Amphibian Flashcards
The name is derived from the presence of four limbs
sarcopterygian descendants that possess well-formed
forelimbs and hindlimbs.
Tetrapoda
The earliest amphibians arose during what period?
Devonian period
The fossil record provides evidence of many extinct
Evolutionary History
tetrapod taxa, and no one knows what animal was the
first tetrapod. The best-known and some of the earliest
fossils were first discovered in Greenland in 1932. They
are of a 365-million-year-old group called ______.
Ichthyostegalia
One of the more recent, and more significant of these “transitional” fossils, was unearthed in 2004 in
the frigid, barren Canadian tundra of Ellesmere
Island. Named ___ by the team of
paleontologists who discovered it.
Tiktaalik
______documents key steps in the vertebrate transition from water to land, and its features suggest that key tetrapod traits, such as wrist, ribs,
and a flexible neck, were ancestral to the tetrapod
lineage.
Tiktaalik
Refers to living amphibians the reptiles (including birds), mammals, and the common ancestor of these groups.
Lissamphibia”
During the ________, amphibians underwent a population explosion
By the _____ (299-250 mya), amphibians had reached the peak of their success with more than 40 families, most of which were either semiaquatic or completely terrestrial.
Carboniferous period (360-299 mya)
Permian period
Name the three orders of class amphibia
ORDER GYMNOPHIONA
ORDER CAUDATA
ORDER ANURA
160 species confined to tropical regions although some are aquatic, most are wormlike burrowers that feed on worms and other invertebrates in the soil.
Caecilians
(Gr. gymnos, naked + ophineos, like a snake)
Gymnophiona
(L. cauda, tail + Gr. ata, to bear)
Caudata
Most of the 400 species of are found in the Northern Hemisphere, with secondary radiation to tropical and subtropical regions
Most terrestrial live in moist forest-floor litter and have aquatic larvae.
Salamanders
Salamandridae are commonly called ____. They spend most of their lives in water and frequently retain caudal fins.
newts
Males produce a pyramidal, gelatinous _____ that is capped with sperm and deposited on the substrate. Females pick up the sperm cap with the cloaca and store the sperm in a special pouch, the ______
spermatophore
spermatheca.
Many other salamanders undergo incomplete metamorphosis and are _____
paedomorphic .
_____ are divided into two genera in the family Proteidae.
They are found throughout North America and Europe (one species) and spend their entire lives underwater.
They exchange respiratory gases through their gills, which they retain as adults from the larval stage, and across their skin.
They prefer slowmoving streams and shallow lakes, where they feed on crayfish, snails, and insect larvae.
Mudpuppies
(Gr. a, without + oura, tail)
Anura
live in most moist environments, except in high latitudes and on some oceanic islands. A few even occur in very dry deserts.
Anurans
Adults lack tails, and caudal (tail) vertebrae fuse into a rodlike structure called the
urostyle
____ usually refers to anurans with relatively dry and warty skin that are more terrestrial than other members of the order. True toads belong to the family Bufonidae
_____ have relatively smooth skin and prefer more aquatic habitats. True frogs belong to the family Ranidae.
Toad
Frogs
In amphibians, The skeleton is divided into four regions: ____, trunk, ____, and caudal.
cervical; sacral
The first vertebra is a ___vertebra (moves against the back of the skull and allows the head to nod vertically).
The last trunk vertebra is a ____ vertebra (anchors the pelvic girdle to the vertebral column to provide increased support)
A ventral plate of bone called ___ (present in the anterior ventral trunk region which supports the forelimbs and protects internal organs–reduced or absent in Anura).
cervical
sacral
sternum
Interlocking processes, called _____, prevent twisting between vertebrae
zygapophyses
Locomotion:
____move by a pattern of limb and body movements in which the alternate movements of appendages result from muscle contractions that throw the body into a curve to advance the stride of a limb.
____have an accordion-like movement in which the adjacent body parts push or pull forward at the same time.
____have long hind limbs and the pelvic girdle are modified for jumping.
SALAMANDERS…
CAECILIANS…
ANURANS…
There are _____ present in the epidermis and dermis of their skin that are responsible for skin color and color changes (EXAMPLE: cryptic coloration, aposematic coloration and mimicry).
chromatophore cells
The skin of amphibians are _____ (glandular secretions from the granular glands) that secretes toxic to varying degrees [alkaloids, peptides, biogenic amines, and steroids].
highly glandular
Skin color and color changes (defense):
____To change the color of their skin to blend into their habitats. ____Giving visual signs of conspicuous markings or bright colors to warn predators of its toxicity and distasteful flavor.
____Mimicking the warning signs of deadly, venomous predators yet being harmless.
cryptic coloration (camouflage)
aposematic coloration
Mimicry
Gas exchange occurs across the_____ of the amphibians.
skin and lungs
Amphibians have contractile vessels called ______ that pump fluid through the lymphatic systems.
lymphatic hearts
Circulatory system:
A ______, usually separates the left and the right side of the heart. This ensures that the blood rich in oxygen (oxygenated blood) does not mix with the blood poor in oxygen or rich in carbon dioxide (deoxygenated blood).
septum, or muscle wall
______ plays an important role in prey detection by aquatic salamanders and caecilians. (They locate the prey by sight and simply wait for it to pass by)
Olfaction
Amphibians excrete nitrogenous waste products which could either be ammonia or urea.
Those that live in FRESHWATER excrete \_\_\_\_\_ while those that spends more time on LAND excrete \_\_(which can be stored in the urinary bladder unlike ammonia). Some amphibians excrete ammonia when in water and urea when on land.
ammonia; urea
Amphibians must conduct _____ which is removing excess water from the body and conserving essential ions.
osmoregulation
Some prevent water loss by forming _____ that encase their body during long periods of dormancy
COCOONS
The nervous system of amphibians is similar to other vertebrates which develops 3 embryological subdivisions.
_____(contains olfactory centers that regulate color change and visceral functions)
______(contains the region of optic tectum that assimilates sensory information and initiates motor responses, this also processes visual sensory information)
______(this functions in motor coordination and in regulating heart rate and the mechanics of respiration)
FOREBRAIN
MIDBRAIN
HINDBRAIN
Reproduction, Development and Metamorphosis
______ help them locate breeding sites and identify potential mates. It also prepares them for reproduction and ensures that eggs are fertilized and deposited in locations that promote successful development.
There is a positioning called _____, which is when a male grasps the female (his forelimbs around her waist) so that they are oriented in the same direction and the male is dorsal to the female. During this, the male releases sperm as the female releases eggs.
Courtship behaviours
amplexus
What is the term used or given to animals with four limbs and feet with toes and fingers?
a. Ichthyostega
b. Tetrapod/a
c. Amphibia
d. Lung fishes
b. Tetrapod/a
This order of amphibians includes the frogs and toads.
a. GYMOPHIONA
b. ANURA
c. CAUDATA
d. NEWTS
b. ANURA
What organ or part of amphibians allows them to have a double life in land and water? This must stay moist.
a. CLOACA
b. SKIN
c. LUNGS
d. KIDNEY
b. SKIN
What order of amphibians are like worm-like burrowers that lack limbs and also have internal fertilization?
a. ANURA
b. GYMNOPHIONA
c. CAUDATA
d. NEWTS
b. GYMNOPHIONA
Part of an amphibian body where they excrete their waste substances and urine from their body?
a. CLOACA
b. SKIN
c. NOTOCHORD
d. KIDNEY
a. CLOACA
