scarce. Asexual generation (by budding) is common with the hydra when food supply is abundant. After the bud grows to a certain size, the outer layer of cells at the base of the bud constricts and the young hydra is detached.
Compare the sponge and the hydra in the following respects:—many celled, or one celled; obtaining food; breathing; tubes and cavities; openings; reproduction; locomotion. Which ranks higher among the metazoa? The metazoa, or many celled animals, include all animals except which branch?
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Fig. 39.—Longitudinal section of hydra (microscopic and diagrammatic).
Figure 39 is a microscopic view of a vertical section of a hydra to
show the structure of the body wall. There is an outer layer called the
ectoderm, and an inner layer called the endoderm. There is also a thin
supporting layer (black in the figure) called the mesoglea. The mesoglea
is the thinnest layer. Are the cells larger in the endoderm or the ectoderm?
Do both layers of cells assist in forming the reproductive bud? The ectoderm
cells end on the inside in contractile tails which form a thin line and
have the effect of muscle fibers. They serve the hydra for its remarkable
changes of shape. When the hydra is cut in pieces, each piece makes a
complete hydra, provided it contains both endoderm and ectoderm.
