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BIOLOGY CLASS NOTES
TOPIC: Animal Kingdom Lecture No.: 01
• In spite of differences in structure and form of
different animals, there are fundamental
features common to various individuals in
relation to the arrangement of cells, body
symmetry, nature of coelom, patterns of

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digestive, circulatory or reproductive systems.
• These features are used as the basis of animal
classification.

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Levels of Organisation

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• Though all members of Animalia are multicellular, all of them do not exhibit the
same pattern of organisation of

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cells.
• For example, in sponges, the cells
are arranged as loose cell
aggregates, i.e., they exhibit
cellular level of organisation.
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• Some division of labour (activities)

occur among the cells.
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• In coelenterates, the arrangement of

cells is more complex.
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• Here the cells performing the

same function are arranged into
tissues, hence is called tissue level
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of organisation.
• A still higher level of organisation,
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i.e., organ level is exhibited by

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members of Platyhelminthes and other higher phyla where tissues are grouped
together to form organs, each specialised for a particular function.
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In animals like Annelids, Arthropods, Molluscs, Echinoderms and Chordates,
organs have associated to form functional systems, each system concerned with a
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specific physiological function.
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• This pattern is called organ system level of organisation.

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• Organ systems in different groups of animals exhibit various patterns of
complexities.
• For example, the digestive system in Platyhelminthes has only a single opening to
the outside of the body that serves as both mouth and anus, and is hence called
incomplete.
• A complete digestive system has two openings, mouth and anus.

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Similarly, the circulatory system may be of two types:
• (i) OPEN TYPE in which the blood is pumped out of the heart and the cells and
tissues are directly bathed in it and
• (ii) CLOSED TYPE in which the blood is circulated through a series of vessels of
varying diameters (arteries, veins and capillaries).

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SYMMETRY
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• Animals can be categorised on the basis of their symmetry.
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• Sponges are mostly asymmetrical, i.e., any plane that passes through the centre
does not divide them into equal halves.
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• When any plane passing through the central axis of the body divides the organism
into two identical halves, it is called radial symmetry.
• Coelenterates, ctenophores and echinoderms have this kind of body plan.
• Animals like annelids, arthropods, etc., where the body can be divided into
identical left and right halves in only one plane, exhibit bilateral symmetry

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DIPLOBLASTIC AND
TRIPLOBLASTIC
ORGANISATION

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• Animals in which the cells
are arranged in two

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embryonic layers, an

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external ectoderm and an
internal endoderm, are
called diploblastic
animals,
• e.g., coelenterates.
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• An undifferentiated layer,
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mesoglea, is present in
between the ectoderm and
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the endoderm.
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Those animals in which the developing embryo has a third germinal layer,
mesoderm, in between the ectoderm and endoderm, are called triploblastic
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animals (Platyhelminthes to chordates).

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COELOM
• Presence or absence of a cavity between the body wall and the gut wall is very

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important in classification.

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• The body cavity, which is lined by
mesoderm is called coelom.
• Animals possessing coelom are called
COELOMATES, e.g., annelids, molluscs,
arthropods, echinoderms, hemichordates
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and chordates
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• In some animals, the body cavity is

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not lined by mesoderm, instead, the

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mesoderm is present as scattered
pouches in between the ectoderm and
endoderm. Such a body cavity is called
PSEUDOCOELOM and the animals
possessing them are called
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pseudocoelomates, e.g., aschelminthes

• The animals in which the body cavity is
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absent are called ACOELOMATES, e.g.,

platyhelminthes.
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 SEGMENTATION
• In some animals, the body is externally
and internally divided into segments
with a serial repetition of at least some
organs.
• For example, in earthworm, the body
shows this pattern called metameric
segmentation and the phenomenon is
known as METAMERISM.

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NOTOCHORD
• Notochord is a mesodermally derived
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rod-like structure formed on the dorsal

side during embryonic development in
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some animals.
• Animals with notochord are called
CHORDATES and those animals which
do not form this structure are called
NON-CHORDATES, e.g., porifera to
echinoderms.

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 CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMALS

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• A coelom is a cavity lined by an epithelium derived from mesoderm.
• Invertebrates à Mesothelium
• Vertebrates à Peritonium
• Organs formed inside a coelom can freely move, grow, and develop independently
of the body wall while fluid cushions and protects them from shocks.
• A coelom is a hollow or fluid-filled cavity found in many living things, where it acts
as a protective cushion for their internal organs.
• In some animals, such as worms, the coelom acts as a skeleton.
• The coelom also allows the internal organs to move and grow independently of the
outer layer of the body wall.

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• A notochord is a primitive beginning to the backbone.

• It appears in embryos as a small flexible rod made from cells from the mesoderm,
which is one of the three layers of cells of embryos.
• Notochords are only found in the phylum chordata, a group of animals that
includes humans.

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• In fact, it is the defining feature of that particular phylum.
• Notochords, and furthermore backbones, are what separate us from the more
primitive living creatures that we encounter.
• The notochord is oriented head to tail and is found between the digestive tube and
the nerve cord.
• Since it is composed of stiffer tissue, it allows for skeletal support of the organism.
• In certain chordates, like the lamprey and the sturgeon, the notochord remains
there for life.
• In vertebrates, such as humans, a more complex backbone appears with only
portions of the notochord remaining.
• As our backbone fully forms, the discs in our back is where the pieces of notochord

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are found as a sort of gelatinous material.
•

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• CEPHALIZATION is an evolutionary trend in which, over many generations, the

mouth, sense organs, and nerve ganglia become concentrated at the front end of
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an animal, producing a head region. This is associated with movement and

bilateral symmetry, such that the animal has a definite head end.
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 Appendages
• Projecting parts of the body
• Tentacles
• Setae
• Parapodia
• Antennae
• Legs
• Wings
• fins
• Used for specific
functions

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• Feeding
• Locomotion
• Sensation

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Important Point from PYQs

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• Biologist E O Wilson has called non chordates as “Little things which run the

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world” because of their number, variety and influence on the larger organisms
and even entire ecosystem.
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