Invertebrate Zoology 100 Hours Certificate Course

1 Scope and Nature of Invertebrate Animals

• Introduction
• Simple vs Complex: Invertebrates and their significance to humans
• Invertebrates are Animals, Not Plants
• Animal Cells and Plant Cells
• Food Production and Respiration
• Movement
• Important Terms
• Microscopic Invertebrates
• Worms & Worm Like Animals
• Molluscs and Echinoderms
• More Complex Invertebrates

2 Microscopic Animals

• Introduction
• Protozoa or Animalia?
• Phylum Nematoda
• Mites
• Phylum Tardigrada
• Adaptibilty and Survival
• Phylum Kinorhycha
• Phylum Loricifera
• Phylum Placozoa

3 Worms and Worm-Like Animals

• Introduction
• True Worms vs. Worm-like Organisms
• Evolution of Worms
• Bilateral Symmetry
• Cephalisation
• Body Organisation
• Characteristics and systems showing the evolution of complexity in worms:
• Flatworms
• Characteristics of platyhelminths
• Free-living Flatworms
• Parasitic Flatworms
• Human liver fluke (Clonorchis sinensis)
• Blood flukes (Schistosoma)
• Class Cestoda (tapeworms)
• Beef tapeworm (Taenia saginata)
• Phylum Nematoda (Roundworms)
• Phylum Annelida (Segmented Worms)
• Other Worms & Worm-Like Animals
• Coelomate Worms

4 Sponges, Corals, Anemones, Jellyfish

• Introduction
• Phylum Cnidaria
• Cnidaria and Humans
• Phylum Ctenophora
• Phylum Porifera
• Internal and External Structure
• Reproduction
• Toxicity in Non-Motile Invertebrates
• Classes within Porifera
• Finding food: a comparison of these phyla

5 Molluscs & Echinoderms

• Introduction
• Phylum Eccinodermata
• Class Crinoidea
• Class Ophiuroidea
• Class Asteroidea
• Case Study: The Crown-of-Thorns Starfish
• Class Echinoidea
• Class Holothuroidea
• Phylum Mollusca
• What makes a mollusc?
• Types of Mollusca
• Reproduction

6 Arthropods, Part 1

• Introduction
• Classification of Arthrpoda
• Origin of Arthropods
• Important Definitions
• Characteristics of Arthropods
• Sub Phylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
• Class: Arachnida (Scorpions, Spiders, Mites and Ticks)
• Order Scorpiones (Scorpions)
• Order Araneae (Spiders)
• Order Acari (Mites and Ticks)
• Order Opiliones (Daddy Long-Legs)
• Class: Merostomata (Horseshoe crabs)
• Class: Pycnogonida (Sea spiders)

7 Arthropods, Part 2

• Useful definitions
• Sub Phylum Crustacea (Crustaceans)
• Class Malacostraca (Lobster, Crayfish, Isopods, Amphipods, Krill, Crabs, Shrimp Etc)
• Order Decapoda (Decapod Crustaceans)
• Order Isopoda (Terrestrial and Freshwater Crustaceans)
• Order Amphipoda
• Class Branchiopoda (Fairy Shrimp, Water Fleas)
• Characteristics of the class Branchiopoda Class
• Class Cephalocarida
• Class Remipedia
• Class Maxillopoda (Barnacles, Copepods, Ostracods)
• Sessile Crustaceans
• Sub Chilopoda (Centipedes) and Class Diplopoda (Miilipedes)

8 Insects, Part 1

• Introduction
• Origin of Insecta
• Winged vs. Non-Winged
• Class Entognatha
• Order: Collembola
• Order: Diplura
• Order: Protura
• Class Insecta
• Insect Features
• Insect or Arthropod?
• Insect Orders
• Insect Features
• Specialised Organs
• Reproduction and Lifecycle
• Vision
• Communication
• Exploring Insecta
• Order Odonata: Dragonflies and Damselflies
• Order Mantodea: Mantises
• Order Orthoptera: Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids

9 Insects, Part 2

• Introduction
• Clean Air, Clean Water
• Water
• Pollination
• Food
• Insects as a Crop
• Case Study: Grasshoppers save lives
• Air
• Insects with Sinificance to Humans
• Order Diptera: Flies and Mosquitoes
• Dipteran Features
• Order Hymenoptera: Bees, Wasps, Sawflies
• AntsHymenoptera Features
• Bees
• Order Coleoptera: Beetles, Weevils
• Coleoptera Features