There are thousands of rotifer species floating around inside plants and aquatic ecosystems throughout the world, so there's a lot of variation in their physical dimensions. Some resemble squares, circles and other geometric shapes, while others have oblong or asymmetrical bodies. Rotifers are between 0.004 and 0.02 inches long with an average of about a thousand cells each, according to the Lamar University Department of Biology. While they are clearly visible with the help of a microscope, scientists have had a hard time studying ancient rotifers because their small bodies make poor fossils.
Basic AnatomyThe rotifer body is divided into four sections: head, neck, body and foot. The head supports a series of mobile tentacles called cilia, which propel water into the organism's mouth, according to University of California Museum of Paleontology. The neck region contains a throat-like tube that funnels water into the rotifer's stomach and other organs, which are located in the body section. The foot protrudes from the organism's rear as an oar or spine to give the rotifer some control over its movement in liquid environments. Rotifers are bound by thin layers of clear skin, but many also have a harder shell called a lorica. Rotifers are invertebrates, so they have no spine or skeletal structure to maintain their shape.
FeedingThe rotifer's jaws, called trophi, are found inside the throat behind the mouth entrance. They break down edible material in the water as it funnels through the creature's body. Rotifers may be small, but they certainly aren't the smallest critter in most water ecosystems. They survive by eating small chunks of organic matter as well as plankton and other microscopic creatures. Of course, rotifers themselves are food for other animals, including shrimp and other shellfish.
Growth and ReproductionOne of the most interesting characteristics of rotifers is their cells' inability to reproduce. The cells of most animals divide at regular intervals to make up for dying cells. This process is essential for the long-term health of humans and most animals. Cells of rotifera grow larger as the organism ages, but they don't increase in number. Female rotifers are larger than males and are able to reproduce asexually without the help of a mate. However, a male and female can produce offspring through sexual reproduction during direct physical contact.
In the Kingdom Animalia, there are nine major phyla:Phylum Porifera (sponges) Phylum Cnidaria (jellyfish) Phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms) Phylum Nematoda (roundworms)Phylum Annelida (earthworms)Phylum Mollusca (snails)Phylum Echindodermata (starfish)Phylum Arthropoda (lobsters)Phylum Chordata (humans)
First something has been divided into phylums - one group. But that wasn't enough, There were still things in that group which needed to be further sorted, so a sub-phylum was created. Let's say you have one group - cars. That's your phylum. Then you have sports cars, that's a sub-phylum.
The phylum most closely related to arthropods would be the phylum Nematoda. This relationship is based on shared ancestral characteristics, such as the presence of a tube-within-a-tube body plan and bilateral symmetry.
A leopard belongs to the phylum Chordata, which encompasses animals with a notochord, dorsal nerve chord, and other characteristics. Within this phylum, leopards are classified in the class Mammalia, order Carnivora, and family Felidae. They are part of the genus Panthera, which includes other big cats like lions and tigers.
The lancelet belongs to the subphylum Cephalochordata within the phylum Chordata. They are small, fish-like marine organisms that exhibit characteristics of chordates, such as a notochord and a dorsal nerve cord.
A rotifer is in the phylum Phylum Rotifera and belongs to the invertebrate kingdom
The scientific name for a rotifer is Phylum Rotifera.
Animals in phylum Rotifera are named for the corona, a wheel-like structure of cilia at the front end of their bodies. This cilia helps create a feeding current for them to capture food particles from the surrounding water.
Invertebrates have nucleated cells and are thus eukaryotes (Domain Eukarya in the Empire of Life). They are multicellular and heterotrophic and thus animalian (Kingdom Animalia). Edward O. Wilson is what one calls a 'splitter' in taxonomy and has split the animal kingdom into about 85 phyla. Most other taxonomists think there are somewhere in the thirties in the realm of 'How many phyla are there ?' Some invertebrate animal phyla are: Phylum Porifera, Phylum Cnidaria, Phylum Ctenophora, Phylum Platyhelminthes, Phylum Annelida, Phylum Mollusca, Phylum Arthropoda, Phylum Echinodermata, Phylum Hemichordata, Phylum Nematoda, Phylum Rotifera, Phylum Kinorhyncha, Phylum Nemertea, Phylum Bryozoa
Arthropoda
Invertebrates dominate the animal kingdom. 1. Phylum Porifera (sponges) 2. Phylum Cnidaria (jellyfish, corals, & hydras) 3. Phylum Platyhelminthes (flat worms) 4. Phylum Rotifera (rotifers) 5. Phylum Mollusca (snails, slugs, clams, octopus, & squid) 6. Phylum Annelida (segemnted worms- earth worms) 7. Phylum Arthropoda (spiders, insects, & crustaceans) 8. Phylum Echinodermata (starfish) *closest living invertebrate to humans because of its deuterostomal development.
some of the major characteristics of the phylum are a shared body plan, embryonic development patterns, and specific molecular sequences.
Your life.
jointed legs
phylum
No, each organism is classified into only one phylum based on its structural and genetic characteristics. The phylum is a higher taxonomic rank that groups organisms based on shared characteristics.
Two other phyla members of a roundworm are Nematoda and Nematomorpha. They are both non-segmented worms that belong to the superphylum Ecdysozoa along with roundworms (phylum Rotifera).