Name:
Date:
Phylum Nematoda: Roundworms
Domain:
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Learning Objectives: *Refer to Kingdom Animalia Unit Plan
Text page: 373 *This is required reading.
-Roundworms belong to the Phylum ______________________________, which means
____________________ in Greek. This is appropriate as many of them look like fine sewing thread.
-Roundworms were the first animals to have a pseudocoelom and tube-within-a-tube digestive tract!
Biology 11: Phylum Nematoda
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Nematoda Habitat
-Nematodes may be the most common of all multi-cellular animals:
-A single rotting apple may contain ____________________ roundworms!
-An acre of topsoil can contains ____________________ roundworms!
-There are ____________________ species of named nematodes and it is believed there could be as
many as ____________________ species in
total.
-Nematodes are found free living in soil and
aquatic habitats (and act as important
decomposers there) and as predators inside
many plants and animals (humans included).
Nematoda Innovations and Common
Characteristics
1. Their body cavity is not a __________
__________ __________ __________ like
Flatworms, but a “fake” coelom. This is called
a ______________________________.
-Draw a diagram of a pseudocoelom and label: endoderm, pseudocoelom, mesoderm, ectoderm and
cuticle.
-The pseudocoelom is a fluid filled body cavity. What are the advantages of this?
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Biology 11: Phylum Nematoda
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-What is the cuticle? Why is it important?
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2. They are the simplest animals to have a separate __________ and __________. This allows them to
have a __________________________________________ body plan.
-What is a complete digestive tract and what are the advantages of this organ system?
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3. Examining the Roundworm diagram found on the previous page, do Roundworms have specialized
respiration, circulation and excretion systems?
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4. In terms of reproduction, Roundworms are different than Flatworms because they have separate
sexes with complex reproductive systems.
Biology 11: Phylum Nematoda
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Nematoda Species:
1. Onchocerca volvulus (River Blindness)
2. Caenorhabditis elegans
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Biology 11: Phylum Nematoda
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