Cnidarians are primarily predators: they catch and eat other organisms. Cnidarians capture food via stinging tentacles, harpoons and even tangling nets, but poisonous stingers called nematocysts are the most common (see right). Animals in the phylum Cnidaria eat a variety of food. Some of these animals include large protists, crabs, worms, fish and even other cnidarians! As said in class, some groups of coral (cnidaria) have a symbiotic relationship with algae. The algae feed on carbon dioxide from the coral, photosynthesizes and releases oxygen. In turn, the coral is given energy filled carbohydrates and both organisms prosper. Digestion is very simple in Cnidarians. The cell membrane is very thin so most waste is able to be diffused through the cells. Also, any undigested food is expelled from the gastrovascular cavity, out the mouth and into the water.Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Feeding + Digestion
Cnidarians are primarily predators: they catch and eat other organisms. Cnidarians capture food via stinging tentacles, harpoons and even tangling nets, but poisonous stingers called nematocysts are the most common (see right). Animals in the phylum Cnidaria eat a variety of food. Some of these animals include large protists, crabs, worms, fish and even other cnidarians! As said in class, some groups of coral (cnidaria) have a symbiotic relationship with algae. The algae feed on carbon dioxide from the coral, photosynthesizes and releases oxygen. In turn, the coral is given energy filled carbohydrates and both organisms prosper. Digestion is very simple in Cnidarians. The cell membrane is very thin so most waste is able to be diffused through the cells. Also, any undigested food is expelled from the gastrovascular cavity, out the mouth and into the water.