BSC 2011: Biological Diversity - Vertebrates 1

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering essential terms and concepts related to vertebrates from the lecture notes.

Phylum Chordata

Includes vertebrates and their close relatives.

Notochord

A single flexible rod that all chordates exhibit at some point in their lives.

Dorsal hollow nerve cord

A key characteristic of chordates, located above the notochord.

Pharyngeal slits

Structures found in chordate embryos, indicative of their evolutionary lineage.

Postanal tail

A tail that extends beyond the anus, found in chordates.

Endostyle

A glandular structure in the throat of chordates used in filter feeding.

Subphylum Cephalochordata

Contains lancelets, small marine filter feeders.

Subphylum Urochordata

Contains tunicates, marine animals that exhibit chordate traits in larvae.

Cranium

The bony or cartilaginous protective housing for the brain in vertebrates.

Vertebral column

Replaces the notochord in vertebrates, made of interlocking vertebrae.

Endoskeleton

A skeletal structure made of cartilage or bone that grows with the animal.

Complex internal organs

Organ systems such as liver, kidneys, and heart found in vertebrates.

Agnathans

Jawless fish, such as hagfishes and lampreys.

Hagfish

Jawless, finless, scavenging fish with a cartilaginous skull.

Lamprey

Parasitic jawless fish found in marine and freshwater environments.

Gnathostomes

Jawed vertebrates with hinged jaws derived from pharyngeal arches.

Class Chondrichthyes

Cartilaginous fishes, including sharks and rays.

Cartilaginous skeleton

Skeleton made of flexible cartilage, characteristic of Chondrichthyes.

Oviparous

Reproductive strategy where animals lay eggs.

Ovoviviparous

Reproductive strategy where eggs develop inside the female but have no placenta.

Viviparous

Reproductive strategy where embryos develop inside the uterus with placenta nourishment.

Bony fishes

Fish characterized by a bony skeleton and specific features like an operculum and swim bladder.

Operculum

Gill cover that protects the gills of bony fish.

Swim bladder

An air-filled sac that provides buoyancy to bony fish.

Ray-finned fish

Bony fish that have fins supported by thin, bony, flexible rays.

Lobe-finned fish

Fish with fleshy, lobed fins supported by bones; ancestors of tetrapods.

Coelacanths

Ancient group of lobe-finned fishes thought to be extinct until discovered alive in 1938.

Lungfishes

Bony fishes that can breathe air and have both gills and lungs.

Tetrapods

Vertebrates with four limbs, sharing a common ancestor with lobe-finned fishes.

Class Amphibia

Class of vertebrates that includes frogs, salamanders, and caecilians.

Buccal pumping

A method used by amphibians to force air into their lungs.

3-chambered heart

Heart structure found in amphibians that allows for some mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.

Desiccation

The process of drying out; important for land adaptations of tetrapods.

Amniotic egg

A type of egg that provides a protective environment for developing embryos on land.

External fertilization

Fertilization process where eggs are fertilized outside the female's body, common in amphibians.

Larval stages

Early developmental stage in amphibians that is typically aquatic.