Phylum Annelida:
• Annelids are segmented worms with a well-defined body plan.
• Examples include earthworms, leeches, and marine polychaetes.
• They exhibit metamerism, meaning their bodies are divided into segments.
• They have a closed circulatory system with a specialized structure called a dorsal blood vessel.
• Study their respiratory system, which may involve gills, skin respiration, or parapodia.
• Understand their digestive system, which includes a muscular pharynx and a straight digestive tract.
Phylum Arthropoda:
• Arthropods are the largest phylum in the animal kingdom, including insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and myriapods.
• They have a chitinous exoskeleton for protection and support.
• Arthropods exhibit jointed appendages, a characteristic feature.
• Study their various modes of respiration, including gills, tracheae, and book lungs.
• Understand the process of molting, which allows them to grow.
• Learn about their diverse feeding strategies, such as herbivores, carnivores, and detritivores.
Phylum Mollusca:
• Mollusks are soft-bodied animals with a hard external shell in many cases.
• Examples include snails, clams, squids, and octopuses.
• Understand the structure and function of the radula, a feeding organ.
• Study the different types of molluscan shells and their functions.
• Know the characteristics of cephalopods, which are highly intelligent mollusks.
• Learn about their diverse respiratory systems, including gills, lungs, or cutaneous respiration.
Phylum Hemichordata:
• Hemichordates are marine animals that share some characteristics with chordates.
• Understand their body plan, including the proboscis, collar, and trunk regions.
• Study the structure and function of the pharyngeal gill slits, a chordate characteristic.
• Learn about their simple nervous system and circulatory system.
• Hemichordates serve as a link between invertebrates and chordates, so understand their evolutionary significance.
Phylum Echinodermata:
• Echinoderms include starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and brittle stars.
• They have a unique water vascular system that aids in locomotion and feeding.
• Understand the process of regeneration in echinoderms.
• Study their endoskeleton made of calcium carbonate plates.
• Echinoderms exhibit radial symmetry in most cases.
• Learn about their tube feet, which are used for locomotion and feeding.