SYED BASHIR AHMAD HASHMI

11/18/24
[Document title]

Echinoderms: relationships to other animals; echinoderm characteristics;

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classification up to class. Maintenance functions, regeneration, reproduction, and
development; further phylogenetic considerations.

Lesser Invertebrates: The lophophorates, entoprocts, cycliophores, and

chaetognaths

EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE

Introduction:
 The phylum Echinodermata includes marine animals such as sea stars, sea
urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers.

 Echinoderms are radially symmetrical as adults but are believed to have

evolved from bilaterally symmetrical ancestors.

 Fossil records show that about 12 out of 18 classes of echinoderms have gone
extinct, yet the living members of this phylum remain significant in marine
ecosystems.

 Many ancient echinoderms were likely suspension feeders, a trait seen in only
one class of modern echinoderms today.

 Echinoderms are important in marine ecosystems, contributing to the biota

and playing key ecological roles.

Echinodermata Diversity:

 Modern echinoderms are classified into several classes, including:

✓ Sea stars

✓ Sea urchins

✓ Sand dollars

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✓ Sea cucumbers
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 Although the number of species in the phylum may seem to have declined,
three classes of echinoderms continue to flourish and contribute significantly
to marine biodiversity.

Phylum Hemichordata:

 The phylum Hemichordata is less familiar and includes worm-like animals such
as pterobranchs and acorn worms.

 Evidence of hemichordates can be found along shorelines, where coiled

castings (composed of sand, mud, and excrement) mark the openings of U-
shaped burrows.

 Hemichordates are filter feeders, a trait that makes them ecologically

significant.

Echinodermata and Hemichordata as Deuterostomes:

 Both Echinodermata and Hemichordata are part of the clade Deuterostomia.

 Deuterostomes share several key embryological features:

✓ Radial, indeterminant cleavage in early development.

✓ The anus forms from the blastopore, while the mouth forms later.

✓ Enterocoelous coelom formation (except for vertebrate chordates).

 These phyla are united by their shared larval morphology and tripartite
(three-part) coelomic cavities.

Evolutionary Relationships:

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 Echinoderms and Hemichordates are considered to have a common

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ancestry, supported by genetic evidence from studies of Hox genes, rRNA
genes, and mitochondrial DNA.

 Though adult echinoderms are radially symmetrical, evidence shows they

evolved from bilaterally symmetrical ancestors:

✓ Bilateral symmetry is seen in echinoderm larvae.

✓ Extinct forms of echinoderms were also bilaterally symmetrical.

 The bilateral symmetry of other deuterostome groups further supports the

idea of common ancestry.

Deuterostomia Overview:

 Deuterostomes are all coelomate animals, meaning they possess a body

cavity derived from the mesoderm.

 These animals are characterized by specific embryological features such as

radial cleavage and the formation of the anus from the blastopore.

 The relationship between echinoderms, hemichordates, and other

deuterostomes highlights the evolutionary link between these phyla.

PHYLUM ECHINODERMATA

General characteristics

1. (Echinos: Spines; derma: Skin)

2. Kingdom: Animalia

3. Habitat: These are exclusively marine

4. Grade of organization: organ system grade

5. Germ layer: triploblastic

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6. Symmetry: Adults are radially symmetrical while the larvae are bilaterally
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symmetrical.

7. Coelom: present ( coelomate)

8. Body without segmentation

9. The shape of the body is flat, star like, spherical or elongated.

10. Head is absent

11. Presence of tube feet

12. Presence of water vascular system

13. Mouth is present on ventral side while anus is present on dorsal side

14. Respiration: by papule, gills or clocal respiratory tree

15. Nervous system: absent, they are brainless organism.

16. Circulatory system: is reduced, heart is absent

17. Blood has no pigment.

18. Digestive system: complete

19. Excretory system: absent

20. Sexes: mostly dioecious, rarely monocious

21. Reproduction:

✓ Sexual: by gamatic fusion

✓ Asexual: regeneration
22. Fertilization: external

23. Development: indirect with characteristic larvae

Classification

It is divided into 5 classes:

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1. Asteroidea
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2. Ophiuroidea

3. Echinoidea

4. Holothuroidea

5. Crinoidea

Class 1 Asteroidea

 Body is flattened star shaped with five arms

 They possesses tube feet with a sucker

 Presence of calcareous plates and movable spines.

 Respiratory organ: papulae

 Examples: Asterias (Star fish), Astropecten, Zoraster, Oreaster

Class 2 Ophiuroidea

 Body is flat with pentamerous disc

 They possess a long arm which is sharply demarcated from the central disc.

 They possesses tube feet without sucker

 Anus and intestine are absent

 Respiratory organ: Bursae

 Examples: Ophiderma, ophiothrix, Astrophyton, Amphuria, etc

Class 3 Echinoidea

 Body is disc-like hemi-spherical

 They are devoid of arms or free-rays.

 They possesses tube feet with a sucker.

 They possess compact skeleton and movable spines.

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 Examples: Echinus (Sea urchin), Cidaris, Arbacia, Echinocardium. Diadema

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Class 4 Holothuroidea

 Body is elongated in the oral-aboral axis and it is like cucumber.

 They have no arms, spines and pedicellariae.

 The tube feet are sucking type which is modified into tentacles and form a
circle around mouth.

 Respiratory organ: cloacal respiratory tree

 Examples: Cucumaria (Sea cucumber), Holothuria, Mesothuria, etc

Class 5 Crinoidea

 Body is star shaped

 Some of the forms were extinct and living forms.

 Arms bifurcated, with two pinnules.

 They have tube feet without suckers

 Examples: Neometra, Antedon, Rhizocrinus, etc

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