Phylum Mollusca: General Characteristics and Classification

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Mollusca makes the second largest phylum of non-chordate animals including snails, octopuses, sea slugs, squid, and bivalves such as clams, oysters, and mussels.  This phylum contains about 100,000 described species. Among all known marine species, 23% are mollusks. But some species live in freshwater and terrestrial habitats. This group displays a broad range of morphological … Read more

Fungus: Definition, Characteristics, Types and Economic Roles

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Fungi (singular fungus) are the eukaryotic organisms that belong to the Kingdom Fungi. They have no chlorophyll pigments and vascular tissues. The body consists of a single cell to branched filamentous hyphae that often produce specialized fruiting bodies. The special characteristic of fungi is that they grow rapidly and die soon. In nature, there are … Read more

Photosynthesis: Definition, Process and Its Significance

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All the living organism needs energy to perform their different normal metabolic functions. Food is the source of the power of the living body. Chlorophyll-containing plants produce foods by using solar energy. This particular function for creating their food is known as photosynthesis. French physiologist Henri Dutrochet (1837) first showed that the green parts of … Read more

Endotoxins Vs Exotoxins

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Micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi produce toxic substances that boost up the infection and diseases through damaging the host tissues and by troubling the immune system. The most potent and known natural bacterial toxin is Botulinum neurotoxin which has essential uses in research and medical science. At present, toxins are used as tools in cellular … Read more

Phylum Platyhelminthes : General Characteristics and Classification

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The representatives of the phylum Platyhelminthes are commonly known as the flatworms or tapeworms. The word ‘Platyhelminthes’ is derived from the Greek word, ‘platy’ meaning flat and ‘helminth’ meaning worm. They are simple soft-bodied, bilaterian, unsegmented invertebrate animals. The Phylum Platyhelminthes makes up the 4th largest phylum among the animal kingdom. But among the acoelomate … Read more