Lower Invertebrates

Because Lower Invertebrates includes the simplest of animals, this unit introduces the phylogeny of the whole animal kingdom as well as body plan features that are applicable to all animals. The focus in this study unit is on animals that do not have coeloms namely sponges, jellyfish, flatworms and round worms. In each case, attention is paid to anatomical features and specializations for various life functions. The unit concludes with an ecological consideration of these animal groups. These topics are supported by original artwork and labeled diagrams and contains many questions such as short answer and multiple choice that are linked to their answers for self-testing. It also includes sets of written answer questions to help build one’s understanding of the concepts presented. The unit features an interactive Taxonomic Guide and interactive Glossary with hundreds of contextually explained terms.

Lower Invertebrates is extracted from Biology 11 Study Guide, which is the fourth edition of a student study guide written to match the curriculum of British Columbia. The concepts presented are applicable to the biology curricula of other educational jurisdictions as well.