There are over 9000 different species contained within the Annelida phylum. Most of the Annelida live in aquatic environments; only a few would the average human recognize.
There are three classifications of the Annelida:
Polychaeta, which are...
tube worms and feather duster worms, and live in Salt water environments.
Aelosomata,
Clitellata.
There are three classifications of the Annelida:
Polychaeta, which are...
tube worms and feather duster worms, and live in Salt water environments.
Aelosomata,
Clitellata.
General Characteristics of Annelids.
- They have Segmented bodies.
- Bilateral symmetry.
- Their body's contain three separate sections, a prosomium, a trunk and a pygidium.
- They have no true respiratory organs.
- Live in most environments.
- They have no appendages.
- They don't have antennas.
The Basic Structure
Here is a picture of the basic structure of an Annelid.-->
The more commonly recognized Annelida...
Earthworm
Rag worm
Lug worm
Leach
- Segmented body
- Very small brain
- The nerve cord attached to the brain runs through the entire length of the body.
The more commonly recognized Annelida...
Earthworm
Rag worm
Lug worm
Leach
Reproduction
Annelids reproduce both sexually and asexually. Asexual reproduction occurs when an annelid is fragmented. Annelids reproduce sexually from with members of the opposite sex but hermaphroditic Annelids are very common. Marine annelids develop into free-swimming larvae.
Benefits to the environment...
Annelids can provide important functions for an environment.
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Harm to the environment...
Non-native Earthworms can be devastating to an environment.
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annelida Diet
Earthworms eat soil and remove the nutrition they require, also characterized. They are heterotrophs.
A Fun Fact :D
Every year there is an annual worm charming championship held in the U.K. This involves enticing earthworms from the soil and catching them. It was at one point a means of gathering worms for bait, but now we have turned this into a sporting contest. "The world record is held by Tom Shufflebotham who charmed 511 worms from their underground hideouts from an area of 3 square meters in only 30 minutes during the 1980 Annual Worm Charming Championships held in Cheshire, UK," according to the internet.