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General Biology: Vertebrates and Chordates

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Termini in questo insieme (20)

  • Four key derived characters of chordates

    Notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal slits or clefts, and muscular post-anal tail.

  • Function of the notochord

    A longitudinal, flexible rod between the digestive tube and nerve cord that provides skeletal support; replaced by vertebral column in most vertebrates.

  • Dorsal, hollow nerve cord in chordates

    Develops into the central nervous system: the brain and spinal cord.

  • Pharyngeal slits or clefts functions

    Used for suspension-feeding in invertebrate chordates, gas exchange in non-tetrapod vertebrates, and develop into parts of ear, head, and neck in tetrapods.

  • Post-anal tail significance

    Tail posterior to the anus used for propulsion in many aquatic species; often reduced during embryonic development in some species.

  • Non-vertebrate chordates examples

    Lancelets (Cephalochordata) and tunicates (Urochordata); tunicates are more closely related to vertebrates.

  • Derived characters unique to vertebrates

    Vertebrae enclosing spinal cord, elaborate skull, neural crest cells, teeth, and some bones and cartilage of the skull.

  • Jawless vertebrates (Cyclostomes)

    Hagfishes and lampreys; lack jaws, retain notochord in adults, and have rudimentary vertebrae.

  • Origin of jaws in vertebrates

    Jaws evolved from modification of skeletal rods supporting pharyngeal (gill) slits; jaws have teeth for gripping and slicing food.

  • Gnathostomes

    Jawed vertebrates including sharks, ray-finned fishes, lobe-finned fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.

  • Chondrichthyans characteristics

    Skeleton made primarily of cartilage; includes sharks and rays; sharks have acute senses like sight, smell, and electrical field detection.

  • Osteichthyans

    Vertebrates with bony endoskeletons; includes bony fishes and tetrapods.

  • Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)

    Fins supported by long, flexible rays; most familiar aquatic osteichthyans; many populations threatened by overfishing.

  • Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fishes)

    Muscular pelvic and pectoral fins used for swimming and walking underwater; includes coelacanths, lungfishes, and tetrapods.

  • Tetrapod adaptations for life on land

    Four limbs with digits, neck for head movement, fused pelvic girdle to backbone, loss of gills (except some aquatic species), and ears for airborne sound detection.

  • Amniotes and the amniotic egg

    Tetrapods with an amniotic egg containing membranes that protect the embryo; key adaptation for life on land.

  • Reptile derived traits

    Scales with keratin to prevent desiccation, shelled eggs laid on land, internal fertilization before shell secretion.

  • Bird adaptations for flight

    Wings with keratin feathers, which may have evolved for insulation, camouflage, or courtship; flight aids hunting, escape, and migration.

  • Mammal derived characters

    Mammary glands producing milk, hair and fat layer under skin, kidneys, endothermy with high metabolic rate, large brain-to-body ratio, and extensive parental care.

  • Mammal lineages

    Monotremes (egg-laying), marsupials (pouched), and eutherians (placental mammals with longer pregnancies).