Fish & Amphibians

How were the earliest fish different from today’s fish? What superclass were they in?

They didn’t have jaw bones and were from chordata

From what structure did jaws evolve? What did we call the first animals to have jaws?

They evolved from gill arches, and we called them gnathostomata

What is the benefit of having paired fins?

Stability and balance with swimming.

What time period is nicknamed the “Age of Fishes’?

Devonian Period.

What term is used to describe the body shape of most fish? What is the advantage of this shape?

Streamlined, they’re able to move more quickly.

What is countershading and what is the advantage of it for fish?

Countershading is when the dorsal is darker and the ventral is lighter, this helps camouflage them.

What organs do bony fish and cartilaginous fish use for buoyancy? What is stored within the organs?

The liver, and lipids are stored there to help with buoyancy.

Describe the circulatory system of a fish.

A circle.

Why can’t fish breathe out of water?

Their gills can’t get oxygen out of the air.

How do marine fish survive in salty water? What type of regulators are marine fish?

They survive due to homeostasis and the regulators are hypoosmotic.

How do salty-tissue freshwater fish survive in fresh water? What type of regulators are freshwater fish?

They survive by peeing, they’re regulators are hyperosmotic

Many fish have sensory whiskers. What are these structures called?

Barbels.

The system of canals in fish skin that allow them to sense vibrations in the water is called what?

The lateral line system.

What do we call the organs located in the head of a cartilaginous fish that can detect bioelectric fields?

We call them Ampullae of Lorenzini.

What term is used for animals whose body temperature adjusts depending on the environment?

Poikilothermic ectotherms.

What term is used for animals that primarily gain heat through the environment?

Ectotherms.

List the Kingdom, Phylum, and Subphylum for all fish.

Animalia, Chordata, and Vertebrata.

Bony fish belong to what class?

Osteichthyes.

Sharks and other cartilaginous fish belong to what class?

Chondrichthyes.

Hagfish belong to what class?

Myxini.

Lampreys belong to what class?

Cephalaspidomorphi.

What do hagfish typically eat?

Deceased or dying fish.

What sense does hagfish lack? How do they make up for it?

Sight, being able to feel, and smell.

What gross ability are hagfish known for?

They are known for producing lots of slime.

How are lamprey’s similar to leeches?

They both suck blood.

Marine lamprey's leave the sea where they spend their adult lives to swim up freshwater streams to spawn, what term is used to describe this behavior?

Anadromous.

What invasive fish species invaded the Great lakes and caused a total collapses of a multimillion-dollar lake trout fishery in the early 1950s?

The Sea Lamprey.

Name the four main types of fish found in class chondrichthyes.

1. Sharks

2. Rays

3. Skates

4. Chimeras

Describe the scales of cartilaginous fish.

Flexible, and light.

What are claspers and what are they used for?

Used for copulation, and they are modified pelvic fins.

What mode of reproduction refers to a baby being born alive from their mother?

Viviparous.

What mode of reproduction refers to a baby being born from an egg laid outside the body of the mother?

Ovoviviparous.

What do we call a baby shark? Do adult sharks provide parental care for their offspring?

Baby sharks are called pups, and no they don’t.

What do we call the torpedo-like body shape of a shark?

A fusiform.

Why is it rare for sharks to stop swimming?

Swimming is used for breathing and buoyancy.

What organ do sharks use to help remove excess sodium and chloride ions from the body?

The rectal gland.

Describe the teeth of a predatory shark.

Lots of them, very sharp.

List the three species of sharks that are responsible or most human attacks.

Great White shark, tiger shark, and the bull shark.

What is ISAF.

International Shark Attack File.

Name the two largest shark species and what/how they eat.

Whale shark, and the basking shark, they both use filter feeding and eat plankton.

List differences between rays and skates.

Rays are viviparous and skates are ovoviviparous.

What do we call the two large openings on top of a cartilaginous fish’s head, behind the eyes?

Gill openings.

Why do fish feel slimy?

This is because they secrete a layer of mucus.

What is an operculum and what benefits does it provide to bony fish?

When there’s a flap covering the gill, this helps it to breathe even when it isn’t moving.

Why do fish lay so many eggs?

A lot for them don’t tend to make it.

What term is used to describe the egg laying behavior of fish?

Spawning.

Terrestrial vertebrages such as the early amphibias evolved from what fish group?

Lobe-finned fish.

What invasive fish species threatens Florida’s saltwater fish, Wildlife, and habitat?

The Lion fish.

What term do we use to describe a shark’s placement at the top of the aquatic food web?

Apex predator.

How do dams contribute to declines in fish populations?

It basically prevents spawning.

Freshwater fish produce large amounts of this type of urine to overcome the large amounts of water?

Dilute.

This term refers to fish that spend their adult lives at sea but return to freshwater to spawn.

Anadromous.

Another term for nekton; Refers to animals that spend their time swimming through ocean waters.

Pelagic.

What receptor organs make up the Lateral line body system?

Neuromasts.

Like leeches, lampreys secret this into their hosts to promote blood flow and help prevent blood clotting.

anticoagulant.

Name of Superclass containing all jawless fish.

Agnatha.

Openings behind the eyes of rays used to bring in water for respiration.

Spiracles.

Colorful, venomous fish species that has invaded the Atlantic.

Lion fish.

Bony fish use this gas-filled organ for buoyancy.

Swim bladder.

Sharks have this type of scale.

Placoid.

The largest species of ray.

Manta.

Smooth, circular scales often found on bony fish.

zycloid.

Fish have a heart with this many chambers.

Two.

Placoid scales are…?

rigid.

Cycloid scales are….?

Circular, smooth.

Ctenoid scales are?

Tooth-like, sharp.

Ganoid scales are…?

Diamond shaped.

The study of amphibians and reptiles is called:

Herpetology.

Why are amphibians known as animals with a “double life”?

It’s because they go from water to land.

What are the three main differences between living on land vs. living in water?

-Oxygen content

-Density

-Temperature regulation

The first amphibians most likely evolved from what type of animals?

Lobe-finned fish.

Animals with four legs are known as:

Tetrapods.

How does the transitional fossil Eusthenopteron help show an evolution of tetrapod limbs?

Had a humerus, radius, and an ulna.

What fossil is morphologically intermediate between lobe-finned fish and tetrapods?

Tiktaalik.

What fossil is often considered one of the earliest amphibians and shows a fully developed shoulder girdle, bulky limb bones, well-developed muscles, and other terrestrial adaptations?

Ichthyostega.

What time period is nicknamed the “Age of Amphibians”?

Permian Period.

The skin of an amphibians contains this protein to help prevent water loss.

Keratin.

Why do amphibians require moist skin?

Need it to be able to take in dissolved oxygen.

What adaptation allows an amphibian to maintain their moist skin?

Mucus glands

Describe the three kinds of chromatophores common in amphibians.

Melanophores: pigments that are brown or black.

Xanthophores: yellow pigment.

Iridophores: reflective or iridescent pigment.

Describe the heart and circulatory system of an adult amphibian.

Double-loop blood circulation, the blood goes to the heart → lungs → heart → body. (3 chambered heart)

What is amplexus?

Male clasping the female as eggs and sperm are deposited into the water.

Where must amphibians lay their eggs and why?

Water because, the eggs lack complex membranes (shells).

Contrast differences between tadpoles and adult amphibians.

Tadpoles: Gills, tail, 2-chambered heart.

Amphibians: Lungs, legs, 3-chambered heart, skin.

Contrast the two types of teeth found in frogs.

Maxillary:Upper jaw or both jaws, small.

Vomerine:Roof of the mouth, used to hold prey.

Where is urine produced in an amphibians and what path must it follow to exit the body?

Its kidneys, and it travels from kidneys →ureters →small urinary bladder →cloaca.

List three structures which help protect the eyes of a frog.

-Eyelids

-Lachrymal glands

-Nictitating membrane.

What is the function of the tympanic membrane?

Sensing vibrations and hearing.

What type of thermoregulation do amphibians exhibit?

Ectotherm poikilotherms.

What is the difference between torpor and hibernation?

Torpor is a state of mental AND motor inactivity, whilst hibernation is only a state of mental inactivity.

What is estivation?

Allows survival in extreme desert conditions.

Amphibians is Kingdom…?

Animalia

Amphibians is Phylum…?

Chordata

Amphibians is Subphylum…?

Vertebrata.

Amphibians is class…?

Amphibia

Amphibians is subclass…?

Lissamphibia.

What type of amphibians are in order caudata?

Salamanders, newts, and mudpuppies.

What type of amphibians are in order Anura?

Frogs and toads.

What type of amphibians are in order Apoda?

Caecilians.

Contrast major differences between frogs and toads.

Frogs: Smooth/slimy skin, lay eggs in clusters, moist climates.

Toads: Warty/dry skin, lay eggs in chains, drier climates.