Verterbates and Speciation Flashcards
Synamorphy
Definition
a common feature shared by all descendants of a common ancestor after a divergence
Chordates
Subcategories
- Vertebrates
- Invertebrate:
- Cephalochordates (Lancelets)
- Urochordata (Tunicates)
Chordates
Common Characteristics
- notochord (stiffened material down centre that allows movement
- dorsal, hollow nerve cord
- postanal tail
- pharygeal slits
Cephalochordates
- notochord down centre
- move left to right
Urochordata
-suck water through body
Vertebrates
Common Characteristics
- Vertebral Column, tube of hollow bones that enclose and protect the dorsal nerve chord
- Head/Cephalisation, distinct and well differentiated head with skull and brain
- Neural Crest, unique group of embryonic cells that contribute to development of spinal chord
- Internal Organs, liver kidneys ane endocrine system
- Closed Circulatory System
- Efficient Respiration and Excretion
- Paired Appendages
- Endoskeleton
Crown Group Vertebrates
- sharks
- ray-finned fish
- amphibians
- primates
- rodents and rabbits
- crocodiles
- dinosaurs and birds
Fish
Subcategories
- jawless
- cartilaginous
- bony
Fish
Common Characteristics
- Gills, as water passes over the gills it hits fine filaments of blood vessels into which oxygen diffuses
- Vertebral Column, internal skeleton with a spine that surrounds the dorsal nerve chord
- Single-Loop Blood Circulation, blood pumped from heart to gills to rest of the body and back to the heart
- Nutritional Deficiencies, unable to synthesise aromatic amino acids so must consume them in their diet
Jawless Fish
- agnathens
- lack bony skeleton
- cylindrical shape
- scavengers (hagfish) OR filter feeders (lampreys)
- parasitic lampreys attatch to the sides of bony fish and suck nutrients from the host circulatory system
Cartilaginous Fish
- skeleton made of cartilage not bone
- superior design for swimming
- array of fins (cadval, dorsal, ventral & front pectoral and rear pelvic pair)
- 3 well developed senses (sense electric currents, smell, pressure sensitive cells on insides of body)
- advanced reproduction
- some shark eggs are internally fertilised
Bony Fish
- evolved in freshwater
- highly mobile fins
- symmetrical tails
- lobe finned and ray finned fish arose from bony fish
- swim bladder, for buoyancy it keeps fish suspended at any depth (in modern fish it is an independent organ that is filled/drained of gas from the blood)
- Lateral Line System, fully developed series of sensory organs to aid orientation and detection of objects
- Gill Cover, hard plate/operculum covers gills on each side/head used to pump water over gills while stationary
Amphibia
Evolution
- direct descendants of lobe finned fish
- most numerous land animals
- 3 orders:
- Anura (frogs & toads)
- Caduata (salamanders & newts)
- Gymnophiona/Caecilians (no legs)
Amphibia
Common Characteristics
- Legs, apart from caecilians which have adapted for burrowing
- Cutaneous Respiration, respiration through the skin supplements lungs & limits body size
- Lungs, pair of lungs they breathe by lowering the mouth and raising it back up to force in air
- Pulmonary Veins & Partially Divide Heart, splits blood circulation into two paths
- Metamorphosis, adaptation to water or land environment
Reptiles
Evolution
- evolved from amphibian
- legs arranged to support body weight increasing efficiency
- lungs and heart altered
- skin covered with dry scales
- eggs encased in water tight covers
Reptiles
Common Characteristics
- Amniotic eggs, watertight & contains food & a series of 4 membranes making the egg an independent life support system
- Dry Skin, scales prevent water loss and develop as surface cells fill with keratin
- Thoracic Breathing, expand & contract rib cage to suck in/force out air from lungs capacity is limited by lung volume
Birds
Evolution
- similar to reptiles
- BUT many say that they evolved from dinosaurs
Birds
Common Characteristics
- Feathers, modified reptilian scales provide lift for flying and insulation
- Flight Skeleton, thin hollowed out bones many of which are fused together forming a sturdy frame to anchor muscles during flight
- Breast Muscles, 30% of body weight to provide strength for flight
- Efficient Respiration
- Efficient Circulation, dividing wall in the heart is complete
- Endothermy, 40-42C body temperature
Mammals
Evolution
emerged 220mya
Mammals
Subcategories
- Monotremes, egg laying
- Marsupials, young born early in development and complete growth in the pouch
- Placental, lack pouches and suckle young
Mammals
Common Characteristics
- Hair, key for heat regulation and fur allowed invasion into colder climates / camouflage
- Milk Producing Glands, allows mammal to suckle young
- Endothermic, can be active at day or night
- Placenta, females carry young in the uterus during development
- Teeth, heterodont dentition specialised to eating habits
- Digestive System for Eating Plants, herbivores can’t break down cellulose so rely on a mutualistic relationship with intestinal bacteria with a cellulose digesting enzyme
- Horns and Hooves, made of keratin
What are the three main mechanisms of speciation?
- polyploidy
- allopatric/geographic
- sympatric/ecological
Allopatric/Geographic Speciation
- one population
- part of the population moves to a different area
- gene flow between the two groups ceases
- OR the population can be separated by a barrier e.g. a river preventing gene flow between the two groups
Ring Species Concept
- allopatric
- species expands around an area of unsuitable habitat
- as the species spreads around the ring it evolves over time
- all around the ring, adjacent variations of the species are able to interbreed
- but when the end of the ring reaches the beginning again the species has changed so much that it can no longer interbreed with the original species