Phylum Nematoda
Phylum Nematoda
Phylum Nematoda
Nemat
oda
“Nematoda”
Came from the Greek words:
‘Nema’ - thread
‘Eidos’ - form
The Nematodes are also called
‘round worms’.
They are one of the most common
phyla of animals, with 80,000
different described species (of which
over 15,000 are parasitic).
They are ubiquitous in freshwater,
marine, and terrestrial environments,
and are found in locations as diverse as
Antarctica and oceanic trenches.
Structure and Function in
Nematodes
Nematodes are cylindrical,
unsegmented worms with bilateral
symmetry.
An important difference between
nematodes and flatworms is the presence
of a one-way, complete digestive system.
Wastes leave the body through a
separate opening at the posterior
end.
A one-way digestive tract enabled
the evolution of specialized areas of
the digestive system.
The digestive tract of a nematode
consists of a mouth, a muscular pharynx,
a long intestine, and an anus.
A one way digestive tract is capable of carrying
out more complete digestion of food than a two-
way tract.
Another way nematodes and
flatworms is that nematodes have a
pseudocoelom.
*A pseudocoelom is a partially lined
body cavity.
Haemonchus contortus is
one of the most abundant
infectious agents in sheep
around the world, causing
great economic damage
to sheep farms.
In contrast, entomopathogenic
nematodes parasitize insects and are
considered by humans to be beneficial.
Plant parasitic nematodes include several
groups causing severe crop losses.