Phylum Echinodermata

Overview
The word is derived from

the Greek , "spiny skin" Vernacular Names: echinoderms, spinyskinned animals Echinoderms (Phylum Echinode rmata) are a phylum of marine animals. Echinoderms are found at every ocean depth, from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone phylum contains about 7,000 living species, making it the second-largest grouping of deuterostomes, after the chordates

Common caracteristic of echinoderms

bony ossicles in their body. They have a water-vascular

system which pumps water through the madroporite. They also have small jaws that are supported by the water-vascular system. they have tube feet which they use to attach to objects, for protection, as well as to obtain food. They have radial symmetry and most can regenerate lost limbs.

Types of echinoderms

Asteroidea--Starfish or Sea Stars

Ophiuroidea--Brittle Stars

Holothuroidea--Sea Cucumbers

Crinoidea--Feather Stars

Echinoidea Sea Urchins-

Concentricycloidea (sea daisies0)

Regeneration
Many echinoderms have

remarkable powers of regeneration Sea cucumbers often discharge parts of their internal organs if they perceive danger. Sea urchins are constantly replacing spines lost through damage. Sea stars (asterozoa) and Sea lillys (crinozoa) readily lose and regenerate their arms. regeneration of lost parts involves both epimorphosis and morphall axis

Support and Locomotion

General body shape and structural support of echinoderm are maintained primarily by skeletal

elements.(except holothurians) ossicles

Feeding and Digestion

Crinoids and some brittle stars

tend to be passive filter-feeders absorbing suspended particles from passing water sea urchins are grazers scraping off the thin layer of algae covering the surfaces. sea cucumbers are deposit feeders , sucking vast quantities of sea water through their guts and absorbing any useful matter Sea stars are active hunters. attacking other sea stars or shellfish

Feeding
have a very short digestive

system. -the digestive glands have extra surface area for absorption of nutrients. have two stomachs, the cardiac and pyloric stomachs. It varies which stomach digests which food, but some starfish can remove their cardiac stomachs from their main body's in order to externally digest

Respiration
An echinoderm uses

some of the bumps or spines on its surface take in oxygen. Echinoderms also have series of very small gills, which are able to take in oxygen. The respiratory system of echinoderms in poorly developed. example of gills on a echinodermata

example of gills on a echinodermata

 Osmotic Balance Are Osmoconformers( iso

osmotic to their surroundings to maintain osmotic balance. do not tend to gain or lose water to their environments. are stenohalines; they can't tolerate large changes in external osmolarity. Self Protection skin is covered in a series of spiny protrusions unpleasant taste.

Sensing the Environment -sense their environment by

touch

Sexual Reproduction
Echinoderms become sexually

mature after approximately two to three years, depending on the species and the environmental conditions The eggs and sperm cells are released into open water, where fertilization takes place In some species of feather star, the embryos develop in special breeding bags, where the eggs are held until sperm released by a male happen to find them and fertilize the contents.

Asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction by fission holothuroidea (Sea cucumbers) In most of these species, they

reproduce by transverse fissionwith the disc splitting in two. rewgrowth of disc and arm giving an animal with some large arms and some small arms during the period of growth. Though in most species at least part of the disc is needed for complete regeneration, in a few species of sea stars a single severed arm can grow into a complete individual over a period of several months

Uses
sometimes pose a health

threat to humans also elements of many cuisinesth Asian -consumed particularly in Japan, Peru, Spain and Fran ce & so used as a source of lime by farmers in areas where limestone is unavailable Sea-urchin and sand dollar skeletons are popular collectibles, as are dried starfish