PHYLUM CHORDATA

All members of the Phylum Chordata have the following characteristics, at least at some time during their development.

Notochord
 a longitudinal, flexible rod located between the digestive tube and the nerve cord
 provides skeletal support throughout most of the length of a chordate and is replaced by the
vertebral column in vertebrates
Dorsal nerve cord
 develops from a plate of ectoderm that rolls into a tube dorsal to the notochord.
 develops into the central nervous system: the brain and the spinal cord

Pharyngeal pouches/gill slits

 develop into slits that open to the outside of the body
 function as suspension-feeding structures in many invertebrate chordates
 modified for gas exchange in aquatic vertebrates
 develop into parts of the ear, head, and neck in terrestrial vertebrates
Post-anal tail
 A tail located posterior to the anal opening. Although in many species it is lost during embryonic development.
These features are seen only during embryonic development in most vertebrates. Not all chordates are
vertebrates. In the invertebrate chordates, fish, and amphibian larvae, pharyngeal gill pouches become functioning gills.
Terrestrial vertebrates have their pouches modified for various purposes; in humans, the first pouches become the
auditory tubes, the second become tonsils, and the third and fourth pairs become the thymus and parathyroid glands.
Most chordates have an internal skeleton against which muscles work. Most have a post-anal tail that extends beyond the
anus; in some (like humans), this may only appear in embryos.
INVERTEBRATE CHORDATES
Some chordates are invertebrates, lacking a vertebral column. In these invertebrate chordates, the notochord
persists and is never replaced by the vertebral column.

TUNICATES (Urochordata)
- belong to the deepest-branching lineage of chordates
- are marine suspension feeders commonly called sea squirts
- most resemble chordates during their larval stage

LANCELETS (Cephalochordata)
- their elongated, lance-shaped body resembles the lancelet, a two-edged surgical knife.
- inhabit shallow coastal waters; they lie partly buried in sandy substrates and filter feed.
- feed on microscopic particles filtered from the constant stream of water that enters the mouth
and exits through the gill slits into an atrium that opens at the atriopore.
- retain the three chordate characteristics as an adult.
- the notochord extends from head to tail, accounting for the name "Cephalochordata."
- have segmented muscles and their dorsal hollow nerve cord has periodic branches.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF VERTEBRATES
Vertebrates have all the chordate features as well as an internal body framework (endoskeleton) consisting of the
following:
 Spine or vertebral column which is composed of bony segments called the vertebrae - bones protecting the nerve
cord and supporting the body.
 A distinct skull where a well-developed brain and sensory organs are located.
 Parts of the appendicular skeleton where the pectoral (shoulder) and pelvic (hip) girdles are attached to the axial
skeleton. Front limbs attach to the pectoral girdle and hind limbs attach to the pelvic girdle.
 A closed circulatory system with a multichambered heart. A closed system means that all the blood that flows
through the body is contained within blood vessels.
CLASSES OF VERTEBRATES
Key Terms to Remember:
* ectothermic - body temperature is determined by the external environment. Having a body temperature that
changes with the temperature of the environment
* endothermic - body temperature holds at a constant level. Having a nearly constant body temperature regardless of
the temperature of the environment
* oviparous - producing eggs that hatch outside the body of the female.
* ovoviviparous - producing eggs but retain them inside the female body until hatching occurs, so that "live" offspring
are born.
* viviparous - giving birth to living offspring that develop within the mother's body

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 MAMMALS
- covered with hair
- endothermic vertebrates
- have a four-chambered heart
- lung breathing throughout life
- have mammary glands that produce milk to nourish the young

duck-billed platypus
Major Groups
Monotremes (Egg-laying mammals) echidna (spiny anteater)
- oviparous, egg-laying mammals. .
- females burrow in ground and incubates their eggs. Both males
and females produce milk to nourish the young
Marsupials (Pouched mammals)
- are born while in an embryonic stage and finish development
outside the mother's body, often in a pouch
- they make their way into the pouch where they attach koala opossum kangaroo
to a nipple and continue to develop.

Eutherians (Placental mammals)

- viviparous mammals, giving birth to well developed young that
have been nourished by a placenta in the uterus of the female.
- the most successful group, making up 95% of all mammal species.
horse whale elephant

BIRDS
- endothermic vertebrates. - forelimbs are modified as wings.
- covered with feathers. - have toothless beak (Birds have different beaks
(feathers are composed mainly of keratin) of different sizes and shapes adapted for food-
- bones are lightweight and usually hollow. getting and protection).

- oviparous.
Some Groupings

Perching birds - Also called passerines, this is by far Birds of Prey -These birds, also known as raptors,
the largest order of birds. Many are songbirds. are fierce predators with hooked bills, large
wingspans, and sharp talons.
.

sparrow crow mockingbird cardinal hawk owl eagle

Flightless birds- birds which lack the ability to Water birds - These are birds that are evolutionarily
fly. They rely instead on their ability to run or adapted for swimming, floating on the water
swim. surface, and in some cases diving in at least in
shallow water.

ostrich kiwi emu duck swan heron

AMPHIBIANS
- ectothermic vertebrates.
- covered with smooth, moist skin. They are dependent upon moisture and their skin must
remain moist to aid in breathing.
- gills, lungs, and skin are used in respiration.
- lay eggs in water, which hatch into an intermediate life form (tadpole or larva) that usually
breathes with gills, and change into the adult form that breathes air and can live outside water.
- lack claws on their toes.

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Orders of Amphibians
Apoda - legless amphibians
caecilian
Anura - "without a tail"

frog toad
-smooth, moist skin and long hind legs - bumpy, dry skin and short hind legs

Urodela - "visible tail"

- elongated bodies with short legs and a smooth, moist skin. The tail is somewhat thick and flattened side to side to
aid swimming.

salamander

Orders of Reptiles
REPTILES Crocodilia
As the name suggests, this order of reptiles includes
about 23 species of crocodiles, alligators, gharials
- ectothermic vertebrates. and caimans. In all, there are approximately 25
- dry body covered with scales or scutes. individual species of reptile within the Crocodilia order.
- have three-chambered hearts (except for Sphenodontia
alligators and crocodiles, which have This is the least known and smallest order of reptiles. It is
comprised of only two species of tuataras from New
four- chambered hearts).
Zealand. The tuatara resembles a lizard, but it is equally
- they have claws on their toes related to both snakes and lizards. It is the last living
(except those which do not have member of this group of reptiles, which flourished around 200 million
legs, such as legless lizards). years ago toward the end of the "Dinosaur Era."
- first animals, in evolution, to develop Squamata
the amniotic egg. This allows reptiles to This order of reptiles includes snakes and lizards. So as
lay eggs on land. you might imagine, it is by far the largest order of reptiles,
including more than 7,000 individual species.
- well developed lungs folded into
Testudines(Chelonians)
small sacs called alveoli. These animals are generally recognized by their having a
- majority are oviparous shell. While shells within the group are different, they are
all an extension of the vertebrae. The dorsal shell of
Chelonians is known as the carapace, while the lower shell
is the plastron. This order includes turtles and tortoises.

FISHES
- ectothermic, aquatic vertebrates. - limbs are modified into fins for swimming.
- generally covered with scales. - lay eggs that must be in water.
- breathe with gills.
- They have an eel-shaped body
Class Agnatha - They have no jaws and paired
(Jawless and Boneless Fishes) appendages
- Their mouth is suctorial with horny teeth
for rasping flesh from bodies of animals
which they feed on. hagfish lamprey

- They have skeletons made of cartilage

Class Chondrichthyes rather than bone.
(Cartilaginous Fishes) - Their teeth are not fused to their jaws,
and their bodies lack a swim bladder.
shark manta ray
- They have a bony skeleton, and in most
Class Osteichthyes species, a thin moist skin with scales
(Bony Fishes) - They usually have a swim bladder which
is an air-filled organ that helps fish swim
at different depths in the water.
- This class makes up 96.2% of all living
fishes. tuna carp

Works Cited
Capco, Carmelita M. and Gilbert C. Young. Biology. Quezon City: Phoenix,2010
Neil Campbell, Biology (7th edition), Benjamin-Cummings Publishing Company, 2004
http://staff.tuhsd.k12.az.us/gfoster/standard/hbio3.htm
http://www.davidlnelson.md/Cazadero/FiveVertebrates.htm
http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookDiversity_9.