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Republic of
the
Philippines
Bulacan State University
City of
Malolos, Bulacan
Tel/Fax (044) 791-0153

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

LAB ACTIVITY 3
Embryology of Vertebrates

Objectives:

1. To observe the cleavage and blastula stage.

2. To describe and differentiate the cleavage and blastula stage of the vertebrate. 3.
To observe the parts found in both early and late gastrula stage. 4. To differentiate
the gastrula from the cleavage stage and blastula stage 5. To explain the line of
descent of the Phylum Chordata using its embryology

Activity:

1.Explain the POSSIBLE line of descent of the Phylum Chordata.

The paedomorphosis hypothesis, the auricularia hypothesis, the inversion hypothesis,

and the aboral-dorsalization hypothesis are the four principal scenarios hypothesized to
explain chordate genesis and evolution. The first argued whether primordial chordate
adults were sessile or free-living. The next three examined how the chordate body plan,
particularly its mature form, evolved from the common ancestor(s) of deuterostomes in
terms of embryology or evolutionary developmental biology. As a result, the four are not
always distinct, and their supporting reasons frequently overlap. Deuterostomes include
chordates and echinoderms, while protostomes are primitive invertebrates.
Understanding the relationships between different groups of animals is easier with this
categorization. The primary distinction between protostomes and deuterostomes is that
in protostomes, the blastopore develops into a mouth, whereas in deuterostomes, the
blastopore develops into an anal orifice. The differences between protostomes and
deuterostomes are listed below in a tabular column.

2. What embryological evidences support this view?

The earliest resemblance between vertebrate embryos is evidence that all vertebrate
classes shared a common ancestor during evolution. Embryological evidence for
vertebrate evolution is what it's termed. This evidences arise from comparative study of
embryological developmental stages of various vertebrates. Embryos of different vertebrates
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appear similar during the initial stages of development and these similarities gradually
decrease as the embryo develops. Also, if distantly related species developed separately in
comparable conditions, structural similarities between them are equivalent. Natural selection
is supported by these findings. The tail and gill slits found in all early vertebrate embryos are
examples of embryological evidence that supports common ancestry.

3. Drawing and label the parts the following, state also the function:
a. Early Blastula

b. Late Blastula

d. Late Cleavage
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c. Early Cleavage

e. Early Gastrula

f. Late Gastrula