The Vertebrates

Chapter 34

Animal diversity
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/03/4

/l_034_04.html

iClicker: Which of the following is not an

insect?
A.
B.

C.
D.
E.

A wasp
A fly
A beetle
A scorpion
An ant

Major
clades of
vertebrates

Vertebrates are chordates

with a backbone

Have chordate features as well as

1.

Vertebral column

2.

Cranium

3.

Endoskeleton

4.

Neural crest

5.

Diverse internal organs

5

Vertebrates

1.

2.
3.

All chordate characteristics plus

Vertebral column: notochord is replaced by a
bony or cartilaginous column of interlocking
vertebrae
Endoskeleton: cartilage or bone most also
have two pairs of appendages
Internal organs: liver, kidneys, endocrine
glands, and a heart with at least two chambers

Liver unique to vertebrates

Heart, kidneys, and endocrine system are more
complex than analogous structures in other taxa

Class Myxini

Hagfish
Jawless,

finless marine fish

that lack vertebrae
Notochord and cartilaginous
skull
Essentially blind with a keen
sense of smell
Copious amounts of slime
7

Class Petromyzontida

Lampreys
Lack

hinged jaw and true

appendages
Agnathan= jawless
Do

possess a notochord
and rudimentary
vertebral column

Class Petromyzontida

Lampreys
One

of earliest diverging
groups of vertebrates
Found in marine and
freshwater
Marine lampreys parasitic
as adults

Gnathostoma

Jawed vertebrates
Hinged

jaws
developed from the
pharnygeal arches
Modification of
existing feature

10

 Treat Video

Class Chondricthyes

Cartilaginous fish
Sharks, skates, rays
Skeleton composed of flexible
cartilage
Derived

not ancestral character

Sharks among earliest fish to

develop teeth
Not

set into jaw

12

Class Chondricthyes

Denser than water swim to maintain buoyancy

and breathing
2 chambered heart single circulation
Powerful sense of smell
Lateral line pressure wave detection
Internal fertilization
lay eggs
Ovoviparous egg retained in female, no placenta
Viviparous eggs develop in uterus, placenta
nourishes young
Oviparous

13

Class Chondricthyes

Reproduction: Internal egg

development, eggs, or
sometimes live birth
Lemon shark, Negaprion
brevirostris, is viviparous,
giving live birth to pups

Great white shark, Carcharodon

carcharias, is ovoviviparous,
gestating its eggs for 11 months.
Skate egg case

Class Chondricthyes

Mass migration of cow-nose stingrays, Rhinoptera bonasus,

from Yucatan peninsula, MX to western Florida photographed
in 2008

Class Chondricthyes

The whale shark, Negaprion

brevirostris, is the largest fish
in the world

This baby whale shark, found off

the coast of the Philippines in
2009, measured just 15 inches,
making it the smallest whale
shark ever found.

Class Chondricthyes
Extinct Carcharodon megalodon shark

Size of the extinct megalodon shark compared

with that of the modern great white shark

Jaws of the megalodon

Bony fish

3 living classes

Actinopterygii ray-finned fish

Actinistia coelacanths
Dipnoi lungfish

Many features different from

Chondricthyes
1.

2.
3.

Bony skeleton
Operculum covers gills
Swim bladder for buoyancy

18

Fish

Circulation: 2
chambered heart with
single circulation
All

fish have this

circulation

Fish

Respiration: fish
swallow water and
push it over their gills.

Bony fish

Actinopterygii ray-finned fish

Includes

all bony fish but coelocanths and lungfish

Fins supported by thin, bony, flexible rays

21

Bony fish

Sarcopterygii

Actinistia coelacanths
Believed

extinct until 1938

Special joint in skull gives
powerful bite
Swim bladder filled with oil
rather than gas still used
for bouyancy

22

Bony fish

Sarcopterygii

Dipnoi lungfish
3

genera with 6 species

Live in oxygen-poor
freshwater
Both gills and lungs
Will drown if unable to
breathe air
Muscular lobe fins
23

iClicker: By far the largest number of extant fish

species on Earth have
A.
B.

C.
D.

E.

an operculum and swim bladder.

lungs capable of extracting oxygen
from air.
a cartilaginous skeleton.
a long tail used for grasping onto
structures.
gills slits.
24

iClicker: A new species of aquatic chordate is

discovered that closely resembles an ancient form.
It has the following characteristics: external armor
of bony plates, no paired lateral fins, and a
suspension-feeding mode of nutrition. Which of the
following is most likely also true of this species?
A.
B.
C.
D.

It has legs
It has lungs
It lacks jaws
It reproduces asexually
25

Tetrapods

Transition to land meant adaptations to prevent

desiccation, locomotion and reproduction on
land possible
Sturdy

lobe-finned fishes became fishes with four

limbs
Vertebral column strengthened, hip and shoulder
bones braced against backbone
Relatively simple changes in gene expression,
especially Hox genes

26

Tetrapods

Hox genes 913 work together to specify limb

formation from the proximal to the distal direction,
meaning from close to the point of attachment to
the body to the terminal end of the limb

27

Tiktaalik video
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/03/4

/l_034_49.html

28

Tetrapods

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/libr
ary/03/4/l_034_49.html

Expanded ribs

Transitional taxa

Neck

Fishapods had broad skulls,

eyes on top, lungs, pectoral
fins with 5 finger-like bones

Tiktaalik rosae

Flat head,
eyes on top

Species increasingly fed on

land but tied to water for
reproduction

Scales
Tiktaalik
roseae

Fins

320mya Cacops was similar

to modern amphibians
29

Amphibians

Successfully invaded land but

must return to water to
reproduce
Buccal

pumping to force air into

lungs
Skin can absorb oxygen
3 chambered heart
Fertilization external
Larval stages aquatic

30

Metamorphosis

Development: External fertilization in water

hatches to tadpole with develops into adult form

31

Amphibians

Circulation: 3
chambered heart
with mixing of
oxygenated and
deoxygenated blood

32

Amphibians

Respiration: gills in
larval stage and
lungs/skin in adult stage.
Ventilation from buccal
pumping.
Larval Salamander: gills

Lungless salamander: skin

Bullfrog: ~ skin / lungs

33

Amphibians

Adults: ventilation from

buccal pumping.

34

Amphibians

Order Anura frog and toads

Nearly

90% of amphibians
Carnivorous adults, herbivorous larva

Order Caudata salamanders

Paedomorphosis

adult has larval characteristics

Order Gymnophiona caecilians

Nearly

blind tropical burrowers

Secondarily legless
Uterine milk nourishes young inside mothers body
35

Amphibians
salamander

frog

caecilian

36

Amphibians

Japanese giant salamander

Goliath frog

37

iClicker: Which of the following is untrue of

amphibians?

A.
B.

C.

D.

They are rarely found on land.

They often have internal gestation.
They often have gills and lungs throughout
their lifetime.
Some of them breath through their skin.

38

Amniotes

Reptiles and mammals

Amniotic egg: Critical
innovation was the
development of a shelled
egg that sheltered the
embryo from desiccating
conditions on land
Amniotic

egg broke tie to water

Amniotic Egg

4 extra-embryonic
membranes:

1.

Amnion protects
embryo in amniotic cavity
Yolk sac yolk
Allantois disposal of
wastes
Chorion with allantois
for gas exchange

2.
3.

4.

40

Amniotes

Other key innovations:

Desiccation

resistant skin
Thoracic breathing negative pressure sucks air in
Water-conserving kidneys concentrate waste prior
to elimination
Internal fertilization

Traditional classification has 3 living amniotes

reptiles, birds and mammals
Birds

are now considered part of reptilian lineage

41

Reptiles

Most live on dry land

Have amniotic egg
Scales on skin
Most have 3 chambered
heart (except crocodilians
and birds, which have 4)
Respiration with lungs
Dominant animals on Earth
until 65 mya
42

Reptiles

Some major groups:

Testudines: turtles
and tortoises
Lepidosauria: snakes
and lizards
Crocodilia: alligators
and crocodiles
Aves: birds
43

Class Testudines

Turtles, tortoises and

terrapins
Virtually unchanged
for 200 million years
Hard protective shell
In most, vertebrae
and ribs fused to shell
Lack teeth but have
sharp beak
44

Class Lepidosauria

Lizards and snakes

Kinetic skull with
extremely mobile
joints
Lizards have
moveable eyelids and
external ears while
snakes do not
45

Class Crocodilia

Crocodiles and
alligators
4

chambered heart
Teeth in sockets
Care for young

46

Class Crocodilia

Care for young

47

Reptiles

Non-crocodilian
respiration have a
partially divided
ventricle, which leads
to a small amount of
blood mixing like
amphibians.

Reptiles

Crocodilian respiration:
a completely separated
four chambered heart, but
do not have completely
divided circulation outside
of the heart.

Crocodilian heart

Dinosaurs

Class Ornithischia
bird-hipped dinosaurs
Class Saurischia
lizard-hipped dinosaurs
Legs

of these dinosaurs
were positioned directly
under the body

50

Evolution of birds

Birds likely evolved from dinosaur-like reptiles

Examples of bird-like reptiles:

51

Evolution of birds

Archaeopteryx lithographica
Related

to therapods, group of saurischian dinosaurs

Archaeopteryx
52

Class Aves

1.
2.
3.
4.

4 features unique to birds (for flight):

Feathers modified scales keep birds warm
and enable flight; evolved long before flight
Air sacs very efficient breathing
Reduction of organs single ovary, no
urinary bladder
Lightweight skeleton thin, hollow,
honeycombed

Sternum to anchor flight muscles, no teeth

53

Class Aves

Other characteristics of birds:

Double circulation with 4 chambered heart
Warm body temperature
Acute vision
Most carnivores
Eggs brooded
Complex courtship
One-way respiratory system
54

Class Aves

One-way respiratory
system:

Bird lungs are composed

of long tubes called
parabronchi and air sacs
that help the system to
function as a one-way
respiratory system

55

Class Aves

One-way respiratory system:

Lungs

56

Class Aves

One-way respiratory system:

Lungs

Lungs

57

Class Aves

28 orders, 166 families,

9600 species
Birds can be found in
almost every habitat on
Earth
Variation in beak
morphology delineates
variation in feeding
strategies
58

Superb Lyrebird

iClicker: Recall the roles of the cuticle and seeds

in land plants. The analogous adaptations in
reptiles are ________ (analogous to cuticle) and
________ (analogous to the seed).
A.
B.
C.

D.
E.

claws . . . lungs
scales . . . jellylike egg masses
scales . . . the amniotic egg
nasal breathing openings . . . aquatic larvae
shell . . . internal fertilization

60

Mammals

Evolved from amniote

ancestors earlier than birds
Appeared

about 225 mya

Range of sizes and body
forms unmatched

About 5,400 species of

mammals alive today
61

Mammals

Distinguishing characters:
Mammary

glands secrete milk

All mammals have hair
Only vertebrates with specialized teeth
Extreme maternal care
Enlarged skull and brain
Some digest plants using symbiotic bacteria

62

Mammals
Hair

(a) Sensory hairs

(b) Camouflaged coat

(c) Defensive quills

63

Mammals
Teeth

64

Mammals
Horns and Antlers

(a) Skull outgrowths

(b) Epidermal outgrowths

(c) Bony antlers

a: MartinHarvey/Getty Images; b: John Shaw/PhotoResearchers, Inc.; c: Paul A. Souders/Corbis

65

Mammal circulation

Mammals have four

chambered hearts, with the
right chambers responsible
for pulmonary circulation
and the left chambers
responsible for systemic
circulation.
The mammalian heart is
basically two hearts: a
pulmonary heart (right) and
a systemic heart (left).

Mammals

Subclass Prototheria Order Monotremata

Platypus and echidna lay eggs, lack placenta, poorly

developed nipples

echidna
67

Mammals

Subclass Theria
Clade Metatheria
Marsupial mammals
Short gestation
Immature young is further
developed in mothers pouch

68

Mammals

Subclass Theria
Clade

Eutheria

Placental mammals
Long-lived complex placenta
Prolonged gestation

69

iClicker: In which vertebrates is fertilization

exclusively internal?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

reptiles and amphibians

chondrichthyans and mammals
amphibians, mammals, and reptiles
reptiles and mammals
mammals

70

Primates

Primarily tree-dwelling species of eutherians

Evolved

about 85 mya
Defining characteristics

Grasping hands with opposable thumbs

Large brain
Some digits have flat nails (not claws)
Binocular vision
Complex social behavior and well-developed parental care

71

Primates

Strepsirrhini: wet
noses, no fur at tip
Bush

babies, lemurs,
pottos
Generally nocturnal
and smaller-brained

Haplorrhini: dry, furry

nose
Tarsiers

and
Anthropoidea

Monkeys, apes and

humans
72

Primates

Strepsirrhini wet noses, no fur at tip

Bush

babies, lemurs, pottos

Generally nocturnal and smaller-brained

Ring-tailed lemurs

73

Primates
Tarsiers:

Large eyes, nocturnal

Single genus living only in SE Asia today

74

Primates
Anthropoidea:
Monkeys:
Old

world monkeys: Africa

and Asia

Old world baboon

No prehensile tail

New

world monkeys:
South and Central America

Prehensile tail, usually

smaller
New world squirrel monkey

75

Primates
Current

distribution of old world and

new world monkeys.

76

Primates
Anthropoidea:
Hominoids

(aka apes):
gibbons, gorillas,
orangutans, chimpanzees
and humans

Lesser ape: gibbon

No tails, usually larger

Family Hylobatidae lesser
apes, gibbons
Family Hominidae greater
apes, gorillas, chimps,
orangutans, and humans

Great ape: gorilla

77

Primates

Anthropoidea:
Humans most related to chimpanzees and bonobos
(differ by only ~1% of DNA) but did not evolve directly
from them
All hominoids shared a common ancestor
Family Hominidae:

Subfamily Ponginae: orangutans

Subfamily Homininae:
Tribe Gorillini gorillas
Tribe Panini chimpanzees and bonobos
Tribe Hominini humans and their ancestors
78

Human evolution

About 6 mya, lineage split off from primate

lineage
Evolution

not a neat progression

1 or 2 hominin species coexisting at the same time

Key characteristic was bipedalism

Resulted in many changes
spine sits underneath skull, broader pelvis, lower limbs larger

79

Human evolution

Australopithecus widespread, at least

6 species, relatively small, facial structure
and brain size similar to chimp

Homo increased brain size, stone tools

Homo

sapiens 3,000 years ago

Taller, lighter-weight, slightly smaller brain
capacity than H. neanderthalensis
Out of Africa hypothesis supported over
multiregional hypothesis
80

Human evolution

81

Human evolution

82

Human evolution

Probable spread of humans through the

world

83

Human lice video

iClicker: Which of the following are apes?

A.

B.
C.
D.

New World monkeys

Lemurs
Orangutans
Old World monkeys

85