional: Over 100,000 species, main habitat: earth/water
- Phylum: Annelida (earthworms)
- Characteristics: Reproduction is sexual or asexual; bilaterally symmetrical; more than two cell layers with tissues and organs.
- Additional: 12,000 species, main habitat: earth
Body plan of a round worm
Body plan of a sea slug
Body plan of an earth worm
- Phylum: Arthropoda (insects, arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans.)
- Characteristics: Symmetry is bilateral, 3 tissue layers, reproduce sexually
- Phylum: Echinodermata (starfish, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, sea lilies)
- Characteristics: Radial symmetry, 3 tissue layers, reproduce sexually
- Phylum: Chordata (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals)
- Characteristics: Bilateral symmetry, 3 tissue layers, reproduce sexually