Importance Of Locomotion In Animalia

Locomotion is the movement of a body from one place to another. There are various ways in which species of organisms in the 9 major phylum classes of the kingdom Animalia adapted unique muscle systems and how they use them. A phylum class includes organisms that are different but share important characteristics that resulted from evolutionary relationships among major groups of animals that allowed organisms to adapt in terms of the way they locomote.
The Phylum Porifera is made up of sea sponges which are stationary plant like organisms found in the sea and coral reefs, sponges are simple organisms that lack true tissue but have generalized type of cells, they lack a complex digestive, respiratory, circulatory and nervous system, they are generally sessile as adults and spend their lives attached to a fixed point.
Cnidarians where the first organisms of movement, which have a nervous system called nerve net but no brain, their bodies have two cell layers, Cnidarians are mostly epitheliomuscular, whereby the epithelia cells contain contractile fibers that act as muscles. All cnidarians have a hydrostatic skeleton, a fluid like cavity surrounded by muscles; the muscles of the body wall operate against the fluid to extend individual polyps this has helped Cnidarians develop a distinct mode of swimming called hydraulic propulsion. Platyhelminthes are acoelomates, which means that they do not poses a body cavity, they have circular longitudinal muscles that work in tandem with each other to create peristalsis form of movement, Cilia on their epidermal cells help them to glide the water and over the bottom of a stream or pond. They also have a layer of mucus which is laid down to aid in adhesion and to help the cilia gain traction, with Platyhelminthes began the development of Cephalization and it is due to this that the muscle cells in Platyhelminthes are controlled by the nervous system and this allows them to twist and turn so that they are able to react rapidly to environmental stimuli. Phylum Nematoda, Unlike Platyhelminthes the muscles of nematodes differ in that they only developed a layer of longitudinal muscle. These animals are pseudocoelomates, which means they have a body cavity between their mesoderm and endoderm layers, it is because of this development that, the movements of the gut (peristalsis) are quite separate from the movements of muscles that propel the body forward. Nematodes have long muscles that lie underneath the epidermis, the muscles are all aligned longitudinally along the inside of the body, contractions of these muscles accounts for the whip-like motion of their movement. Annelida; Annelids unlike nematodes developed a true coelom, Annelids have made some advancements like segmentation, with each segment containing a pair of hard bristles …show more content…
The notochord is a semi-flexible rod that extends most of the length of the body, it stiffens the body, and acts as a support during movement and locomotion. Chordata have a bilateral symmetry, a segmented body, and segmented muscles, the notochord acts like an anchor to support the animal’s large body muscles. Chordates have four appendages in the shapes of legs, arms, wings or fins. Their internal skeleton has muscles attached that allow for a greater range of movement and the development of the body size. Chordates that lack bones have muscles that work against the notochord for