Echinoderms (Chapter 28, Section 4) By Richie Conley, 3rd Period Biology

Echinoderms

WHAT IS AN ECHINODERM?An echinoderm is an animal that usually lives under the ocean. They are usually two sided and have a mouth. The side with their mouth is called the oral

surface, the opposite side is called the aboral surface.

WHAT ARE COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF

ECHINODERMS?

• Echinoderms are characterized by spiny skin, an internal skeleton, a water vascular system, and suction cuplike structures called tube feet.

WHAT ARE THE GROUPS OF ECHINODERMS?

The groups of echinoderms are:

• Sea Urchins and Sand Dollars

• Brittle Stars

• Sea Cucumbers

• Sea Stars

Ecology of Echinoderms• Echinoderms are

common in a variety of marine habitats. Sea urchins help control the number of other organisms such as clams and corals. There are also threatening echinoderms. One example is a sea star called the crown-of-thorns. It is named after its row of poisonous spines.

Works Cited

• Information:• Miller, Kenneth R., and Joseph S. Levine. Prentice Hall Biology. Upper Saddle River,

N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2002. Print.

• Photos: Page 1: TARIK TINAZAY. Hundereds of colourful - poisonous spine. Agence France

Presse. 18 Nov. 2005. eLibrary. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. Page 2:  Starfish (with Yellow Polyps). 2007. Photograph. Prix Online.

<http://www.pirx.com/gallery/albums/echinoderms/starfish01.jpg>

Page 3: Brittle Sea Star. 2007. Photograph. Prix Online.

<http://www.pirx.com/gallery/albums/echinoderms/bstar05.jpg> Page 4: Wright, Matt. CrownofThornsStarfish_Fiji_2005-10-12. 2005. Photograph.

Wikipedia, Qamea Island. Wikipedia Online. Wikipedia, 12 Oct. 2005. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CrownofThornsStarfish_Fiji_2005-10-12.jpg>.