BIOB34H3 Lecture Notes - Filter Feeder, Agnatha, Suction Cup
Document Summary
Feeding is the process of obtaining nutrients. Slide 3: feeding methods- passive absorption through body wall. Endoparasites, surrounded by gut fluids of their hosts. Tapeworms are endoparasites (they live in the gut of the host). They hold on to one spot in the intestine with their mouth and absorb nutrients right across their body walls. The head end is called scolex which has sucking discs which can bite on to intestinal wall and hold on while the rest of the body floats in the nutrient rich fluid. These tapeworms have repeating segments, each is called a proglottid. The stuff inside the proglottid is filled with gonads so they have a huge capacity to reproduce. These tapeworms are primarily gutless, meaning none of their ancestors ever had a gut. These tapeworms evolve from ancestors that never had a gut. Slide 4: feeding methods- passive absorption through body wall.