Rotifer
Rotifer
Rotifer (pronunciation: /ˈroʊtɪfər/), from the Latin rota meaning "wheel" and -fer meaning "bearing", is a phylum of microscopic and near-microscopic pseudocoelomate animals.
Etymology
The term "rotifer" is derived from a Neo-Latin word meaning "wheel-bearer", due to the corona around the mouth that in concerted sequential motion resembles a wheel (though the organ does not actually rotate).
Description
Rotifers are multicellular organisms which are usually around 0.1–0.5 mm long. Most rotifers are free-swimming and truly planktonic, but some move by inchworming along a substrate, and some are sessile, living inside tubes or gelatinous holdfasts that are attached to a substrate.
Anatomy
Rotifers have bilateral symmetry and a variety of different shapes. The body of a rotifer is divided into a head, trunk, and foot, and is typically somewhat cylindrical. There is a well-developed cuticle, which may be thick and rigid, giving the animal a box-like shape, or flexible, giving the animal a worm-like shape; such rotifers are respectively called loricate and illoricate.
Classification
Rotifers belong to the kingdom Animalia, the phylum Rotifera, and the class Eurotatoria. There are around 2200 species of rotifers, grouped into two orders: the Bdelloidea and the Monogononta.
Reproduction
Rotifers reproduce via parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction in which an unfertilized egg develops into a new individual. Some species are capable of sexual reproduction.
Habitat
Rotifers are found in many freshwater environments and in moist soil, where they inhabit the thin films of water that are formed around soil particles. They are also commonly found in the water film around mosses and lichens.
Diet
Rotifers eat particulate organic detritus, dead bacteria, algae, and protozoans. They eat particles up to 10 micrometres in size.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Rotifer
- Wikipedia's article - Rotifer
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