Planarians are a group of flatworms. Wounding and amputation in this organism leads to a coordinated cellular and molecular response that can be measured and is currently under intense investigation. Planarians are members of the Platyhelminthes (flatworms). The animal is popular in school laboratories and in scientific research. Planarians retain an abundance of adult pluripotent stem cells, or neoblasts, and it is these cells that scientists think hold the key to regeneration. Even small pieces of a planarian can regenerate missing body parts and form a complete individual.

Planaria is the name of one genus, but the name planarian is used to designate any member of the family Planariidae and related families. regeneration is amputation. This method of asexual reproduction is found in protozoa, sponges, hydra, earthworms and starfish. Regeneration Regeneration may be defined as the ability of an organism to grow its lost parts. Investigating Planarian Behavior and Regeneration OVERVIEW In this activity, students use planarians (flatworms in the phylum Platyhelminthes) as a model organism to study the remarkable process of regeneration. Recent discoveries about its biology may help us in our quest to trigger the regeneration of … Planarian, any of a group of widely distributed, mostly free-living flatworms of the class Turbellaria (phylum Platyhelminthes). Regeneration in star fish These animals have evolved a remarkable stem cell system. Most planarians occur in fresh A single pluripotent adult stem cell type (“neoblast”) gives rise to the entire range of cell types and organs in the planarian body plan, including a brain, digestive-, excretory-, sensory- and reproductive systems. This process of asexual reproduction is found in planaria and hydra. planaria: (plă-năr′ē-ă) Free-living flatworms of the Turbellaria class. Some planarian species have remarkable regenerative abilities, which involve abundant pluripotent adult stem cells. Student teams then formulate a hypothesis regarding the regenerative ability of planarians. Planarians synonyms, Planarians pronunciation, Planarians translation, English dictionary definition of Planarians. This makes these worms a powerful model system for understanding the molecular and evolutionary underpinnings of regeneration.

Planarians are no exception. Students first observe the planarian’s physical and behavioral attributes.