Lecture 10: Chordates and Vertebrates

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to chordates and vertebrates, based on lecture notes.

Chordates

Animals that possess a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail.

Deuterostomia

A major lineage of animals that includes chordates, which share a common ancestor with bilateral symmetry.

Notochord

A flexible rod-like structure found in chordates that provides skeletal support.

Dorsal hollow nerve cord

A nerve cord located above the notochord that develops into the central nervous system.

Pharyngeal slits or clefts

Grooves in the pharynx that perform various functions such as gas exchange and feeding.

Post-anal tail

A tail structure behind the anus that aids in propulsion in aquatic species.

Gnathostomes

Jawed vertebrates that evolved from early vertebrate lineages.

Cyclostomes

Jawless vertebrates, such as hagfish and lampreys, which retain a notochord as adults.

Osteichthyans

Bony fish and tetrapods that have a bony endoskeleton.

Amniotic egg

An egg type that provides a protective environment for the embryo, key for life on land.

Tetrapods

Vertebrates that have four limbs and adapted to life on land.

Mammals

Warm-blooded vertebrates characterized by mammary glands, hair, and a high metabolic rate.

Eutherians

A group of mammals characterized by long pregnancies and live births.

Marsupials

Mammals like kangaroos that give birth at an early stage and complete development in a pouch.

Monotremes

Egg-laying mammals, such as the platypus and echidna.