Scientific Name ~ Annelida

Common Name ~ Segmented Worms

Characteristics

There are many qualaties of segmented worms that are different from the phylums Nematoda and Platyhelminthe, which include:

1. The walls of their bodies is made of muscles that are circular and run along the length of their body

2. They have a fluid-filled cavity called a coelom

3. They have hair-like fibers that stick out of thier body called setae (leeches are the only ones in the Phylum that don't)

4.Their coelom is within thier mesoderm, or the end part of thier body

5.They do NOT have a rigid skeleton

Examples of Annelids

      

Humanities Twist

The earth worm is a member of the phylum Annelida that was accidently brought over by the Europeans. Thanks to them, the earth worms halp our plants and gardes by several methods, which include:

1.They digest much organic matter, called castings, in to the soil, which helps the plants

2.They can take up soil from below six inches that are rich in nutrients and bring up four to eight pounds each year to the topsoil.

3.They add calcium carbonate to the soil, which brings its pH to one that is more neutral and around 7

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