Sponges, Cnidarians, & Ctenophores Chapter 33
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27 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Sponge | an aquatic invertebrate of the phylum Porifera that attaches to stones or plants and that has a porous structure and a tough, elastic skeleton |
| Sessile | describes an organism that remains attached to a surface for its entire life and does not move |
| Choanocyte | any of the flagellate cells that line the cavities of a sponge |
| Ostium | one of the small openings in a sponge's body through which water enters |
| Osculum | an opening in a sponge's body through which water exists |
| Spongin | a fibrous protein that contains sulfur and composes the fibers of the skeleton of some sponges |
| Spicule | a needle of silica or calcium carbonate in the skeleton of some sponges |
| Filter Feeding | in an aquatic animal, a method of feeding in which the animal traps organic material that is floating in the surrounding water |
| Amoebocyte | within the body wall of a sponge, a specialized cell that crawls about and delivers nutrients from the choanocytes to the rest of the body cells |
| Gemmule | an asexual reproductive structure produced by some freshwater sponges |
| Regeneration | the regrowth of missing tissues or organs |
| Hermaphrodite | an organism that has both male and female reproductive organs |
| Medusa | a free-swimming, jelly-like, and often umbrella-shaped sexual stage in the life cycle of a cnidarian; also a jellyfish or a hydra |
| Polyp | a form of a cnidarian that has a cylindrical, hollow body and that is usually attached to a rock or to another object |
| Epidermis | the outer surface layer of cells of a plant or animal |
| Gastrodermis | in cnidarians, the layer of cells surrounding the digestive tract |
| Mesoglea | in cnidarians, the jellylike material located between the ectoderm and the endoderm |
| Gastrovascular Cavity | a cavity that serves both digestive and circulatory purposes in some cnidarians |
| Tentacle | a flecible appendage with which an animal feeds itself, grasps objects, or feels its environment |
| Cnidocyte | a stinging cell of a cnidarian |
| Nematocyst | in cnidarians, a stinging cell that is used to inject a toxin into prey |
| Nerve Net | in cnidarians, a network of nerve cells that lacks a central control; impulses pass in any or all directions to produce a generalized reponse |
| Planula | the free-swimming, ciliated larva of a cnidarian |
| Coral Reef | a limestone ridge found in tropical climates and composed of coral fragments that are deposited around organic remains |
| Colloblast | a cell that is found on the tentacles of a ctenophore and that secretes a sticky substance |
| Apical Organ | in ctenophores, a sensory structure that enables the animal to sense its orientation in water; in annelids, a ciliated plate located at the back of the larva |
| Bioluminescence | the production of light by means of a chemical reaction in an organism |
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