Content:

 Introduction to Hydra……………………………………………………………………
 Organs helping in Locomotion……………………………………………………….
 Basal Disc
 Tentacles
 pitheliomuscular Cells…………………………………………………………………..
 Classification of hydra………………………………………………………..
 Motion and locomotion………………………………………………………………..
 Locomotion in Hydra……………………………………………………………………
 Looping
 Somersaulting
 Gliding
 Floating
 Climbing
 Swimming
 References……………………………………………………………………………………

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Introduction to Hydra:
Hydra represents one of the smallest solitary polyp amongst the cnidarians;
most of them inhabit fresh water bodies except Proto-hydra which is
marine. Hydra normally remains attached to and hanging downwards from
the substratum in water, by their basal disc. The body stalk and tentacles
can extend, contract, or bend to one side or the other.

In hydras the gastro-dermal fibres in most part of the body are so poorly
developed that the movement almost entirely depend on the contraction of
longitudinal epidermal fibers. Besides, fluid within the gastro-vascular
cavity plays an important role in locomotion as hydraulic skeleton.

By taking the water through the mouth, a relaxed Hydra may stretch out to
a length of 20 mm, whereas contraction of the epidermal fibres can reduce
it to a mere 0-5 mm. For capturing the prey or to change the position,
hydras can detach and shift locations by different types of movement.

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Organs helping in Locomotion: Basal Disc:
The aboral end of the tubular body of Hydra is named as basal disc or foot .
It is used as a structure for attachment to the substratum. In this region,
the epithelia muscular cells are modified into tall cells with granular
cytoplasm.

These cells produce a sticky secretion that helps the animal to adhere to the
substratum under the water. Sometimes, these cells also produce gas bub-
ble which enables the animal to float in water.

Tentacles:
In hydras, the mouth is situated at the summit of a conical elevation called
the hypostome. The base of the hypos- tome is surrounded by tentacles , the
number of which vary from four to eleven in different species.

In the tentacles, cnidoblasts are numerous and are arranged in groups to

form small surface tubercle or battery. In these cnidoblasts two types of
nematocysts are found – larger (9 µm) oval- shaped glutinant streptoline
and smaller (7 µm) glutinant stereoline. Both types of nematocysts help in
locomotion by producing sticky secretion.

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pitheliomuscular Cells:
The myoepithelial cells are the most common type of cells found in the
epidermis of hydras. The cells are columnar in shape, with the base resting
upon mesoglea and the distal end forming the epidermal surface.

These cells possess two or more basal extensions, each containing a

contractile myofibril. The ends of successive extensions are connected to
each other, forming a cylindrical longitudinal, contractile layer .

The contraction of this layer shortens the body column and the tentacles.

Classification of hydra:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Cnidaria

Class: Hydrozoa

Order: Anthoathecata

Family: Hydridae

Genus: Hydra

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Motion and locomotion:

If Hydra are alarmed or attacked, the tentacles can be retracted to small

buds, and the body column itself can be retracted to a small gelatinous
sphere. Hydra generally react in the same way regardless of the direction of
the stimulus, and this may be due to the simplicity of the nerve nets.

Hydra are generally sedentary or sessile, but do occasionally move quite

readily, especially when hunting. They have two distinct methods for
moving – 'looping' and 'somersaulting'. They do this by bending over and
attaching themselves to the substrate with the mouth and tentacles and
then relocate the foot, which provides the usual attachment, this process is
called looping. In somersaulting, the body then bends over and makes a
new place of attachment with the foot. By this process of "looping" or
"somersaulting", a Hydra can move several inches (c. 100 mm) in a
day. Hydra may also move by amoeboid motion of their bases or by
detaching from the substrate and floating away in the current.

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Locomotion in Hydra:
i. Looping:
Hydra can move from place to place by looping. During looping, Hydra
bends its body from the erect standing position and fixes the tentacles to
the substratum by the glutinant nematocysts.

It then releases the attachment at the basal disc and moves its free end to a
new site. The animal then stands up by making free its tentacles.

The whole process appears like a series of looping movements of a

caterpillar or leech.

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ii. Somersaulting:
Another method of rapid movement in Hydra is somersaulting which is a
slight modification of looping locomotion. Hydra fixes itself on the
substratum by the hypostomal end and then shifts the attachment of basal
disc. The basal disc is then rotated 180° and is fixed to a new position. The
hypostome is again raised and the animal assumes its upright position (Fig.
2.20).

iii. Gliding:
Hydra may glide along the substratum by the pseudopodia action of the
basal disc cells.

iv. Floating:
Hydra can produce a bubble of gas, secreted by the basal disc cells which
helps the animal to float on the surface of water (Fig. 2.21). The animal is
passively carried from one place to another by water current. If the gas-
bubble bursts, the mucous threads sustain the body on the water surface
due to surface tension.

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v. Climbing:
Pelmatahydra can change its location in a limited area. The animal climbs
by attaching its long tentacles to some object. It then releases the foot,
contracts the tentacles and thus gets lifted up to the object.

vi. Swimming:
Sometimes Hydra makes itself free from the substratum and swims in
water by the undulating wave-like movements of the body. A characteristic
feature in the behaviour pattern of Hydra is the periodic contraction. It
happens without any apparent cause even when the animal is attached and
undisturbed.

In daytime, at every 5-10 minutes the animal contracts its body and
tentacles suddenly and rapidly, becoming like a small barrel. After a short
period of rest, the body and the tentacles gradually get extended to a new
direction. According to McCullough (1963); such movements bring the
animal into new hunting grounds, where more food may be available.

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References:

1. Schuchert P (2011). Schuchert P (ed.). "Hydra Linnaeus,

1758". World Hydrozoa database. World Register of Marine
Species. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
2. ^ Gilberson L (1999). Zoology Lab Manual (4th ed.). Primis Custom
Publishing.
3. ^ Solomon E, Berg L, Martin D (2002). Biology (6th ed.).
Brooks/Cole Publishing.
4. ^ Jung S, Dingley AJ, Augustin R, Anton-Erxleben F, Stanisak M,
Gelhaus C, Gutsmann T, Hammer MU, Podschun R, Bonvin AM,
Leippe M, Bosch TC, Grötzinger J (January 2009). "Hydramacin-1,
structure and antibacterial activity of a protein from the basal
metazoan Hydra" (PDF). The Journal of Biological
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2015). "Hydra, a powerful model for aging studies". Invertebrate
Reproduction & Development. 59 (sup1): 11–
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20246.
6. ^ Jump up to:a b c Gilbert SF (2000). "Regeneration". Developmental
Biology (6th ed.).
7. ^ Ji N, Flavell SW (April 2017). "Hydra: Imaging Nerve Nets in
Action". Current Biology. 27(8): R294–
R295. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2017.03.040. PMID 28441559.

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8. ^ Patton WK (August 2014). "Hydra (coelenterate)". Grolier
Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Online.
9. ^ Holstein T, Emschermann P (1995). Cnidaria: Hydrozoa
Süsswasserfauna von Mitteleuropa. Bd 1/2+ 3. Stuttgart: Spektrum
Akademischer Verlag. ISBN 978-3-8274-0836-5.
10. ^ Loomis WF (October 1955). "Glutathione control of the specific
feeding reactions of hydra". Annals of the New York Academy of
Sciences. 62 (9): 211–27. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1955.tb35372.x.
11. ^ Bellis SL, Laux DC, Rhoads DE (November 1994). "Affinity
purification of Hydra glutathione binding proteins". FEBS
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12. ^ Venturini G (1987). "The hydra GSH recep

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