Trichoplax adhaerens (tp) is the only living species in the phylum placozoa. individuals are about 1 mm wide and only 27 μm high, are irregularly shaped, and consist of a total of about 2,000 cells, which are diploid (2n = 12). there are four types of cells, none of which is a nerve or muscle cell, and none of which has a cell wall. they move using cilia, and any "edge" can lead. tp feeds on marine microbes, mostly unicellular green algae, by crawling atop the algae and trapping it between its ventral surface and the substrate. enzymes are then secreted onto the algae, and the resulting nutrients are absorbed. tp sperm cells have never been observed, nor have embryos past the 64-cell (blastula) stage.

Question

Biology

Cristian Leach

15 November, 09:36

Trichoplax adhaerens (tp) is the only living species in the phylum placozoa. individuals are about 1 mm wide and only 27 μm high, are irregularly shaped, and consist of a total of about 2,000 cells, which are diploid (2n = 12). there are four types of cells, none of which is a nerve or muscle cell, and none of which has a cell wall. they move using cilia, and any "edge" can lead. tp feeds on marine microbes, mostly unicellular green algae, by crawling atop the algae and trapping it between its ventral surface and the substrate. enzymes are then secreted onto the algae, and the resulting nutrients are absorbed. tp sperm cells have never been observed, nor have embryos past the 64-cell (blastula) stage.

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Johanna Dawson · Answer 1

On the basis of information in the paragraph above, the eggs should be able to be observed in Tp. Trichoplax adhaerens is the only extant representative of phylum Placozoa, which is a basal group of multicellular animals. Trichoplax are very flat organisms around a milimetre in diameter, lacking any organs or internal structures. They have two cellular layers, the top epitheloid layer is made of ciliated "cover cells" flattened toward the outside of the organism, and the bottom layer is made up of cylinder cells that posses cilia used in locomotion, and gland cells that lack cilia.