Vertebrate Diversity Flashcards
What same ancestor do the phyla Chordata and Echinodermata share?
Deuterostome
What are the three major Tunicate groups?
Sea squirts
Thaliaceans
Larvaceans
How many species of known Tunicates are there?
2,800 species
How do sea squirts catch prey?
The pharynx is enlarged into a basket which enables it to filter its prey.
How do larvacean’s catch prey?
They build large delicate mucus nets that can snare organic particles.
When would a larvacean exit it’s mucus net and what would happen to the old mucus ‘house’?
Once it became too clogged with excess debris. The ‘house’ would float to the bottom of the see and can be of important nutritional value for deep sea life.
What vertebrates are Thaliaceans?
Salps and pyrosomes
How do Thaliaceans live?
They live singly or in chain like colonies.
Where would you find Thaliaceans?
In tropical and subtropical oceans down to 1,500m.
How do Lancelets respire?
They have no respiratory system so use cutaneous gas exchange.
What are Lanceletes gill slits used for?
Gill slits are used for feeding as this where the prey is filtered through the pharyngeal basket.
Give an example of a Lancelet.
Branchiostoma sp.
How many pairs of ductless gonads do B. lanceolatum have?
26
How do B. lanceolatum reproduce?
The gonads rupture to release gametes into the body cavity and then into open water. This is called external fertilization.
What are the key characteristics of vertebrates?
The notochord is replaced by a jointed, dorsal vertebral column.
Anterior skull enclosing large brain.
Rigid internal skeleton.
Internal organs suspended in a coelom.
Well developed circulatory system, driven by contractions of a ventral heart.
Give examples of jawless fish.
Hagfish and Lamprey