Chapter 34: Vertebrates

These flashcards cover the essential vocabulary and concepts related to vertebrates as outlined in the lecture notes.

Vertebrates

A successful group of animals characterized by having a backbone made up of vertebrae.

Notochord

A longitudinal rod that provides skeletal support and is present in all chordates.

Dorsal, hollow nerve cord

A nerve cord that develops from ectoderm and forms the brain and spinal cord in chordates.

Pharyngeal slits

Grooves in the pharynx of chordates that may develop into slits for gas exchange or other functions.

Muscular post-anal tail

A tail that extends beyond the anus, which provides propelling force in many aquatic species.

Gnathostomes

Jawed vertebrates that are more numerous than jawless vertebrates.

Chondrichthyes

A class of jawed vertebrates that have a skeleton primarily made of cartilage, including sharks and rays.

Osteichthyes

A class of vertebrates with a bony skeleton, including bony fishes and tetrapods.

Amniotic egg

An egg containing membranes that protect the embryo, allowing for reproduction in terrestrial environments.

Ectothermic

Organisms that depend on external sources of heat for body temperature regulation, typical of most reptiles.

Endothermic

Organisms that can maintain body heat through metabolic processes, as seen in birds.

Hominins

Members of the human lineage after the split from the common ancestor with chimpanzees, known for bipedal locomotion.

Paleoanthropology

The study of human origins and evolutionary history.

Derived traits of mammals

Mammals are characterized by hair, mammary glands that produce milk, and a larger brain relative to body size.

Monotremes

Egg-laying mammals exemplified by the platypus and echidnas.

Marsupials

Mammals where the embryo develops within a pouch, examples include kangaroos and koalas.

Eutherians

Placental mammals that have a longer gestation period and give birth to more developed young.

Bipedalism

The ability to walk on two legs, a significant evolutionary adaptation in humans.

FOXP2 gene

A gene essential for human language that underwent natural selection to enhance cognitive capabilities.

Lampreys differ from fishes in that lampreys:

Lack jaws.

Which of the following adaptations allowed reptiles to complete their life cycles on land?

An amniotic egg

Which bird adaptation is probably less well-developed in flightless birds such as penguins and ostriches?

Honeycombed bone structure

Unlike sharks and rays, ray-finned fishes have:

An operculum

The vertebrate group that describes all jawed vertebrates with two pairs of limbs is the:

Tetrapods