The Agnatha and evolution of the jaw Flashcards
1
Q
what are the Agnathans?
A
Jawless fish
gnathostomes (Jawed vertebrates)
2
Q
Groups of agnathans
A
- Ostracoderms - Extict
- Lamprey - Extant
- Hagfish - Extant
3
Q
Ostracoderm features
A
- Dermal exoskeleton
- Moveable plates around mouth
- Notochord
- Dorsal fin, some pectoral fins
- 10-50 cm
- Would have been more closely related to gnathostomes as they had mineralised tissues and paired fins.
4
Q
Ostracoderms evolution
A
- Approx 500 MYA
- Coexisted with gnathostomes for 50MY -
- Unlikely that the evolution of jawed verts caused extinction because they coexisted together for so long.
- Extinct in late Devonian
5
Q
Fossil cyclostome?
A
- Tully monster (Tullimonstrum)
- Has a notochord, arcualia
- Teeth made of keratin
6
Q
Evidence for Agnathans split from gnathostomes
A
- Alpha and beta globins give evidence for this split
- Aplpha and beta globin genes aren’t shown in jawless vertebrates.
- Common ancestor of lampreys & hagfish, predates split so diverged before this
7
Q
Lamprey mouth structure
A
- Keratinous teeth
- Oral hood
- Oral gland secrete anticoagulant
- Latch on and grind away at tissues and take up blood
- Predaceous
8
Q
Lamprey body structures
A
- Notochord - support
- Minute vertebrae / Arcualia (dorsally)
- Dorsal fin ( no paired fin)
- Structures are close together
9
Q
Lamprey features
A
- Nasohypophyseal opening (nostril). Able to detect chemical cues
- Adenohypophysis - adrenal gland
- Tidal ventilation - pull water in and out of gill opening - not very efficient.
- Velum: stops water from flowing into the mouth.
10
Q
Lamprey eye
A
- Well developed eyes
- Pineal eye responsible for detecting light
11
Q
Lamprey - Larval stage
A
- Filter feeders
- Can live in larval stage for 3/4 years
- Produce mucus
- Endostyle produces mucus (turns into thyroid gland in adult)
12
Q
Lamprey reproduction
A
- Many spent adult life in sea then move to freshwater to reproduce (anadromous)
- Use oral hood to build a nest
- Female latches into a stone and produces hundreds of eggs
- Males fertilises eggs
- Adults die after mating
- Larvae burrow into silt and can stay there for up to 7 years
13
Q
what is an Anadromous lifecycle?
A
spend adult life in sea then move to freshwater to reproduce
sea -> freshwater
14
Q
What is an Catadromous life cycle?
A
Lives adult life in freshwater then move to the sea to breed
Freshewater -> sea
15
Q
Some Lampreys have become landlocked
US great lakes
A
Live their entire lifecyle in the lakes:
- mature adults migrate into streams to spawn.
- Ammocotes larvae burrow in stream bed and metamorphose
- Emerge and migrate downstream
- Free swimming parasitic phase in lakes (normally live this stage in the sea).