ZOOLOGY

COMPARATIVE ANATOMY

CHORDATE CHARACTERISTICS

1. Notochord
2. Pharyngeal slits/pouches in embryo at least
3. Dorsal hollow tubular central nervous system

VERTEBRAE CHARACTERISTICS

1. Notochord
2. Pharyngeal slits/pouches
3. Dorsal hollow tubular central nervous system
4. Vertebral column

OTHER VERTEBRATE FEATURES

1. Bilaterally symmetrical
2. Metameric
3. Triploblastric
4. Deuterostomous
5. Marked cephalization
6. Postanal tail
7. Two pairs of locomotor appendages
8. Two-layered skin
9. Two to four collomic chambers
10. Closed circulatory system with single or double circuit heart
11. Respire by gills, lungs, skin, bucoharyngeal lining and in embryo by extra embryonic members

DEFINITION OF TERMS:

- Phylogency – evolutionary history of a taxon

- Ontogeny – history of an individual
- Convergent evolution – acquisition of similar structure in unrelated taxa as a result of mutations that are
adaptive to similar enviroments.
- Parallel Evolution – acquisition of similar structures in divergent but recently related groups the immediate
ancestors of which lacked the trait.
- Taxonomy – classification of organisms and a study of of the techniques of establishing taxonomic hierarchies.
Hierarchies classifications maybe natural, phoetic or cladistic.
- Systematics – study of taxonomy and speciation.
- Homologous structures – some organs in different animals under every variety of forms and functions. They
arise from the same embryonic precursors.
- Analogous structures – homoplasous stuctures having the same function.
- Adaptation – hereditary modification of a phenotype that increases the probability of survival.
- Natural selection – nonrandom differential reproduction of genotypes as a result of phenotypes with selective
forces in the external environment.
- Speciation – formation of a new species which is the result of genetic changes in geographically isolated
fractions of a pre-existing species.
- Paedogenesis – reproduction by larvae with sexually mature gonads.
- Noeteny – retention of larval traits in adults.
- Heterochrony – change in relative rates of development of characters during development.
 - Organic evolution – concept that species have been changing and existing species are divergent decendants of
earlier ones.

THEORY OF NATURAL SELECTION vs. THEORY OF ACQUIRED CHARACTERISTICS:

PHYLUM Chordata

Subphylum Urochoradata (Tunicata)

Class Ascidiacea Sea squirts
Class Larvacea Larvaceans
Class Thaliacea Thaliaceans
Subphylum Cephalochordata Lancelets (Amphioxuses)
Subphylum Vertebrata Chordates with vertebrae
Hemichordates Incertae sedis

MAJOR CATEGORIES OF VERTEBRATES

Class Mammalia

Ave
Reptilia
Amphibia