Banner ID: B00399854

Paulina Anna Antczak

Use this page to paste an image of your labelled drawing of the whole specimen (30
marks).

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Use this page to paste an image of your labelled drawing of the specimen in cross-
section (30 marks).

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Use this page to type up your answers to the questions from the lab. Your answers
should not be longer than one page in total.

Questions

a) What are the unique characteristics of the phylum Chordata? (include a

description of each characteristic) (20 marks)

The fundamental characteristics of the phylum Chordata include notochord, dorsal

hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, post anal tail and endostyle or thyroid gland. The
first fundamental and morphological feature is notochord. It is an elongated skeleton
which has a form of flexible rod that extends the length of the body and it is located
between the guts and dorsal hollow nerve cord. Notochord occurs primarily in
embryonic development and in most adult chordates. It comprises of big vacuolated
notochordal cells which contain a gelatinous matrix and an elastic sheath. Another
fundamental characteristic of the phylum Chordata is dorsal hollow nerve cord. The
central nervous system of the chordates occurs on the dorsal side of the body. It has
the form of an elongated nerve cord that lies above the dorsal cord and extending
along the body. The nerve cord comes from the dorsal ectodermal nerve plate of the
embryo and surrounds a canal or cavity which is called neurocoel. There are no
obvious ganglion extensions. The nerve cord is used to integrate and coordinate the
body’s functions. The front part of the nerve cord is specialized in the formation of a
brain or cerebral vesicle surrounded by a protective cartilage in the skull or bone in
vertebrates. The back of the nerve cord becomes the spinal cord, and it is protected
by the spine or in other words the vertebral column. Another unique characteristic of
the phylum Chordata is pharyngeal slits which are located on the sides of the
pharynx. A series of paired lateral gill slits pierce the intestinal pharyngeal wall
behind the mouth in all chordates at some point in their life history. They are mainly
used to drain the water from the pharynx outwards. In this way they bathe the gills
for respiration. The water current helps in the filter feeding by trapping food particles
in the pharynx. Phylum Chordata also has a tail which extends beyond the anus.
Although it may only be present in some embryonic stages so at some stage it may
or may not persist in the adults. Lastly, endostyle or thyroid gland is a fundamental
characteristic possessed by phylum Chordata. The endostyle is embedded in the
bottom of the pharynx. The endostyle or thyroid gland secretes steroid hormones
and some chordates the endostyle secretes mucus that helps with feeding.

b) Which of the five characteristics could you identify in

i) the whole specimen and
ii) the transverse sections (slides) of Branchiostoma? (10 marks)

I was able to identify notochord, pharyngeal slits, post anal tail in the whole
specimen of Branchiostoma. I was also able to identify dorsal fin, myotome, nerve
tube, ventral root nerve, dorsal root nerve, notochord, dorsal aorta, epibranchial
groove, branchial bar, pharyngeal gill slit, atrial chamber, hypobranchial groove,
ventral aorta and metapleural fold.

c) How is the anatomy of Branchiostoma related to its lifestyle? (10 marks)

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Branchiostoma possesses special and distinctive characteristics such as notochord,
dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, post anal tail and endostyle or thyroid
gland which help them to function in simple conditions throughout its life. Therefore,
the anatomy of Branchiostoma is related to its lifestyle. Branchiostoma is a marine
animal which leads dual lifestyle as it is buried in the sand of the sandy coasts in an
upright position or swims in the shallow waters by the sideways and undulating body
movements which are caused by the muscles. Its anatomy allows it to swim vertically
in the water, jump out of the burrow, dive into the sand, feed on planktonic
microorganisms. Branchiostoma release gametes at the point of fertilization.
Development is indirect and involves a free-floating larval stage that gradually
becomes adult. Therefore, the streamlined body of Branchiostoma is well related and
suited for its swimming and burrowing.