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31.3 Vertebrates. Vertebrate Intro . Have all 4 chordate characteristics at some point of development Embryonic notochord generally replaced by vertebral column Generally a high level of cephalization (brain and nervous system) with complex sense organs Closed circulatory system.
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Vertebrate Intro • Have all 4 chordate characteristics at some point of development • Embryonic notochord generally replaced by vertebral column • Generally a high level of cephalization (brain and nervous system) with complex sense organs • Closed circulatory system
Vertebrate Intro (cont’d) • Jaw evolution allowed for easier predation • Strong endoskeleton allows for large terrestrial organisms • Complete digestive tract • Generally, sexes are separate (not hermaphrodites) • Sexual reproduction typical
Vertebrate Intro (cont’d) • Evolution of amnion (extraembryonic membrane that encloses a fluid filled sac) • Some lay shelled eggs • Others are placental (e.g. mammals) and development of offspring occurs in female uterus
Fishes • Evolutionary development: (from least to most evolved) • Jawless fishes (superclass Agnatha) • About 63 species • Cylindrical • Up to 1 meter long • Include hagfish and lampreys • Some are parasitic
Fishes (cont’d) • Cartilaginous fishes (class Chondrichthyes) • About 850 species • Include rays, sharks and skates • Have jaws (adapted gill arches – structure that supports gills) • Skeletons made of cartilage (not bone) • Well-developed senses make good predators: • Ability to sense electric currents in water • Have lateral line system that allows them to sense pressure changes in water from movement nearby • Keen sense of smell
Fishes (cont’d) • Bony fishes (class Osteichthyes) • About 20 000 species • Most diverse class of all vertebrates • Types of bony fishes: • Ray-finned fishes • Include fish we commonly eat: trout, cod, salmon • Have a pair of fins with thin bodies • Often have a swim-bladder, which regulates buoyancy • Water passes into mouth and out through gill slits: oxygen is absorbs and carbon dioxide given off • Heart is simple pump with two chambers (one atrium and one ventricle)
Fishes (cont’d) • Lobe-finned fishes • Evolved into amphibians • Had fleshy appendages that were adapted to limbs for terrestrial life • Had a lung used for respiration • E.g. coelacanth, though extinct 20 000 years ago was discovered off the coasts of Eastern Africa