MARINE EXAM QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Whatclass do the most dangerous marine animals known belong to? - Answers :Class
Cubozoa
What phylum do flatworms belong to? - Answers :Phylum Platyhelminthes
What is a proboscis and what does it do? - Answers :A proboscis is a long, fleshy tube
used to entangle prey.
Describe brachiopods - Answers :There are 400 living species of lamp shells, or
brachiopods (phylum Brachiopoda). Lamp shells have a shell with two valves, like the
unrelated clam. The two valves are dorsal and ventral to the body, in contrast to the
lateral (right and left) valves of clams.
What are the characteristics of the worm phyla? - Answers :Some of the worm phyla
show the first occurrences of features common in more complex groups, including
organs and organ systems, bilateral symmetry, a coelom, and a closed circulatory
system.
What are sponge skeletons made of? - Answers :As sponges get larger, they need
structural support. Most sponges have spicules, transparent siliceous or calcareous
supporting structures of different shapes and sizes. Many also have a skeleton of tough,
elastic fibers made of a protein called spongin.
Why are choanocytes important in sponge reproduction? - Answers :Sponges
reproduce sexually [in addition to being able to reproduce sexually] by producing
gametes. Unlike most animals, sponge gametes are not produced by gonads. Instead,
specialized collar cells, orchoanocytes, develop into gametes
What class do most cnidarian species belong to? - Answers :Most cnidarian species,
more than 6,000, are anthozoans (class Anthozoa), solitary or colonial polyps that lack
a medusa stage
What is the planktonic larval stage ofpolychaetes known as? - Answers :The life history
of many polychaetes involves a planktonic larval stage known as the trochophore, which
has a band of cilia around the body
How do Palolo worms reproduce? - Answers :In the tropical Pacific the bodies of the
Palolo worm (Eunice) periodically break off, and the posterior half swims up to the
surface to spawn. This behavior, known as swarming, is timed in some areas with the
phases of the moon, reaching its peak just after the full moon
List three examples of anthozoans - Answers :Anthozoans includesea anemones,
corals, and sea pens
, What phylum do the structurally simplest multicellular animals belong to? - Answers
:Sponges (phylum Porifera) are the structurally simplest multicellular animals
How do ctenophores produce light - Answers :Ctenophores swim with eight rows of
ciliary combs, long cilia fused at the base, like combs, that beat in waves. The
continuous beating of the ciliary combs refracts light, creating a prism-like, multicolor
effect
What are zooids and why are they important in Bryozoan colonies? - Answers
:Bryozoan colonies consist of minute interconnected individuals, or zooids, that secrete
skeletons of a variety of shapes
What phylum do polychaetes belong to? - Answers :Polychaetes belong to phylum
Annelida
Know the difference between the following terms; dorsal, ventral, posterior, and anterior
- Answers :Bilaterally symmetrical animals, including humans, have a front, or anterior,
end and a rear, or posterior, end. Bilaterally symmetrical animals similarly have a back,
or dorsal surface, that is different from the belly, or ventral surface.
What phylum do peanut worms belong to? - Answers :Peanut worms belong to phylum
Sipuncula.
What is the characteristic larva of most cnidarians? - Answers :The characteristic larva
of most cnidarians isthe planula, a cylindrical, ciliated stage consisting of two layers of
cells.
What are sclerosponges? - Answers :In the sclerosponges, or coralline sponges
(Ceratoporella), a calcium carbonate skeleton forms beneath the body of the sponge,
which also contains siliceous spicules and spongin
What phylum do Coelenterates belong to? - Answers :Cnidarians, sometimes called
coelenterates (phylum Cnidaria), include the sea anemones, jellyfishes (or sea jellies),
corals, and their relatives
What organisms reach 40 m in length and live inside whales? - Answers :Tapeworms
reach a prodigious length. The record appears to be a species found in whales known
to reach 40 m, which makes it the longest invertebrate.
What is a synonym for the term nematocysts? - Answers :Nematocysts are also known
as cnidae
Why are the coelom and segments important in segmented worms? - Answers :The
importance of the coelom and segments is that they act as a hydrostatic skeleton and
can be contracted in sequence by means of muscles in the body wall
Whatclass do the most dangerous marine animals known belong to? - Answers :Class
Cubozoa
What phylum do flatworms belong to? - Answers :Phylum Platyhelminthes
What is a proboscis and what does it do? - Answers :A proboscis is a long, fleshy tube
used to entangle prey.
Describe brachiopods - Answers :There are 400 living species of lamp shells, or
brachiopods (phylum Brachiopoda). Lamp shells have a shell with two valves, like the
unrelated clam. The two valves are dorsal and ventral to the body, in contrast to the
lateral (right and left) valves of clams.
What are the characteristics of the worm phyla? - Answers :Some of the worm phyla
show the first occurrences of features common in more complex groups, including
organs and organ systems, bilateral symmetry, a coelom, and a closed circulatory
system.
What are sponge skeletons made of? - Answers :As sponges get larger, they need
structural support. Most sponges have spicules, transparent siliceous or calcareous
supporting structures of different shapes and sizes. Many also have a skeleton of tough,
elastic fibers made of a protein called spongin.
Why are choanocytes important in sponge reproduction? - Answers :Sponges
reproduce sexually [in addition to being able to reproduce sexually] by producing
gametes. Unlike most animals, sponge gametes are not produced by gonads. Instead,
specialized collar cells, orchoanocytes, develop into gametes
What class do most cnidarian species belong to? - Answers :Most cnidarian species,
more than 6,000, are anthozoans (class Anthozoa), solitary or colonial polyps that lack
a medusa stage
What is the planktonic larval stage ofpolychaetes known as? - Answers :The life history
of many polychaetes involves a planktonic larval stage known as the trochophore, which
has a band of cilia around the body
How do Palolo worms reproduce? - Answers :In the tropical Pacific the bodies of the
Palolo worm (Eunice) periodically break off, and the posterior half swims up to the
surface to spawn. This behavior, known as swarming, is timed in some areas with the
phases of the moon, reaching its peak just after the full moon
List three examples of anthozoans - Answers :Anthozoans includesea anemones,
corals, and sea pens
, What phylum do the structurally simplest multicellular animals belong to? - Answers
:Sponges (phylum Porifera) are the structurally simplest multicellular animals
How do ctenophores produce light - Answers :Ctenophores swim with eight rows of
ciliary combs, long cilia fused at the base, like combs, that beat in waves. The
continuous beating of the ciliary combs refracts light, creating a prism-like, multicolor
effect
What are zooids and why are they important in Bryozoan colonies? - Answers
:Bryozoan colonies consist of minute interconnected individuals, or zooids, that secrete
skeletons of a variety of shapes
What phylum do polychaetes belong to? - Answers :Polychaetes belong to phylum
Annelida
Know the difference between the following terms; dorsal, ventral, posterior, and anterior
- Answers :Bilaterally symmetrical animals, including humans, have a front, or anterior,
end and a rear, or posterior, end. Bilaterally symmetrical animals similarly have a back,
or dorsal surface, that is different from the belly, or ventral surface.
What phylum do peanut worms belong to? - Answers :Peanut worms belong to phylum
Sipuncula.
What is the characteristic larva of most cnidarians? - Answers :The characteristic larva
of most cnidarians isthe planula, a cylindrical, ciliated stage consisting of two layers of
cells.
What are sclerosponges? - Answers :In the sclerosponges, or coralline sponges
(Ceratoporella), a calcium carbonate skeleton forms beneath the body of the sponge,
which also contains siliceous spicules and spongin
What phylum do Coelenterates belong to? - Answers :Cnidarians, sometimes called
coelenterates (phylum Cnidaria), include the sea anemones, jellyfishes (or sea jellies),
corals, and their relatives
What organisms reach 40 m in length and live inside whales? - Answers :Tapeworms
reach a prodigious length. The record appears to be a species found in whales known
to reach 40 m, which makes it the longest invertebrate.
What is a synonym for the term nematocysts? - Answers :Nematocysts are also known
as cnidae
Why are the coelom and segments important in segmented worms? - Answers :The
importance of the coelom and segments is that they act as a hydrostatic skeleton and
can be contracted in sequence by means of muscles in the body wall
