Alexandria Tong
03/23/2014
AP BIO
Mckinney
A List of The Traits of Phylum: Chordata Classes
Chordate: belonging or pertaining to the phylum Chordata, comprising the true vertebrates and those animals having a notochord, as the lancelets and tunicates.
Reptilia
i.e snakes
- animals which are cold blooded
- The skin has cutaneous glands and keratin, it prevents water loss through the skint
- the scales and scutes are made of keratin and formed from the epidermis
- tetrapods with two sets of paired limbs
- spinal columns and a strong skeletal system with a rib cage
- well-developed brain and a central nervous system
- breath with well-developed lungs right at birth
- most have two lungs, except some snakes.have three-chambered hearts, except crocodiles
- have a digestive system that has a muscular opening at the base of the tail.
- 12 pairs of cranial nerve.
- amniotic eggs can survive without water, they have protective shells that allow oxygen and other gases to enter
- respiration by lungs only.
- offspring resemble the adults at the time of birth
- there is no metamorphosis
- lateral sense organs are absent
- internal fertilization, sperm is put into the reproductive tract of the female directly
- have a cloaca
Fun Fact: they are the first animals with amniotic eggs, that can be laid on land
Agnatha
i.e. hagfish, lamprey
- jawless fish
- don't have paired fins or a stomach
- notochord provides the main support for the body of an organism
- skeleton made of cartilage
- sensitive pineal eye
- fertilization of eggs takes place externally
- some parasitic
- sucker-like mouth
- feed on blood and tissues of other fish
Fun Fact: Scientists have found fossils of agnathan species from the late Cambrian Period
Chondrichthyes
i.e. sharks, skates, rays, and chimaeras
- pelvic claspers, heterocercal tails, placoid scales, cartilage skeletons, teeth unattached to jaws, and the absence of swim bladders made internal fertilization possible
- cartilaginous skeleton
- ventral side is lighter and the dorsal side is a darker, in terms of the color of their skin
- 7 pairs of gill pouches
- no scales, just skin
- lacking in paired appendages
- red blood cells are made in the spleen
- denticles, tooth-like scales
Fun Fact: the shark continuously grows teeth, rows and rows of teeth await their turn to chomp on something
Osteichthyes
i.e. fish
- calcified bones
- endochondral bone replaces cartilage
- circulatory system in the bones creates osteoblasts,
- the eyeball supported by sclerotic ring
- mucus gland+skin
- paired fins made of rays and spines
- types of scales: ctenoid, ganoid, or cycloid
- Marine and freshwater
- respire through gills
- external fertilization,oviparous,spawning
- No external ear structures
- No eyelids
- skeleton made of bone
- 2 chambered heart
- operculum covering gills
- brain has large optic lobes and cerebellum
Fun Fact:swimming bladder allow them to float even if they don’t move
Mammalia
i.e. hoomans
- warm blooded
- have hair made of keratin
- majority of heat energy is used to maintain high body temperature
- 2-4 chambered heart
- Mammary glands produce milk to nourish young
- diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity
- 7 cervical vertebrae are present in most mammals
- most are viviparous, some are oviparous
- extended gestation period
- uterine development is common in most placental mammals
- Teeth embedded in the jaw bone
- well developed brain
- heterodont
- nostrils do not lead directly into his mouth.
- body maintained at a constant temperature heat generated within bodies metabolically and also have special cooling mechanisms
- developed neopallium
- corpus callosum in eutherians provides communication
- acute sense of smell, except in whales and higher apes
- eye typical of amniotes
- tapetum lucidum
- vibrissae controlled by facial muscles
- during mastication lateral movement of jaw will occur
- few lay eggs, most give live birth
- parental care=highly protective of young, usually
Aves
i.e. birds
- warm-blooded
- exoskeleton of feathers.
- body spindle shaped, with four divisions: tail, neck, trunk, and head
- neck longer for balancing and food gathering.
- paired limbs
- forelimbs modified for flying
- posterior pair adapted for perching, walking, and swimming
- epidermal covering of feathers and leg scales
- thin integument of epidermis and dermis
- no sweat glands
- Oil or preen gland at base of tail
- rudimentary ear
- fully ossified skeleton with air cavities.
- skull fused with occipital condyle
- jaw covered with keratinized sheath: beak
- no teeth
- single bone in middle ear
- fused bones in pelvis, feet, hands, and head
- Lightweight bones/hollow
- endothermic
- 4-chambered heart
- high metabolic rates
- Adept navigational abilities
- communication and song production
- nervous system well developed: 12 pairs of cranial nerves and brain with large cerebellum and optic lobes
- sexes separate
- prenatal care and parenting prominent
Fun Fact: many mating rituals require the male to make a show of himself, including flamboyant feathers to attract females
Amphibian
i.e. frogs; salamanders
- thrive well both on land and in water
- cold-blooded
- derive heat from outside their body
- skin is smooth, thin, hairless, porous, rarely scaled, and it contains mucus and poison glands
- endoskeleton with varying numbers of vertebrae
- 4 limbs, the forelimbs of some being much smaller than the hind limbs, some legless
- webbed feet are often present; no true nails or claws
- large mouth with small teeth
- Respiration by lungs, skin, and gills
- 3-chambered heart.
- separate sexes with internal fertilization and external fertilization
- 10 pairs of cranial nerve
- eggs are in water or in a moist environment
Fun Fact: Amphibians are the only Chordates to undergo complete metamorphosis
