invertebrate

Also known as the invertebrates, invertebrates, invertebrate animal, Invertebrata

Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a spine or backbone), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordate subphylum Vertebrata, i.e. vertebrates. Well-known phyla of invertebrates include arthropods, molluscs, annelids, echinoderms, flatworms, cnidarians, and sponges.

AI overview

Invertebrates are animals without a spine or backbone, making up the vast majority of animal species on Earth and including familiar groups like insects, squid, worms, and starfish. They matter because understanding these diverse animals—which range from tiny sponges to large octopuses—is essential to understanding the full picture of animal life and ecosystems.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

799,453 papers

Invertebrate host responses to microsporidia infections.ReviewDevelopmental and comparative immunology · 2018Pan G, Bao J, Ma Z et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2018.02.004
Invertebrate Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor Signaling and Its Relevant Biological Actions.ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2020Sakai T, Yamamoto T, Matsubara S et al.DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228544
Structures and functions of invertebrate glycosylation.ReviewOpen biology · 2019Zhu F, Li D, Chen KDOI: 10.1098/rsob.180232
Introduction to special issue on invertebrate immunity.Fish & shellfish immunology · 2020Song LDOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2020.10.010
Invertebrate immunology - some thoughts about past and future research.Developmental and comparative immunology · 2024Söderhäll KDOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2024.105256
Invertebrate immunity.Developmental and comparative immunology · 1999Söderhäll KDOI: 10.1016/s0145-305x(99)00009-9
Invertebrate lamins.ReviewExperimental cell research · 2007Melcer S, Gruenbaum Y, Krohne GDOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2007.03.004
Invertebrate functional traits and terrestrial nutrient cycling: Insights from a global meta-analysis.The Journal of animal ecology · 2021McCary MA, Schmitz OJDOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13489

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Encyclopedic overview

21 sections

Contents

Etymology
Taxonomic significance
Number of extant species
Characteristics
Morphology and symmetry
Nervous system
Respiratory system
Hearing
Reproduction
Reproductive systems
Social interaction
Phyla
Classification
History
Classification
Significance
In research
See also
References
Further reading
External links

The majority of animal species are invertebrates; one estimate puts the figure at 97%. Many invertebrate taxa have a greater number and diversity of species than the entire subphylum of Vertebrata. Invertebrates vary widely in size, from 10 μm (0.0004 in) myxozoans to the 9–10 m (30–33 ft) colossal squid.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “invertebrate” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.