INJIBARAUNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF NATURAL AND COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY

MSc in Ecological and Systematic Zoology Extension Program

Advanced Invertebrate Zoology Group Assignment
Course code (Boil 6021)
Tittle፡ Phylum Nematoda
Prepared By:

Full Name Id Number

Tigilu Wassihun IUPGW/0367/2015

Tsigie Fekadu IUPGW/ 0368/2015

Bogalach Feleke IUPGW/0 /2015

Woynitu Amsalu IUPGW/0370 /2015

Advisor; - AMERA. M(PHD)

FIBURARY 2023

INJIBARA, ETHIOPIA
 Phylum Nematoda

INTRODUCTION

Nematodes, also called roundworms, are non-segmented (having a body that is not divided into
segments) worms. They are members of the group Ecdysozoa (are all able to shed their cuticles).

 Nematodes are ubiquitous; feed on other microscopic animals or plants, most

abundant and diverse multicellular animals on earth.
 Most nematodes are microscopic, but others are large enough to be seen with the
naked eye.
 Usually Female nematodes are generally bigger than males.
 They have transparent (allowing light to pass through) bodies, a simple anatomy, and
are motile (capable of motion).

General Characteristics of Nematode

There are certain distinct features of nematodes that allow biologists to classify them into
different species. Common characteristics of nematodes include:

 Their body is bilaterally symmetrical, cylindrical in shape and triploblastic.

 They are pseudocoelomate and exhibit tissue level organization.
 The alimentary canal is distinct, with the mouth and the anus and lacks circulatory system
and respiratory system.
 They are sexually dimorphic (the systematic difference in form between individuals of
different sex in the same species.), Fertilization is internal and reproduction is sexual and
possesses amoeboid sperm cells.
 They are free-living or parasitic.
 The epidermis is syncytial (comprises cells with a large number of nuclei) and contains
dorsal or ventral nerve cords and their cuticle moults periodically.
 They consist of chemosensory organs called amphids (principal olfactosensory organs)
situated on the lips.

The Structure of Nematodes

There are many different species of nematodes, their anatomy is strikingly similar from species
to species, making them hard to identify individually.

 The body is oftentimes ridged with rings and other key features.

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  Head is oftentimes uniquely flared (widening), Body symmetrical with
sensory hairs.
 Mouth has either three or six lips with rows of teeth along the edges.
 Epidermis is covered with a thick collagen multilayered cuticle.
 Digestive glands begin at the pharynx, which produces digestive enzymes, that aid in the
breaking down of nutrients.
 Do not have stomachs, rather just an intestine that runs the length of the body.
 Do no muscles in the intestines, digestion depend entirely on the movement of the
nematode.
 The sphincter of the nematode helps regulate the movement of food throughout the body.
 Bodies of nematodes are lined with small hair-like bristles that provide the sense.

Figure 1. Overview of nematode body structure.

Anatomy of phylum nematoda

Body Organization
 Elongated, wormlike body; mostly small, and with few external features.
 Animals with simple fluid filled body cavity around internal organs (pseudocoelom).
 Mesoderm present only on external face of cavity gut lacks muscle layer.
 Have three true tissue layers (=triploblastic),
 Ectoderm (skin develop), mesoderm (muscles develop) and endoderm
(digestive tracts develop).

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Figure 2. Overview of nematode germ layer.

 Body wall a syncytial epidermis, adhesive glands usually present no cilia.

 Secretes tough, flexible cuticle containing collagen which:-

Cuticle: A protective outer layer that is composed mainly of collagens that is cross-linked.

 Acts as an exoskeleton that helps to maintain body shape and enables movement.
 protects worms from abrasion(superficial injuries in soil and sediment
 protects parasites from digestive enzymes

Molting of the cuticle at different stages of development allows nematodes to increase in size.

Epidermis; - composed of a thin layer of cells.

 It lies directly below the cuticle and is responsible for secreting the cuticle.
 Epidermis cords extend along the length of the body and form the dorsal, ventral, and
lateral chords.

Muscles: A layer of muscles lies beneath the Epidermis layer and runs longitudinally along the
internal body wall.

Pseudo coelom: A pseudocoelom is a body cavity filled with fluid that separates the body wall
from the digestive tract.

 it acts as a hydrostatic skeleton, which helps to resist external pressure,

 Aids in locomotion, and transports gases and nutrients to body tissues.

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Movement
 Unlike most wormlike animals they have only longitudinal muscle/ run lengthwise along
the body wall.
 Hydrostatic pressure in fluid filled pseudocoelom maintains internal pressure and keeps
body wall from collapsing.
 Produces characteristic whiplike or snake-like thrashing motion; “S”

Feeding
Nematodes feed on a wide variety of foods: but almost all nematodes eat living cells.

 Some are predatory carnivore eat small or microscopic animals.

 some are phytophagous many marine worms feed on diatoms and other algae
 Many are parasitic in plants and animals, roots of practically all plants are attacked by
some kind of nematodes.
 All the root eaters have a syringe-like stylet that injects digestive juices into root
to liquify meal.
 A very few may be saprobes: eat dead or decaying matter.

Digestive system
Nematodes have a complete digestive system. A complete digestive tract is one where food
travels one way only. This means that at one end is a mouth, and on the other end is an anus.

Components
The digestive system of a nematode is made up of three main parts: the stomodaeum, intestine,
and proctodeum.

Stomodeum: Is the beginning of the digestive tract where we find the mouth opening, esophagus
(also called the pharynx), and the buccal cavity/ the oral cavity (the area inside the mouth).

 Here, food is churned up and mixed with enzymes in preparation for the rest of the
digestive process.

Proctodeum: Is where waste is expelled after the food is processed and moved through the
digestive tract.

 By this point, nutrients have been absorbed from the food in other areas of the digestive
system.

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  It consists of rectum and anus in female and cloaca in male.
Intestine: It is a tube-like structure running the length of the animal. But unlike our intestines,
there are no muscles in a nematode's intestine to move food through it. Instead, it's the movement
of the worm itself that helps food travel along from one end to the other.

 In the intestine, enzymes are produced that aid in digestion and help absorb nutrients.
 There is no stomach.

Rectum; - lined by tiny cuticles to expel the waste generated through the anus just below and at
the tail tip.

Figure 3. Overview of nematode digestive components.

Excretory System
Excretory system a series of canals or tubules or interconnected glandular cells (=renette cells),
sometimes with protonephridia.

 Renette cell is the unique excretory system of nematode. it is H shaped which is formed
by the collection of set of collecting tubule(protonephridia)

In nematodes, the excretory system is not specialized. Nitrogenous wastes are removed by
diffusion.

 Nitrogenous wastes are excreting in the form of ammonia thought the body wall.
 Salts are excreted by osmoregulation/ regulation of the osmotic pressure of an organism's
body fluids.

The transvers duct opens in to a common canal connecting the excretory pore.

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Figure 4. Overview of nematode excretory systems.

Reproductive system
Nematodes reproduce both sexual reproduction. Some nematodes can reproduce
asexually by parthenogenesis/is a form of reproduction in which an egg can develop into an
embryo without being fertilized by a sperm.

 Nematodes are dioecious i.e. males and females are separate.

 Others are hermaphrodites have both male and female reproductive organs.
 Reproductive system is tubular and is often referred as genital tract.
 Reproductive system remains suspended in the pseudocoelom/body cavity.
 Development is usually direct; no larval stage.
Female Reproductive System
 The various parts of the female genital tract are ovary (gonad), oviduct, spermatheca
(responsible for receiving, maintaining, and releasing sperm to fertilize eggs.), uterus,
vagina and vulva.
 The oocytes are formed and matured in the apical zone of ovary and passed to
Spermatheca through oviduct.
 Spermatheca, stores the sperms cell after mating and when the oocytes pass through it,
they get fertilized.
 Vagina helps in the expulsion of egg to the outside and opens on the ventral side through
a slit-like opening, thep vulva.

Male Reproductive System:

 Various parts of male genital tract are: testis, seminal vesicle, vas deferens, cloaca and
cloacal aperture.
 Sperms are formed in the testis, and may be temporarily stored in the seminal vesicle.

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  Vas deferens joins posteriorly with rectum to form cloaca.
 A pair of hard curved structures, the spicules (help in the insemination of females during
mating) is located in a cloacal pouch.
 A flap like structure called bursa (helps to clasp/ surrounds the female during mating) is
usually present covering the tail region.

The cloaca is a cavity that serves as a common channel for both sperm and excrement.

Figure 5. Overview of nematode male and female reproductive organs

Nervous system
The nematodes nervous system is made up of a nerve ring, which is made up of four ganglia/
clusters of nerve cell bodies, and nerve cords found around pharynx. The ganglia connect to four
peripheral nerves which run the length of the body on the dorsal, ventral, and lateral surface.

 The dorsal nerve controls movement.

 The lateral nerve is strictly sensory.
 The ventral nerve is the biggest and does both.
 The nerve system contains cilia which all are non-motile with sensory function.
 The body of nematodes is shielded with numerous sensory bristle to provide the touch
sense.
 Amphids have nerve cells and chemoreception organs / ability to perceive specific
chemical stimuli.

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Figure 6. Overview of nematode nervous systems.

Circulatory System:
Nematodes do not have an independent circulatory system or cardiovascular and respiratory
system as do other animals.

 Gases and nutrients are exchanged with the external environment through diffusion
across the surface of the animal’s body.

Classification of Nematode
Nematoda is one of the most numerous phyla. Currently, approximately 15,000 nematode
species are known. It is difficult to classify due to the wide range of forms and structures.

Phylum Nematoda Classification

Following are the main three classes of Nematodes that has been classified further in subclasses
and subclasses:
Class Rhabditea

 Parasite Rhabditea
 Free-Living Rhabditea
 Rhabditis
 Tylenachia

Class Enoplea

 Enoplia
 Dorylaimia

Class Chromadorea

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  Chrimadoria

A), Class Rhabditea

Class Rhabditea has both free-living and parasitic nematodes.

 Majority of nematodes in this class are parasite.

 Free-living feeds on bacteria as a source of energy.
 They can be found in between soil particles as well as in water.

General Characteristics of Rhabditea

 They are unsegmented and tapered at either end.

 They possess a cylindrical body, a cuticle and hypodermis.
 They have invaginated cuticles with nerves.

Rhabditea is classified into two subclasses

Parasitic Rhabditea

These species cause many serious diseases in human beings. This species is common in the
tropics.

 For examples, Ascaris species, Enterobius species (e.g. human pinworm), Necator, and
Wuchereria species.

Free-living rhabditea nematodes

 They are found in temperate environments.

 Lives in bacteria-rich habitats such as compost to obtain nutrients.
 Depends on other insects for transport from one location to another.

Caenorhabditis Elegans worm is the best example of Free-Living Rhabditea Nematodes.

Further Classification is as Follows

a), Rhabditis - They have well-developed Phasmids/ well developed sensory organs and they
occur in some nematodes and poorly developed invaginated cuticles with nerves called amphids.

b), Tylenchia - Found in plants often in the form of parasites.

B), Class Enoplea

Enoplea makes up the phylum Nematoda. These ancestrally diverge nematodes.

Enoplea Nematodes Characteristics:

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  Cylindrical or bottle-shaped oesophagus.
 Well-developed Amphids
 The simple excretory system made up of a few ventral or glandular cells.
 Do not live in marine environments
 Possess teeth-like structures

Some examples of Enoplea nematodes are Trichuris, Diotyphyme, and Diotyphyme.

Subclasses of Enoplea Nematodes

a), Enoplia - They have oval or pouch-like amphids, cylindrical oesophagus, and smooth
bodies.

b), Dorylaimida - The majority of this species is a free-living organism.

 Are mostly terrestrial in nature, cuticle is smooth and free of bristles.

 A protruding spear forms the buccal cavity.
 They can be predators or omnivores.
 Some, like Trichinella, exist as parasites

C), Class Chromadorea

This class can be found in a broader range of habitats as it consists of about four distinct
lineages.
 It has both free-living and parasitic members.
 Chromadorea is smaller in size. But they are higher in number in their habitats as they
reproduce at a higher rate.
General Characteristics

 Three esophageal glands.

 Spiral amphids.
 Pore-like amphid of Chromadorea.
 Possess annulated cuticles.
 Glandular of tubular excretory systems.

a), Chromedorida
 The cuticle is ringed or smooth.
 There are no bristles/ short, stiff hair on the skin/ on the cuticle.
 The pharynx has a posterior bulb.
 They can be either free-living or marine.

As an example, consider Paracanthonchus.

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 1.1.1.5. Phylogeny of nematodes
Nematodes arose during the early Cambrian period in marine habitats), and bacterivory is the
probable ancestral feeding type.

 The phylogenetic relationships of the nematodes and their immediate relatives from the
Metazoans family still remain unresolved.
 They were assigned to the group Ecdysozoa during the 1990s together with moulting
animals (such as arthropods). However, they were identified quite succinctly with their
closest relatives of Nematodes evidently by the morphological characters and molecular
phylogenies.

Figure 7. Overview of phylogeny of in invertebrate phyla.

Economic importance of nematodes

Nematodes have great economic importance in both positive and negative ways, depending on
the species.

Biological importance.

Nematodes enhance soil quality in four major areas:

 regulate the populations of other soil organisms,

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  mineralize nutrients into plant-available forms,
 provide a food source for other soil organisms and
 Consume disease-causing organisms.

There are also predatory nematodes that balance the population of other nematodes

Agricultural importance

Nematodes as biological Pest control:

 Some predator nematodes attack and kill a range of pests such as borers, grubs, thrips and
beetles with negligible effects on other organisms.
 These nematodes are known as ‘entomopathogenic’ nematodes.

Improve soil fertility;

 Nematodes directly help in nutrient mineralization through their feeding interactions.

Decomposition of organic matters:

 Are very important and beneficial in the decomposition of organic material and the
recycling of nutrients in soil.

Plant parasitic nematodes:

 Some nematodes are plant parasites that infects roots of plants and damage crops.
Eg. Globodera
 Sometimes nematodes act as a vector for plant viruses. Eg. Nepo viruses, Tobraviruses.

Ecological importance.

 Beneficial to plant growth by aiding the cycling of nutrients due to their interaction with
other soil microbes (bacteria and fungi).
 Used as biological indicators.can be indicative of soil health.

Medical importance

Nematodes can cause a variety of diseases and parasitize many crop plants and domesticated
animals.

For example;-

 filariasis, infectious disorders caused by threadlike nematodes of the

superfamily Filarioidea that invade the subcutaneous tissues and lymphatics of mammals,
producing reactions varying from acute inflammation to chronic scarring.

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  Trichinosis, also called trichinellosis or trichiniasis, disorder resulting from infestation
with roundworms of genus Trichinella, especially the small roundworm T. spiralis.

Importance of nematodes in research

The biggest asset of this nematode is its transparency, which helps researchers to observe and
monitor changes within the animal with ease. It is also a simple organism with fewer than 1,000
cells and a genome of 20,000 genes.

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THE END

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