Stages of Animal Development and Body Form

The zygote is formed by the fertilization of a haploid egg by a haploid sperm cell Cleavage occurs, splitting the zygote into two identical cells. Cells continue to divide by mitosis

The two cells that result from cleavage then divide to form four cells and so on, until a cell-covered, fluid-filled ball called a blastula is formed. The blastula is formed early in the development of an animal embryo. In humans, this takes about 5 days.

After blastula formation, cell division continues. The cells on one side of the blastula then move inward. This is known as gastrulation. It produces two layers of cells with an opening at one end called a blastopore

The ectoderm cells of the gastrula continue to grow and divide, and eventually they develop into the skin and nervous tissue of the animal

The endoderm cells develop into the lining of the animal’s digestive tract and into organs associated with digestion.

Mesoderm is found in the middle of the embryo; the term meso means “middle.” The mesoderm is the third cell layer found in the developing embryo between the ectoderm and the endoderm. The mesoderm cells develop into the muscles, circulatory system, excretory system, and, in some animals, the respiratory system.

When the blastopore develops into the mouth, When the blastopore develops into the mouth, the animal is called a protostome. Snails, earthworms, and insects are examples of protostomes.

In other animals, such as sea stars, fishes, toads, snakes, birds, and humans, the mouth does not develop from the blastopore. An animal whose mouth develops from the side opposite the blastopore is called a deuterostome.

Symmetry is a term that describes the arrangement of body structures. An animal that is irregular in shape has no symmetry or an asymmetrical body plan Animals with no symmetry often are sessile organisms that do not move from place to place.

Animals with radial symmetry can be divided along any plane, through a central axis, into roughly equal halves.

An organism with bilateral symmetry can be divided down its length into similar right and left halves. Bilaterally symmetrical animals can be divided in half only along one plane.

The dorsal, or upper surface, In bilateral animals, the anterior, or head end, often has sensory organs. The posterior of these animals is the tail end. looks different from the ventral, or lower surface. All bilaterally symmetrical animals developed from three embryonic cell layers—ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm.

Animals that develop from three cell layers—ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm—but have no body cavities are called acoelomate animals. Flatworms are bilaterally symmetrical animals with solid, compact bodies. Like other acoelomate animals, the organs of flatworms are embedded in the solid tissues of their bodies. Ectoderm Mesoderm Endoderm Body cavity Digestive tract

Ectoderm A fluid-filled body cavity partly lined with mesoderm is called a pseudocoelom. Mesoderm Endoderm Body cavity Digestive tract

The body cavity of an earthworm develops from a coelom, a fluid-filled space that is completely surrounded by mesoderm. Ectoderm Mesoderm Endoderm Body cavity Digestive tract