#nematoda

[animalshowdown]

Phylum Round 1

Annelida: Segmented Worms. This group includes earthworms, leeches, and many classes under the umbrella of "polychaete". This diverse phylum encompasses deposit feeders (eating dirt), detritivores, scavengers, deadly ambush predators, filter feeders, parasites, herbivores, and more. They are broadly defined by their repeating body segments and parapodia, which are nubby appendages used for both movement and breathing. Some have curved jaws for catching prey or scraping detritus off of rocks, while others have wide, elaborate feather-like fans for filter feeding. While able to crawl freely, a majority of marine Annelids spend most of their time in self-built tubes or burrows. Among their many important functions, they play a key role in mixing soil/sediment, breaking down decaying organic matter, and providing a key food source to countless other animals.

Nematoda: Roundworms. Split between free-living and parasitic, terrestrial and aquatic, Nematodes inhabit just about every environment on Earth. Nematologist Nathan Cobb once said (paraphrased) that if all matter on Earth disappeared besides Nematodes, we would still be able to identify where everything used to be, simply by the thin layer of nematodes left behind. In the harsh environment of Antarctica's Dry Valleys, these worms dominate the relatively barren ecosystem. The roundworm C. elegans is a widely-studied model organism in science and medicine. Nematodes are also known to parasitize humans, due to their ability to enter a dormant larval state within the muscle of a carrier animal. This is part of why we fully cook pork; to kill any parasites in the meat.

[reanimateobjects]

[forms-and-phyla]

Phylum #12: Nematoda, the roundworms!

Imagine for one second if the entire world disappeared. Except for roundworms. Then, we would still see through them the ghostly outlines of forests, rivers, cities, and even people. Numbering in the hundred billion billions, nematodes are by far the most abundant phylum on Earth. Easily overlooked, but truly everywhere.

With their abundance comes a huge amount of different species. More than 20 thousand species are already known, with more than a million estimated to exist in total. Either parasitic or free-living, they are found in virtually every environment, from the poles to the tropics and from mountaintops to seafloor.

Most are superficially very similar, sharing the same round worm body plan with a soft, unsegmented cuticle that must be shed. This phenomenon, called cryptic diversity, is also known from other phyla like placozoans. A single morphological "species" can easily reveal itself to be a massive lineage of genetically distinct species.

Despite the staggering amount of nematode species, one in particular is crucial to scientific research. Caenorhabditis elegans is the prototypical model organism, having had its genome sequenced and the fate of every single one of its cells determined, including its connectome or "neuron map". From spaceflight to medical research, C. elegans has been at the forefront of numerous studies, making it possibly the most well-understood animal ever.

[drhoz]

#1900 - Mermithid Nematode

Photo by Marty Moore, in Ashford, New South Wales, who found this unfortunate Huntsman Spider in his dog’s water bowl, and the chest-bursting nematode that was probably hoping the spider had flung itself into a creek. 

Like the better known Gordion or Horsehair Worms of the Order Nematomorpha, Mermithids are parasites, mainly of arthropods. Most species are known from insects, including at least 25 that are known from mosquito larvae, but some are recorded from spiders (as here), scorpions, and crustaceans. A few are known from segmented worms (earthworms and leeches) and molluscs. Taxonomically they’re not well understood, being almost entirely lacking in anatomical features, and they’re usually collected by entomologists rather than nematode specialists. 

As with the Horsehair Worms, some Mermithids can alter the host behaviour when they’re ready to emerge and lay their eggs, making the animal desperately thirsty by altering the osmolytic balance. The newly hatched larva are free-living, and immediately seek out a suitable host. If the host is an aquatic insect with a flying adult, they can then jump hosts as their initial host is eaten by a predator like the spider here. 

Others live on land, emerging with rain to climb vegetation and lay their eggs where they may get eaten - the eggs possess long branching filaments to help them stick. 

[obligate-parasite]

I'M FEEDING ME AND MY WORMS!

(me, getting myself 2 make a responsible supper)

[krystal-prisms]

I'm gonna ruin apple cider vinegar for you

[subnautica-reviews]

[thisgirlisonfayeeer]

BAU!Reader Instagram (Pt. II)

note: aaahh!! thank you for the love for my first post! I'm quite fond of the instagram format posts so here's more 🥹🫶🏼

______________________________________

mrshotch

BAU Jet

Liked by ahotchner, emprentiss and 24 others

mrshotch my team favorites ❤️

bbgirlgarcia I miss my kisses @/derekmorgan! 🥺

derekmorgan @/bbgirlgarcia almost home babygirl 😘

mrshotchner i left my phone for 5 minutes @/derekmorgan!! 😤 you two look cute though won't delete

jjlamontagne @/mrshotch right???

derekmorgan @/mrshotch 😇

emprentiss awww yuck i know for a fact I'm @/mrshotch's favorite

mrshotch @/emprentiss yes you are and I already miss you so much!!

ahotchner @/mrshotch not your husband?

mrshotch @/ahotchner you're also my boss so no 😁

derekmorgan smells like trouble in paradise 🫢

2 days ago

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mrshotch

Banff

Liked by dave.rossi, dralexblake and 124 others

mrshotch 30 degrees out here yet somehow I feel hot 🥵 how did i get so lucky @/ahotchner 😍

dave.rossi good to see you kids enjoying your vacation

derekmorgan damn @/ahotchner 🔥🔥

emprentiss your camera might be broken how did @/ahotchner look this good?

ahotchner @/emprentiss 🙄

bbgirlgarcia 😮 our boss!! used!! an emoji!!

4 weeks ago

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mrshotch

Liked by ahotchner, bbgirlgarcia and 34 others

mrshotch I asked him if he'd still love me if I was a worm, we had a long argument about it, and now we're good ☺️ love you @/ahotchner 💕

ahotchner I still don't know why you'd be a worm, but I'll love you the same sweetheart

bbgirlgarcia GOD I SHIP YOU TWO SO BAD 🥰🥰

doctorreid But that's not even a worm. That's a millipede which are arthropods under class diplopoda. Millipedes have legs which you can see right there. They have an exoskeleton whereas worms don't have them. Fun fact, millipedes are actually some of the oldest creatures to live on land.

emprentiss why did I even read all of this

doctorreid also what worm would you even be @/mrshotch? there are lots of worms which are classified under three main phyla: Platyhelminthes, Nematoda, and Annelida. I think Hotch will love you if you were an earthworm. But if you were a tapeworm or ringworm or any other parasitic worm, I don't think so.

derekmorgan @/doctorreid🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️

mrshotch @/doctorreid🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

jjlamontagne @/doctorreid🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

5 weeks ago

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mrshotch

Liked by ahotchner, emprentiss and 63 others

mrshotch 3rd valentine's with the boss/husband 💕

mrshotch thank you @/bbgirlcarcia for hooking me up on the cute pen 🤗

bbgirlgarcia @/mrshotch just give us more hotch babies asap!

mrshotch @/bbgirlcarcia on it 😉

emprentiss @/mrshotch ew too much information

derekmorgan @/mrshotch ew too much information

emprentiss @/derekmorgan jinx u owe me a soda

ahotchner I love you, sweetheart

mrshotch @/ahotchner I love you too, bub 😘💕

7 weeks ago

[animalshowdown]

Official Phylum Bracket!

Below is the official matchup list for the Phylum rounds!

There are 33 phyla in the Showdown lineup, so after the polls close on Round 1, the winner of Xenacoelomorpha vs. Hemichordata will go up against Micrognathozoa in Round 1.5 before we move on.

How this bracket was created:

After assembling the list of phyla, I ranked them based on my best guess of how they would perform in the polls. I then split the list into the Top 16 and the Bottom 16 (minus Micrognathozoa), and created a bracket for each half using this site. I split up the list because it felt unfair not to give the less charismatic phyla at least a chance to compete! I've been affectionately calling the Bottom 16 matchups the "Micro-Royale" :) From there, I created a new bracket, alternating matchups between the Top 16 and Bottom 16.

Since Tumblr is probably going to crunch the image quality, the bracket matchups are listed in text format below the Keep Reading.

Round 1:

Round 2:

Arthropoda vs. Brachiopoda

Priapulida vs. Placozoa

Platyhelminthes vs. Onychophora

Loricifera vs. Gastrotricha

Annelida vs. Nematoda

Cycliophora vs. Gnathostomulida

Phoronida vs. Cnidaria

Dicyemida vs. Chaetognatha

Mollusca vs. Bryozoa

Nematomorpha vs. Orthonectida

Nemertea vs. Ctenophora

Acanthocephala vs. Tardigrada

Echinodermata vs. Porifera

Rotifera vs. Kinorhyncha

Entoprocta vs. Chordata

Xenacoelomorpha vs. Hemichordata

>> (Micrognathozoa will challenge the winner of this matchup)

Arthropoda vs. Placozoa

Onychophora vs. Loricifera

Annelida vs. Cycliophora

Cnidaria vs. Chaetognatha

Mollusca vs. Nematomorpha

Ctenophora vs. Tardigrada

Echinodermata vs. Rotifera

Chordata vs. Micrognathozoa

Round 3:

Arthropoda vs. Onychophora

Annelida vs. Cnidaria

Mollusca vs. Ctenophora

Echinodermata vs. Chordata

[crevicedwelling]

I’ve kept 7 phyla of animals as pets! which is more than most but… I think the marine aquarists might have everyone else beat here.

Arthropoda, Chordata, Mollusca, Annelida, Platyhelminthes, Nemertea, Nematoda

[officialweezerelections]

Actually I can post the new bracket submission form right now. I’ve had them ready for a while.

WELCOME TO…

THE FUCKED UP INVERTEBRATE BRACKET

WHICH INVERT IS MOST FUCKED UP? WE’VE SEEN THE BIRDS, LET’S SEE THE BEES!!

Rules for submission:

- Must be an invertebrate.

- Cannot be submitted because it looks weird or scary, or because it’s violent.

- This is about BEHAVIORS and ADAPTATIONS.

- DON’T BE MEAN TO THEM (unless it’s teasingly)

- Nematoda are disqualified for being too awesome.

This bracket will be broken up into TWO categories. Terrestrial, and Aquatic.

SUBMIT YOUR SPINELESS SPECTACLES HERE!

Terrestrial

Aquatic

[forms-and-phyla]

Introducing Life, One Phylum at a Time

Welcome to Forms and Phyla! Each day, a short presentation of one of the animal kingdom's 32 described phyla, highlighting its diversity and uniqueness!

Watch the tree of life - and the blog's profile picture - light up before your eyes, as a new facet of animal diversity is revealed each time!

Click here for the latest post (Gastrotricha, the hairybellies), or see below for the list of posts!

Ctenophora

Porifera

Placozoa

Cnidaria

Xenacoelomorpha

Echinodermata

Hemichordata

Chordata

Loricifera

Kinorhyncha

Priapulida

Nematoda

Nematomorpha

Tardigrada

Arthropoda

Onychophora

Chaetognatha

Rotifera

Micrognathozoa

Gnathostomulida

Mollusca

Entoprocta

Gastrotricha

[stillflight]

I got tired of all those theriotype polls and quizzes that only list every subgroup of the order Carnivora and then maybe like two options for birds and reptiles. Wanted to make a more broad one so all animals are represented. Couldn't fit every phylum though but I added an other option, don't worry :)