Transportation in Hydra

It is 2-3 mm in length and is about half mm in diameter, so it is large enough to be seen. It has no specialized transport system. Nearly every cell of hydra is adjacent either to the outside pond water or to the water in the digestive cavity. Movement and absorption of digested food is by diffusion.

Hydra Transport System

Hydra, a genus of freshwater cnidarians, utilizes a simple body structure to carry out transportation of substances in its body. Its body is made up of two layers of cells, with the outer layer called the epidermis and the inner layer the gastrodermis.

To transport substances, Hydra employs the process of diffusion. Its cells absorb nutrients, oxygen, and other substances via diffusion from the surrounding water. Waste products are also eliminated from the cells via diffusion in the opposite direction.

Hydra's fluid-filled gastrovascular cavity plays a role in transportation as well. Cells in the gastrovascular cavity absorb nutrients from digested food and distribute them to other cells through diffusion.

Unlike higher animals, Hydra does not possess a circulatory system, so it does not have specialized cells such as red blood cells to transport oxygen and nutrients. Nevertheless, Hydra's small size and uncomplicated structure allow its cells to acquire all necessary substances through diffusion from the surrounding water.