90-469: Ascaris is a nematode genus of parasitic worms known as the "small intestinal roundworms". One species, Ascaris lumbricoides , affects humans and causes the disease ascariasis . Another species, Ascaris suum , typically infects pigs . Other ascarid genera infect other animals, such as Parascaris equorum , the equine roundworm, and Toxocara and Toxascaris , which infect dogs and cats. Their eggs are deposited in feces and soil. Plants with
180-515: A monophyletic group, one that contains all and only descendants of a common ancestor that is itself a member of the group. The redefined Platyhelminthes is part of the Lophotrochozoa , one of the three main groups of more complex bilaterians. These analyses had concluded the redefined Platyhelminthes, excluding Acoelomorpha, consists of two monophyletic subgroups, Catenulida and Rhabditophora , with Cestoda, Trematoda and Monogenea forming
270-977: A phylogenetically more correct classification, where the massively polyphyletic "Turbellaria" was split into a dozen orders, and Trematoda, Monogenea and Cestoda were joined in the new order Neodermata . However, the classification presented here is the early, traditional, classification, as it still is the one used everywhere except in scientific articles. These have about 4,500 species, are mostly free-living, and range from 1 mm (0.04 in) to 600 mm (24 in) in length. Most are predators or scavengers, and terrestrial species are mostly nocturnal and live in shaded, humid locations, such as leaf litter or rotting wood. However, some are symbiotes of other animals, such as crustaceans , and some are parasites . Free-living turbellarians are mostly black, brown or gray, but some larger ones are brightly colored. The Acoela and Nemertodermatida were traditionally regarded as turbellarians, but are now regarded as members of
360-461: A phylum of relatively simple bilaterian , unsegmented , soft-bodied invertebrates . Being acoelomates (having no body cavity ), and having no specialised circulatory and respiratory organs , they are restricted to having flattened shapes that allow oxygen and nutrients to pass through their bodies by diffusion . The digestive cavity has only one opening for both ingestion (intake of nutrients) and egestion (removal of undigested wastes); as
450-458: A characteristically bent or fan-shaped tail. During copulation , one or more chitinized spicules move out of the cloaca and are inserted into the genital pore of the female. Amoeboid sperm crawl along the spicule into the female worm. Nematode sperm is thought to be the only eukaryotic cell without the globular protein G-actin . Eggs may be embryonated or unembryonated when passed by
540-458: A collaborative wiki called 959 Nematode Genomes is underway to improve the systematics of this phylum. An analysis of the mitochondrial DNA suggests that the following groupings are valid In 2022 a new classification of the entire phylum Nematoda was presented by M. Hodda. It was based on current molecular, developmental and morphological evidence. Under this classification, the following classes and subclasses are presented: Nematode eggs from
630-409: A few are internal parasites. Adult monogeneans have large attachment organs at the rear, known as haptors (Greek ἅπτειν, haptein , means "catch"), which have suckers , clamps , and hooks. They often have flattened bodies. In some species, the pharynx secretes enzymes to digest the host's skin, allowing the parasite to feed on blood and cellular debris. Others graze externally on mucus and flakes of
720-507: A fish where it penetrates the body and encysts in the flesh, then migrating to the small intestine of a land animal that eats the fish raw, finally generating eggs that are excreted and ingested by snails, thereby completing the cycle. A similar life cycle occurs with Opisthorchis viverrini , which is found in South East Asia and can infect the liver of humans, causing Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). Schistosomes, which cause
810-417: A free-living flatworm. In addition, the intermediate stages that live in snails reproduce asexually. Adults of different species infest different parts of the definitive host - for example the intestine , lungs , large blood vessels, and liver. The adults use a relatively large, muscular pharynx to ingest cells, cell fragments, mucus , body fluids or blood. In both the adult and snail-inhabiting stages,
900-483: A genetically determined correlation between DNA repair capacity and lifespan. In female C. elegans , germline processes that control DNA repair and formation of chromosomal crossovers during meiosis were shown to progressively deteriorate with age. Different free-living species feed on materials as varied as bacteria , algae , fungi , small animals, fecal matter, dead organisms, and living tissues. Free-living marine nematodes are important and abundant members of
990-534: A glandular and muscular ejaculatory duct associated with the vas deferens and cloaca . In females, the ovaries each open into an oviduct (in hermaphrodites, the eggs enter a spermatheca first) and then a glandular uterus . The uteri both open into a common vulva/vagina, usually located in the middle of the morphologically ventral surface. Reproduction is usually sexual, though hermaphrodites are capable of self-fertilization. Males are usually smaller than females or hermaphrodites (often much smaller) and often have
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#17327797019631080-445: A large ventral, a smaller dorsal and two pairs of sublateral cords extend posteriorly. Each nerve lies within a cord of connective tissue lying beneath the cuticle and between the muscle cells. The ventral nerve is the largest, and has a double structure forward of the excretory pore . The dorsal nerve is responsible for motor control, while the lateral nerves are sensory, and the ventral combines both functions. The nervous system
1170-541: A monophyletic subgroup within one branch of the Rhabditophora. Hence, the traditional platyhelminth subgroup "Turbellaria" is now regarded as paraphyletic , since it excludes the wholly parasitic groups, although these are descended from one group of "turbellarians". Two planarian species have been used successfully in the Philippines , Indonesia , Hawaii , New Guinea , and Guam to control populations of
1260-605: A pharynx that is eversible (can be extended by being turned inside-out), and the mouths of different species can be anywhere along the underside. The freshwater species Microstomum caudatum can open its mouth almost as wide as its body is long, to swallow prey about as large as itself. Predatory species in suborder Kalyptorhynchia often have a muscular pharynx equipped with hooks or teeth used for seizing prey. Most turbellarians have pigment-cup ocelli ("little eyes"); one pair in most species, but two or even three pairs in others. A few large species have many eyes in clusters over
1350-502: A pore on the underside of the animal, close to the pharynx. In most other nematodes, these specialized cells have been replaced by an organ consisting of two parallel ducts connected by a single transverse duct. This transverse duct opens into a common canal that runs to the excretory pore. At the anterior end of the animal a dense, circular nerve ring which serves as the brain surrounds the pharynx. From this ring six labial papillary nerve cords extend anteriorly, while six nerve cords;
1440-410: A range of reproductive modes, including sexual reproduction , facultative sexuality (in which most, but not all, generations reproduce asexually), and both meiotic and mitotic parthenogenesis . The genus Mesorhabditis exhibits an unusual form of parthenogenesis, in which sperm-producing males copulate with females, but the sperm do not fuse with the ovum. Contact with the sperm is essential for
1530-649: A result, the food can not be processed continuously. In traditional medicinal texts, Platyhelminthes are divided into Turbellaria , which are mostly non- parasitic animals such as planarians , and three entirely parasitic groups: Cestoda , Trematoda and Monogenea ; however, since the turbellarians have since been proven not to be monophyletic , this classification is now deprecated. Free-living flatworms are mostly predators, and live in water or in shaded, humid terrestrial environments, such as leaf litter . Cestodes (tapeworms) and trematodes (flukes) have complex life-cycles, with mature stages that live as parasites in
1620-420: A ring around the mouth and a larger sucker midway along what would be the underside in a free-living flatworm. Although the name "Digeneans" means "two generations", most have very complex life cycles with up to seven stages, depending on what combinations of environments the early stages encounter – the most important factor being whether the eggs are deposited on land or in water. The intermediate stages transfer
1710-469: A separate phylum, the Acoelomorpha , or as two separate phyla. Xenoturbella , a genus of very simple animals, has also been reclassified as a separate phylum. Some turbellarians have a simple pharynx lined with cilia and generally feed by using cilia to sweep food particles and small prey into their mouths, which are usually in the middle of their undersides. Most other turbellarians have
1800-454: A series of inhibitors to target digestive and immune-related host proteases , which include pepsin , trypsin , chymotrypsin / elastase , cathepsins , and metallocarboxypeptidases (MCPs). Ascaris species inhibit MCPs by releasing an enzyme known as Ascaris carboxypeptidase inhibitor (ACI). This enzyme binds to the active site of MCP and blocks the cleavage of its own proteins by the host MCP. Similarly, they inhibit trypsin by releasing
1890-710: A subgroup of seriates, are famous for their ability to regenerate if divided by cuts across their bodies. Experiments show that (in fragments that do not already have a head) a new head grows most quickly on those fragments which were originally located closest to the original head. This suggests the growth of a head is controlled by a chemical whose concentration diminishes throughout the organism, from head to tail. Many turbellarians clone themselves by transverse or longitudinal division, whilst others, reproduce by budding . The vast majority of turbellarians are hermaphrodites (they have both female and male reproductive cells) which fertilize eggs internally by copulation . Some of
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#17327797019631980-426: A synonym. However, in 1910, Grobben proposed the phylum Aschelminthes and the nematodes were included as class Nematoda along with class Rotifera, class Gastrotricha, class Kinorhyncha, class Priapulida, and class Nematomorpha (The phylum was later revived and modified by Libbie Henrietta Hyman in 1951 as Pseudoceolomata, but remained similar). In 1932, Potts elevated the class Nematoda to the level of phylum, leaving
2070-686: Is Bursaphelenchus xylophilus , the pine wood nematode, present in Asia and America and recently discovered in Europe. This nematode is transmitted from tree to tree by sawyer beetles ( Monochamus ). Platyhelminthe Traditional: Phylogenetic: The flatworms , flat worms , Platyhelminthes , or platyhelminths (from the Greek πλατύ, platy , meaning "flat" and ἕλμινς (root: ἑλμινθ-), helminth- , meaning " worm ") are
2160-481: Is a syncitium , which is a layer of cells that shares a single external membrane . Trematodes are divided into two groups, Digenea and Aspidogastrea (also known as Aspodibothrea). These are often called flukes, as most have flat rhomboid shapes like that of a flounder (Old English flóc ). There are about 11,000 species, more than all other platyhelminthes combined, and second only to roundworms among parasites on metazoans . Adults usually have two holdfasts:
2250-444: Is a lethal parasite of gastropods such as slugs and snails . Some members of the genus Steinernema such as Steinernema carpocapsae and Steinernema riobrave are generalist parasites of webworms , cutworms , armyworms , girdlers , some weevils , wood-borers and corn earworm moths . These organisms are grown commercially as biological pest control agents which can be used as an alternative to pesticides ; their use
2340-533: Is also the only place in the nematode body that contains cilia , which are all nonmotile and with a sensory function. The bodies of nematodes are covered in numerous sensory bristles and papillae that together provide a sense of touch. Behind the sensory bristles on the head lie two small pits, or ' amphids '. These are well supplied with nerve cells and are probably chemoreception organs. A few aquatic nematodes possess what appear to be pigmented eye-spots, but whether or not these are actually sensory in nature
2430-560: Is considered very safe. Plant-parasitic nematodes include several groups causing severe crop losses, taking 10% of crops worldwide every year. The most common genera are Aphelenchoides ( foliar nematodes ), Ditylenchus , Globodera (potato cyst nematodes), Heterodera (soybean cyst nematodes), Longidorus , Meloidogyne ( root-knot nematodes ), Nacobbus , Pratylenchus (lesion nematodes), Trichodorus , and Xiphinema (dagger nematodes). Several phytoparasitic nematode species cause histological damages to roots, including
2520-431: Is long, cylindrical, and fusiform (pointed at both the ends). The body wall is composed of cuticle , epidermis and musculature. There is a pseudocoelom . Respiration is by simple diffusion. The nervous system consists of a nerve ring and many longitudinal nerve cords. Reproduction is exclusively sexual, and males are usually shorter than females. As part of the parasite defense strategy, Ascaris roundworms secrete
2610-530: Is needed to keep the body fluids at the right concentration. These combinations of flame cells and tube cells are called protonephridia . In all platyhelminths, the nervous system is concentrated at the head end. Other platyhelminths have rings of ganglia in the head and main nerve trunks running along their bodies. Early classification divided the flatworms in four groups: Turbellaria, Trematoda, Monogenea and Cestoda. This classification had long been recognized to be artificial, and in 1985, Ehlers proposed
2700-460: Is often found at the tip of the tail. The epidermis is either a syncytium or a single layer of cells, and is covered by a thick collagenous cuticle . The cuticle is often of a complex structure and may have two or three distinct layers. Underneath the epidermis lies a layer of longitudinal muscle cells. The relatively rigid cuticle works with the muscles to create a hydroskeleton, as nematodes lack circumferential muscles. Projections run from
2790-447: Is often ornamented with ridges, rings, bristles, or other distinctive structures. The head of a nematode is relatively distinct. Whereas the rest of the body is bilaterally symmetrical, the head is radially symmetrical, with sensory bristles and, in many cases, solid 'head-shields' radiating outwards around the mouth. The mouth has either three or six lips, which often bear a series of teeth on their inner edges. An adhesive 'caudal gland'
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2880-402: Is present, with the pharynx connecting directly to a muscleless intestine that forms the main length of the gut. This produces further enzymes and also absorbs nutrients through its single-cell-thick lining. The last portion of the intestine is lined by a cuticle, forming a rectum , which expels waste through the anus just below and in front of the tip of the tail. The movement of food through
2970-455: Is unclear. Most nematode species are dioecious , with separate male and female individuals, though some, such as Caenorhabditis elegans , are androdioecious , consisting of hermaphrodites and rare males. Both sexes possess one or two tubular gonads . In males, the sperm are produced at the end of the gonad and migrate along its length as they mature. The testis opens into a relatively wide seminal vesicle and then during intercourse into
3060-546: The Moltrasio Formation , and the Rhynie chert , where the earliest known fossils are known from. Nematodes are very small, slender worms: typically about 5 to 100 μm thick, and 0.1 to 2.5 mm long. The smallest nematodes are microscopic, while free-living species can reach as much as 5 cm (2 in), and some parasitic species are larger still, reaching over 1 m (3 ft) in length. The body
3150-867: The Monhysterida representing a very ancient minor group of nematodes. Among the Secernentea, the Diplogasteria may need to be united with the Rhabditia , while the Tylenchia might be paraphyletic with the Rhabditia. The understanding of roundworm systematics and phylogeny as of 2002 is summarised below: Phylum Nematoda Later work has suggested the presence of 12 clades. The Secernentea—a group that includes virtually all major animal and plant 'nematode' parasites—apparently arose from within
3240-539: The Vermes . The name of the group Nematoda, informally called "nematodes", came from Nematoidea , originally defined by Karl Rudolphi (1808), from Ancient Greek νῆμα ( nêma, nêmatos , 'thread') and -ειδἠς ( -eidēs , 'species'). It was treated as family Nematodes by Burmeister (1837). At its origin, the "Nematoidea" erroneously included Nematodes and Nematomorpha , attributed by von Siebold (1843). Along with Acanthocephala , Trematoda , and Cestoidea , it formed
3330-459: The clades Ascaridina, Spirurina, and Trichocephalida have been discovered in coprolites from the Oligocene -aged Tremembé Formation, which represented a palaeolake in present-day São Paulo with a diverse fossil assemblage of birds, fish, and arthropods that lent itself to fostering high nematode diversity. Nematodes have also been found in various lagerstätten , such as Burmese amber ,
3420-748: The imported giant African snail Achatina fulica , which was displacing native snails. However, these planarians are themselves a serious threat to native snails and should not be used for biological control. In northwest Europe , there are concerns about the spread of the New Zealand planarian Arthurdendyus triangulatus , which preys on earthworms . Platyhelminthes are bilaterally symmetrical animals : their left and right sides are mirror images of each other; this also implies they have distinct top and bottom surfaces and distinct head and tail ends. Like other bilaterians , they have three main cell layers (endoderm, mesoderm , and ectoderm ), while
3510-651: The meiobenthos . They play an important role in the decomposition process, aid in recycling of nutrients in marine environments, and are sensitive to changes in the environment caused by pollution. One roundworm of note, C. elegans , lives in the soil and has found much use as a model organism . C. elegans has had its entire genome sequenced, the developmental fate of every cell determined, and every neuron mapped. Nematodes that commonly parasitise humans include ascarids ( Ascaris ), filarias , hookworms , pinworms ( Enterobius ), and whipworms ( Trichuris trichiura ). The species Trichinella spiralis , commonly known as
3600-484: The radially symmetrical cnidarians and ctenophores (comb jellies) have only two cell layers. Beyond that, they are "defined more by what they do not have than by any particular series of specializations." Unlike most other bilaterians, Platyhelminthes have no internal body cavity, so are described as acoelomates . Although the absence of a coelom also occurs in other bilaterians: gnathostomulids , gastrotrichs , xenacoelomorphs , cycliophorans , entoproctans and
3690-413: The uterus until they hatch. The juvenile nematodes then ingest the parent nematode. This process is significantly promoted in environments with a low food supply. The nematode model species C. elegans , C. briggsae , and Pristionchus pacificus , among other species, exhibit androdioecy , which is otherwise very rare among animals. The single genus Meloidogyne (root-knot nematodes) exhibits
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3780-565: The Adenophorea were not in a uniform group. Initial studies of incomplete DNA sequences suggested the existence of five clades : The Secernentea seem to be a natural group of close relatives, while the "Adenophorea" appear to be a paraphyletic assemblage of roundworms that retain a good number of ancestral traits . The old Enoplia do not seem to be monophyletic, either, but do contain two distinct lineages. The old group " Chromadoria " seems to be another paraphyletic assemblage, with
3870-459: The Adenophorea. In 2019, a study identified one conserved signature indel (CSI) found exclusively in members of the phylum Nematoda through comparative genetic analyses. The CSI consists of a single amino acid insertion within a conserved region of a Na(+)/H(+) exchange regulatory factor protein NRFL-1 and is a molecular marker that distinguishes the phylum from other species. A major effort by
3960-605: The Introverta—depending on the validity of the former—are often ranked as a superphylum . For an up-to-date view (as of 2022), see Phylogenomic Analysis of the Phylum Nematoda: Conflicts and Congruences With Morphology, 18S rRNA, and Mitogenomes . Due to the lack of knowledge regarding many nematodes, their systematics is contentious. An early and influential classification was proposed by Chitwood and Chitwood —later revised by Chitwood —who divided
4050-696: The Nematoda has always been considered to be well resolved. Morphological characters and molecular phylogenies agree with placement of the roundworms as a sister taxon to the parasitic Nematomorpha ; together, they make up the Nematoida . Along with the Scalidophora (formerly Cephalorhyncha), the Nematoida form the clade Cycloneuralia , but much disagreement occurs both between and among the available morphological and molecular data. The Cycloneuralia or
4140-490: The adult form after attaching to a suitable host. Because they do not have internal body cavities , Platyhelminthes were regarded as a primitive stage in the evolution of bilaterians (animals with bilateral symmetry and hence with distinct front and rear ends). However, analyses since the mid-1980s have separated out one subgroup, the Acoelomorpha , as basal bilaterians – closer to the original bilaterians than to any other modern groups. The remaining Platyhelminthes form
4230-630: The ancestral protostome Hox genotype, which shows that the reduction has occurred within the nematode phylum. Nematode species can be difficult to distinguish from one another. Consequently, estimates of the number of nematode species are uncertain. A 2013 survey of animal biodiversity published in the mega journal Zootaxa puts this figure at over 25,000. Estimates of the total number of extant species are subject to even greater variation. A widely referenced article published in 1993 estimated there may be over 1 million species of nematode. A subsequent publication challenged this claim, estimating
4320-408: The animal can thrust into its prey. In some species, the style is hollow and can be used to suck liquids from plants or animals. The oral cavity opens into a muscular, sucking pharynx , also lined with cuticle. Digestive glands are found in this region of the gut, producing enzymes that start to break down the food. In stylet-bearing species, these may even be injected into the prey. No stomach
4410-465: The bee less active, thus less effective in pollen collection. Depending on its species, a nematode may be beneficial or detrimental to plant health. From agricultural and horticulture perspectives, the two categories of nematodes are the predatory ones, which kill garden pests; and the pest nematodes, which attack plants, or act as vectors spreading plant viruses between crop plants. Predatory nematodes include Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita which
4500-399: The brain, mounted on tentacles, or spaced uniformly around the edge of the body. The ocelli can only distinguish the direction from which light is coming to enable the animals to avoid it. A few groups have statocysts - fluid-filled chambers containing a small, solid particle or, in a few groups, two. These statocysts are thought to function as balance and acceleration sensors, as they perform
4590-402: The cause of soil-transmitted helminthiases . They are taxonomically classified along with arthropods , tardigrades and other moulting animals in the clade Ecdysozoa . Unlike the vaguely similar flatworms , nematodes have a tubular digestive system , with openings at both ends. Like tardigrades, they have a reduced number of Hox genes , but their sister phylum Nematomorpha has kept
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#17327797019634680-477: The devastating tropical disease bilharzia , also belong to this group. Adults range between 0.2 mm (0.0079 in) and 6 mm (0.24 in) in length. Individual adult digeneans are of a single sex, and in some species slender females live in enclosed grooves that run along the bodies of the males, partially emerging to lay eggs. In all species the adults have complex reproductive systems, capable of producing between 10,000 and 100,000 times as many eggs as
4770-495: The digestive system is the result of the body movements of the worm. The intestine has valves or sphincters at either end to help control food movement through the body. Nitrogenous waste is excreted in the form of ammonia through the body wall, and is not associated with any specific organs. However, the structures for excreting salt to maintain osmoregulation are typically more complex. In many marine nematodes, one or two unicellular ' renette glands ' excrete salt through
4860-461: The digestive systems of fish or land vertebrates , and intermediate stages that infest secondary hosts. The eggs of trematodes are excreted from their main hosts, whereas adult cestodes generate vast numbers of hermaphroditic , segment-like proglottids that detach when mature, are excreted, and then release eggs. Unlike the other parasitic groups, the monogeneans are external parasites infesting aquatic animals , and their larvae metamorphose into
4950-409: The eggs on them infect any organism that consumes them. A. lumbricoides is the largest intestinal roundworm and is the most common helminth infection of humans worldwide. Infestation can cause morbidity by compromising nutritional status, affecting cognitive processes, inducing tissue reactions such as granuloma to larval stages, and by causing intestinal obstruction , which can be fatal. The body
5040-445: The eggshell is complicated and includes several layers; a detailed anatomical and terminological framework has been proposed for these layers in 2023. Nematodes as a whole possess a wide range of modes of reproduction. Some nematodes, such as Heterorhabditis spp., undergo a process called endotokia matricida : intrauterine birth causing maternal death. Some nematodes are hermaphroditic , and keep their self-fertilized eggs inside
5130-429: The external syncytium absorbs dissolved nutrients from the host. Adult digeneans can live without oxygen for long periods. Members of this small group have either a single divided sucker or a row of suckers that cover the underside. They infest the guts of bony or cartilaginous fish, turtles, or the body cavities of marine and freshwater bivalves and gastropods . Their eggs produce ciliated swimming larvae, and
5220-426: The female, meaning their fertilized eggs may not yet be developed. A few species are known to be ovoviviparous . The eggs are protected by an outer shell, secreted by the uterus. In free-living roundworms, the eggs hatch into larvae , which appear essentially identical to the adults, except for an underdeveloped reproductive system; in parasitic roundworms, the lifecycle is often much more complicated. The structure of
5310-479: The figure to be at least 40,000 species. Although the highest estimates (up to 100 million species) have since been deprecated, estimates supported by rarefaction curves , together with the use of DNA barcoding and the increasing acknowledgment of widespread cryptic species among nematodes, have placed the figure closer to 1 million species. Nematodes have successfully adapted to nearly every ecosystem : from marine (salt) to fresh water, soils, from
5400-400: The first used term in case of synonyms. The phylogenetic relationships of the nematodes and their close relatives among the protostomian Metazoa are unresolved. Traditionally, they were held to be a lineage of their own, but in the 1990s, they were proposed to form the group Ecdysozoa together with moulting animals, such as arthropods . The identity of the closest living relatives of
5490-490: The formation of visible galls (e.g. by root-knot nematodes), which are useful characters for their diagnostic in the field. Some nematode species transmit plant viruses through their feeding activity on roots. One of them is Xiphinema index , vector of grapevine fanleaf virus , an important disease of grapes, another one is Xiphinema diversicaudatum , vector of arabis mosaic virus . Other nematodes attack bark and forest trees. The most important representative of this group
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#17327797019635580-473: The genera occur as parasites of vertebrates ; about 35 nematode species occur in humans. The word nematode comes from the Modern Latin compound of nemat- 'thread' (from Greek nema , genitive nematos 'thread', from the stem nein 'to spin'; cf. needle ) + -odes 'like, of the nature of' (cf. -oid ). In 1758, Linnaeus described some nematode genera (e.g., Ascaris ), then included in
5670-509: The gut or pharynx (throat). All animals need to keep the concentration of dissolved substances in their body fluids at a fairly constant level. Internal parasites and free-living marine animals live in environments with high concentrations of dissolved material, and generally let their tissues have the same level of concentration as the environment, while freshwater animals need to prevent their body fluids from becoming too dilute. Despite this difference in environments, most platyhelminths use
5760-442: The host, and also disguises it chemically to avoid attacks by the host's immune system . Shortage of carbohydrates in the host's diet stunts the growth of parasites and may even kill them. Their metabolisms generally use simple but inefficient chemical processes, compensating for this inefficiency by consuming large amounts of food relative to their physical size. In the majority of species, known as eucestodes ("true tapeworms"),
5850-531: The hosts' skins. The name "Monogenea" is based on the fact that these parasites have only one nonlarval generation. These are often called tapeworms because of their flat, slender but very long bodies – the name " cestode " is derived from the Latin word cestus , which means "tape". The adults of all 3,400 cestode species are internal parasites. Cestodes have no mouths or guts, and the syncitial skin absorbs nutrients – mainly carbohydrates and amino acids – from
5940-450: The infected ants for berries, and eat them. Parasite eggs passed in the bird's feces are subsequently collected by foraging C. atratus and are fed to their larvae , thus completing the lifecycle of M. neotropicum . Similarly, multiple varieties of nematodes have been found in the abdominal cavities of the primitively social sweat bee, Lasioglossum zephyrus . Inside the female body, the nematode hinders ovarian development and renders
6030-418: The inner surface of muscle cells towards the nerve cords ; this is a unique arrangement in the animal kingdom, in which nerve cells normally extend fibers into the muscles rather than vice versa . The oral cavity is lined with cuticles, which are often strengthened with structures, such as ridges, especially in carnivorous species, which may bear several teeth. The mouth often includes a sharp stylet , which
6120-561: The large species have flat ribbon-like or leaf-like shapes. Because there is no circulatory system which can transport nutrients around, the guts of large species have many branches, allowing the nutrients to diffuse to all parts of the body. Respiration through the whole surface of the body makes them vulnerable to fluid loss, and restricts them to environments where dehydration is unlikely: sea and freshwater, moist terrestrial environments such as leaf litter or between grains of soil, and as parasites within other animals. The space between
6210-463: The larger aquatic species mate by penis fencing – a duel in which each tries to impregnate the other, and the loser adopts the female role of developing the eggs. In most species, "miniature adults" emerge when the eggs hatch, but a few large species produce plankton -like larvae . These parasites' name refers to the cavities in their holdfasts (Greek τρῆμα, hole), which resemble suckers and anchor them within their hosts. The skin of all species
6300-459: The life cycle has one or two hosts. Cercomeromorpha contains parasites attach themselves to their hosts by means of disks that bear crescent-shaped hooks. They are divided into the Monogenea and Cestoda groupings. Of about 1,100 species of monogeneans , most are external parasites that require particular host species - mainly fish, but in some cases amphibians or aquatic reptiles. However,
6390-475: The mouth. The genus Paracatenula , whose members include tiny flatworms living in symbiosis with bacteria, is even missing a mouth and a gut. However, some long species have an anus and some with complex, branched guts have more than one anus, since excretion only through the mouth would be difficult for them. The gut is lined with a single layer of endodermal cells that absorb and digest food. Some species break up and soften food first by secreting enzymes in
6480-437: The name the same. Despite Potts' classification being equivalent to Cobbs', both names have been used (and are still used today) and Nematode became a popular term in zoological science. Since Cobb was the first to include nematodes in a particular phylum separated from Nematomorpha, some researchers consider the valid taxon name to be Nemates or Nemata, rather than Nematoda, because of the zoological rule that gives priority to
6570-439: The neck produces a chain of segments called proglottids via a process known as strobilation . As a result, the most mature proglottids are furthest from the scolex. Adults of Taenia saginata , which infests humans, can form proglottid chains over 20 metres (66 ft) long, although 4 metres (13 ft) is more typical. Each proglottid has both male and female reproductive organs. If the host's gut contains two or more adults of
6660-465: The nemas and gordiids was realized by Vejdovsky when he named a group to contain the horsehair worms the order Nematomorpha. In 1919, Nathan Cobb proposed that nematodes should be recognized alone as a phylum. He argued they should be called "nema" in English rather than "nematodes" and defined the taxon Nemates (later emended as Nemata, Latin plural of nema ), listing Nematoidea sensu restricto as
6750-411: The obsolete group Entozoa , created by Rudolphi (1808). They were also classed along with Acanthocephala in the obsolete phylum Nemathelminthes by Gegenbaur (1859). In 1861, K. M. Diesing treated the group as order Nematoda. In 1877, the taxon Nematoidea, including the family Gordiidae (horsehair worms), was promoted to the rank of phylum by Ray Lankester . The first clear distinction between
6840-491: The ovum to begin dividing, but because no fusion of the cells occurs, the male contributes no genetic material to the offspring, which are essentially clones of the female. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is often used as a model organism for studying aging at the molecular level. For example, in C. elegans aging negatively impacts DNA repair , and mutants of C. elegans that are long-lived were shown to have increased DNA repair capability. These findings suggest
6930-420: The parasites from one host to another. The definitive host in which adults develop is a land vertebrate; the earliest host of juvenile stages is usually a snail that may live on land or in water, whilst in many cases, a fish or arthropod is the second host. For example, the adjoining illustration shows the life cycle of the intestinal fluke metagonimus , which hatches in the intestine of a snail, then moves to
7020-455: The parastic mesozoans . They also lack specialized circulatory and respiratory organs, both of these facts are defining features when classifying a flatworm's anatomy . Their bodies are soft and unsegmented. The lack of circulatory and respiratory organs limits platyhelminths to sizes and shapes that enable oxygen to reach and carbon dioxide to leave all parts of their bodies by simple diffusion . Hence, many are microscopic, and
7110-422: The phylum into two classes— Aphasmidia and Phasmidia . These were later renamed Adenophorea (gland bearers) and Secernentea (secretors), respectively. The Secernentea share several characteristics, including the presence of phasmids , a pair of sensory organs located in the lateral posterior region, and this was used as the basis for this division. This scheme was adhered to in many later classifications, though
7200-504: The polar regions to the tropics, as well as the highest to the lowest of elevations. They are ubiquitous in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments, where they often outnumber other animals in both individual and species counts, and are found in locations as diverse as mountains, deserts, and oceanic trenches . They are found in every part of the Earth's lithosphere , even at great depths, 0.9–3.6 km (3,000–12,000 ft) below
7290-580: The protein Ascaris Trypsin Inhibitor ( pdb 1ATA ). Ascaris has been present in humans for at least several thousand years, as evidenced by Ascaris eggs found in paleofeces and in the intestines of mummified humans . A. lumbricoides was originally called Lumbricus teres and was first described in detail by Edward Tyson in 1683. The genus Ascaris was originally described as the genus for Ascaris lumbricoides by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The morphologically similar Ascaris suum
7380-618: The same cestode species they generally fertilize each other, however, proglottids of the same worm can fertilize each other and even themselves. When the eggs are fully developed, the proglottids separate and are excreted by the host. The eucestode life cycle is less complex than that of digeneans , but varies depending on the species. For example: Members of the smaller group known as Cestodaria have no scolex, do not produce proglottids, and have body shapes similar to those of diageneans. Cestodarians parasitize fish and turtles. The relationships of Platyhelminthes to other Bilateria are shown in
7470-495: The same system to control the concentration of their body fluids. Flame cells , so called because the beating of their flagella looks like a flickering candle flame, extract from the mesenchyme water that contains wastes and some reusable material, and drive it into networks of tube cells which are lined with flagella and microvilli . The tube cells' flagella drive the water towards exits called nephridiopores , while their microvilli reabsorb reusable materials and as much water as
7560-425: The same way in cnidarian medusae and in ctenophores . However, turbellarian statocysts have no sensory cilia, so the way they sense the movements and positions of solid particles is unknown. On the other hand, most have ciliated touch-sensor cells scattered over their bodies, especially on tentacles and around the edges. Specialized cells in pits or grooves on the head are most likely smell sensors. Planarians ,
7650-658: The skin and gut is filled with mesenchyme , also known as parenchyma , a connective tissue made of cells and reinforced by collagen fibers that act as a type of skeleton , providing attachment points for muscles . The mesenchyme contains all the internal organs and allows the passage of oxygen, nutrients and waste products. It consists of two main types of cell: fixed cells, some of which have fluid-filled vacuoles ; and stem cells , which can transform into any other type of cell, and are used in regenerating tissues after injury or asexual reproduction . Most platyhelminths have no anus and regurgitate undigested material through
7740-843: The surface of the Earth in gold mines in South Africa. They represent 90% of all animals on the ocean floor . In total, 4.4 × 10 nematodes inhabit the Earth's topsoil, or approximately 60 billion for each human, with the highest densities observed in tundra and boreal forests. Their numerical dominance, often exceeding a million individuals per square meter and accounting for about 80% of all individual animals on Earth, their diversity of lifecycles, and their presence at various trophic levels point to an important role in many ecosystems. They have been shown to play crucial roles in polar ecosystems. The roughly 2,271 genera are placed in 256 families . The many parasitic forms include pathogens in most plants and animals. A third of
7830-414: The trichina worm, occurs in rats, pigs, bears, and humans, and is responsible for the disease trichinosis . Baylisascaris usually infests wild animals, but can be deadly to humans, as well. Dirofilaria immitis is known for causing heartworm disease by inhabiting the hearts, arteries, and lungs of dogs and some cats. Haemonchus contortus is one of the most abundant infectious agents in sheep around
7920-452: The wasp, and their offspring await the birth of the next generation of wasps as the fig ripens. A parasitic tetradonematid nematode discovered in 2005, Myrmeconema neotropicum , induces fruit mimicry in the tropical ant Cephalotes atratus . Infected ants develop bright red gasters (abdomens), tend to be more sluggish, and walk with their gasters in a conspicuous elevated position. These changes likely cause frugivorous birds to confuse
8010-432: The world, causing great economic damage to sheep. In contrast, entomopathogenic nematodes parasitize insects and are mostly considered beneficial by humans, but some attack beneficial insects. One form of nematode is entirely dependent upon fig wasps , which are the sole source of fig fertilization. They prey upon the wasps, riding them from the ripe fig of the wasp's birth to the fig flower of its death, where they kill
8100-523: Was described from pigs by Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1782. Nematode (see text ) The nematodes ( / ˈ n ɛ m ə t oʊ d z / NEM -ə-tohdz or NEEM - ; ‹See Tfd› Greek : Νηματώδη ; Latin : Nematoda ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda . They are a diverse animal phylum inhabiting a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms , but many species are parasitic . The parasitic worms ( helminths ) are
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