Paraphyletic
not all crown group members included (e.g., birds excluded from reptiles)
Polyphyletic
group derived from more than one MRCA (e.g., herps = amphibians and reptiles)
Amphibian Traits
anamniotic egg, thin skin, metamorphosis
Reptile Traits
amniotic egg, scaly skin
Amniote
embryo protected by amniotic membranes that conduct active gas exchange and prevent dessication
Caudata (salamanders/newts)
elongate trunk/tail, mostly 4 limbs, ancestrally biphasic
Anura (frogs/toads)
short trunk no tail, 4 limbs, ancestrally biphasic
Gymnophiona (caecilians)
elongate trunk short tail, limbless, reduced eyes, chemosensory tentacle, ancestrally biphasic
Crocodylia (crocodylians)
elongate trunk/tail, 4 limbs, oviparous, exhibit parental care, aquatic or semiaquatic
Testudines
shell, 4 limbs, oviparous, pelvic/pectoral girdle inside ribcage/skull, terrestrial aquatic or semiaquatic
Rhynchocephalia (tuatara)
medium trunk/tail, oviparous, carnivorous, terrestrial or nocturnal
Lizards (Squamata)
variable trunk/limb dimensions, 4 or 2 or 0 limbs, terrestrial arboreal or semiquatic, herbivorous to carnivorous
Snakes (Squamata)
very elongate trunk, short or long tail, terrestrial/arboreal/fossorial/semiaquatic/aquatic, oviparous origins, strictly carnivorous
Cryptic Species
taxa that are indistinguishable morphologically
Tiktaalik
aquatic sarcopterygian fish with robust pelvic/pectoral girdles and a free neck
Temnospondyl Hypothesis
lissamphibians lie within the temnospondyl amphibian clade
Lepospondyl Hypothesis
lissamphibians lie within lepospondyl
Diphyly Hypothesis
lissamphibians are polyphyletic - frogs/salamanders are temnospondyls, caecilians are lepospondyls
Lissamphibia Synapomorphies
bicuspid + pedicellate teeth, operculum sound transmission apparatus, skin contains mucous and poison glands, retractor/levator muscles in eye can retract/elevate eye, short ribs don't encircle body
Caecilian Synapomorphies
no limbs/appendicular girdle, annuli muscle rings, tentacle sensory organ, tail reduced/absent, internal fertilization via phallodeum
Salamander Synapomorphies
costal grooves, larvae have bony skeletons, no tympanum/middle ear cavity
Anura Synapomorphies
extremely reduced skull, fused frontals/parietals, backwards tongue, 9 or less sacral vertebrae, caudal vertebrae fused into single rod, radius/ulna fused, tibia/fibula fused, no teeth in mandible, distinctive larvae
Synapsida
mammals + non mammalian synapsids
Sauropsida
reptiles
Amniote Clades
synapsida, sauropsida
Diapsida
all living reptiles
Living Reptile Groups
archosauria, lepidosauria, lepidosauromorpha
Scales
folded areas of epidermis
Osteoderm
bone slivers/plates found within dermis of crocodilians and some lizards
Scutes
similar to scales, develop directly on underlying bone
Reptile Characteristics
scale like feature, shedding, scale organs, ear structure, vision
Columella
sound transmitting bone
Scleral Ossicles
thin bone plates embedded in sclera of the eye
Crocodylian Synapomorphies
thecodont teeth, webbed feet, robust osteoderms
Turtle Synapomorphies
shell, lack of teeth, lack of temporal fenestrae
Anapsid Hypothesis
turtles lie outside Diapsida, most closely related to extinct parareptiles
Archosaur Hypothesis
turtles are sister to Archosauria
Lepidosaur Hypothesis
turtles are sister to Lepidosauria
Major Turtle Clades
pleurodires, cryptodires
Plerodires
turtles that retract neck laterally
Cryptodires
turtles that retract neck dorsoventrally
Autotomy
ability to shed tail in defense, usually regenerated
Lepidosaur Synapomorphies
epiphyseal long bone growth, skin shed all at once, autotomy, fused astragulus/calcaneum, hooked fifth metatarsal
Rhynchocephalian Synapomorphies
intact temporal bar, tympanum absent, acrodont teeth with palatine tooth row, propalinal shearing, abdominal ribs - cover stomach
Squamate Synapomorphies
movable quatrade bone, hemipenes, specialized tooth attachment modes (acrodont, pleurodont, and modified pleurodont)
Major Squamate Clades
iguania, scleroglossa
Snake Synapomorphies
>120 procloacal vertebrae, no scleral ossicles, loss of many skull elements, several lower jaw bones fused into single compound bone, loss of several hyoid elements, long/slender/curved teeth
Sources of Water Uptake
liquid water, preformed water, metabolic water
Cutaneous Water Exchange
water acquired through the skin (e.g., amphibians)
Methods of Water Loss
evaporation, excretion
Forms of Nitrogenous Waste
ammonia, urea, uric acid, salt glands
Q10 Effect
rate of change in a biochemical reaction with a 10 C increase in temperature
Thermoregulators
employ morphological, physiological, and behavioural mechanisms to maintain body temperatures that differ from environmental temperatures
Set Point Temperature Range
preferred temperature range of an organism, determined experimentally
Thermoconformer
organism that does not maintain body temperatures that differ from their environment
Heliothermy
use of solar radiation for thermoregulation
Thigothermy
conduction of heat from a substrate for thermoregulation
Kleptothermy
gain heat from metabolic heat production of endotherms
Physiological Thermoregulatory Mechanisms
colour change, circulatory transport, metabolic heat production
Countercurrent Heat Exchange
coupled veins/arteries allow for heat to be lost to body instead of environment
Newton's First Law of Motion
body at rest/in motion will remain so until a force acts upon it
Newton's Second Law of Motion
force = mass*acceleration
Newton's Third Law of Motion
every action has an equal and opposite reaction
Centre of Gravity
the centre of mass of an object
Base of Support
area enclosed by points of contact with the ground
Reaction Force Components
vertical component, propulsive component
Levers: First Class
fulcrum lies between in lever and out lever
Levers: Second Class
fulcrum lies at one end of bar, in force applied at other end, force generated between both ends
Levers: Third Class
fulcrum lies at one end of bar, in force is applied at both ends, out force generated at opposite end from fulcrum
Sprawling Gait Locomotion
lateral undulations combined with alternating limb movements
Semierect Gait Locomotion
limbs more vertical during locomotion
Morphological Specializations for Jumping
long hindlimb elements, ankle independent of foot, pelvic girdle not fused to vertebral column
Lateral Undulation Locomotion
body pushes posterolaterally, generating reaction with forward and lateral components
Concertina Locomotion
anterior and posterior regions take turns anchoring the body while other parts move forward
Sidewinding Locomotion
sections of body are continuously lifted, moved forwards, and set back down
Rectilinear Locomotion
moving forward in a straight line
Undulatory Swimming
undulation based propulsion
Oscillatory Swimming
appendage based propulsion
Morphological Specializations for Burrowing
smooth skin, reduced number of scales, thicker skull bones, reinforced skull sutures
Wet Adhesion
capillary adhesion, relies on surface tension in a lubricating fluid to create an adhesive bond between organism and substrate
Dry Adhesion
lamellae covered in setae bond to substrate via van der waals forces