sessile
(adjective)
permanently attached to a substrate; not free to move about; "an attached oyster"
Examples of sessile in the following topics:
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Phylum Cnidaria
- Polyp forms are sessile as adults, with a single opening to the digestive system (the mouth) facing up with tentacles surrounding it.
- The sessile polyp form has, in fact, two types of polyps .
- The anthozoans, the sea anemones and corals, are all sessile species, whereas the scyphozoans (jellyfish) and cubozoans (box jellies) are swimming forms.
- The hydrozoans contain sessile forms and swimming colonial forms like the Portuguese Man O' War.
- The sessile form of Obelia geniculate has two types of polyps: gastrozooids, which are adapted for capturing prey, and gonozooids, which bud to produce medusae asexually.
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Planctomycetes
- The life cycle of many planctomycetes involves alternation between sessile cells and flagellated swarmer cells.
- The sessile cells bud to form the flagellated swarmer cells which swim for a while before settling down to attach and begin reproduction.
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Polyps in the Colon
- If no stalk is present, it is said to be sessile.
- Polyps that are pedunculated (with a stalk) are usually less dangerous than sessile polyps (flat polyps).
- Sessile polyps have a shorter pathway for migration of invasive cells from the tumor into submucosal and more distant structures, and they are also more difficult to remove and to ascertain.
- Sessile polyps larger than 2 cm usually contain villous features, have a higher malignant potential, and tend to reoccur following colonoscopic polypectomy.
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Physiological Processes in Sponges
- Sponges are sessile, feed by phagocytosis, and reproduce sexually and asexually; all major functions are regulated by water flow diffusion.
- Since gemmules can withstand harsh environments, are resistant to desiccation, and remain dormant for long periods, they are an excellent means of colonization for a sessile organism.
- Sponges are generally sessile as adults and spend their lives attached to a fixed substratum.
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Pre-Cambrian Animal Life
- The earliest life comprising Ediacaran biota was long believed to include only tiny, sessile, soft-bodied sea creatures.
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Leaf Structure and Arrangment
- Leaves that do not have a petiole and are directly attached to the plant stem are called sessile leaves.
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Phylum Porifera
- Sponges lack true tissues, have no body symmetry, and are sessile; types are classified based on presence and composition of spicules.
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Class Anthozoa
- The larva settles on a suitable substratum and develops into a sessile polyp.
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Chordates and the Evolution of Vertebrates
- Most tunicates live a sessile existence on the ocean floor and are suspension feeders.
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External and Internal Fertilization
- For sessile aquatic organisms such as sponges, broadcast spawning is the only mechanism for fertilization and colonization of new environments.