Bio 203 Vertebrates Complete Lecture Notes
Bio 203 Vertebrates Complete Lecture Notes
4. Birds (Aves)
5. Mammals
FISHES ( PISCES)
• There are 2 types of modern fishes.
(i) Chondrichthyes - also called the
elasmobranchs or Cartilaginous fishes.
(ii) Osteichthyes – also called Teleosts or bony
fishes
• Fishes evolved during the Devonian period i.e.
about 400 million years ago.
• They evolved from the Acanthodians and
primitive Gnathostomes ( jawed fishes).
ELASMOBRANCHS ( ORIGIN/
DISTINCT CHARACTERISTICS)
1. They have no bones in the skeleton.
2. They have no operculum.
3. They have no air bladder.
4. The tail is heterocercal i.e.; the tail is divided
into 2 unequal parts). Homocercal tails have
two equal parts. This means that the tail is
branched and into equal sizes.
5. The body is covered with placoid scales.
CONT’D
6. The blood has large amount of urea.
Superclass Gnathostomata
I. Class Chondrichthyes).
a. Sub-class Selachii
i. Order Protoselachii. E.g. Heterodontus.
ii. Order Euselachii. E.g. pacific dogfish, electric ray.
CONT’D
II. Class Osteichthyes or Teleostii
• NB: These two classes Elasmobranchii and Teleostii are referred to
as Pisces (group name).
2. Maternal care: E.g. the midwife toad Alytes sp. Eggs are laid in
strips around the hind limbs and the body of the males.
When they are ready to hatch, the male jumps into water for the larvae
to hatch.
CONT’D
• In some spp such as Gastrotheca ovifera and
Gastrotheca marsupial, the eggs are laid in
incubating pouches.
• In the Pipa sp, pouches are vascularized (have
blood supply) and gas exchange take place by
the help of the vascularized tail of the larvae
until they hatch.
• In Rhinoderma sp, the male places eggs in
vocal sacs where larvae hatch and emerge.
CONT’D
3. Ovoviviparity: Eggs are retained in the body for
part of its development.
• Fertilization is internal
• E.g. In Anurans, there are no copulating
appendages, except in the Ascaphus sp which has
penis-like extensions of the cloaca.
• In Nectophrynoides, the young emerges as
froglets from the oviducts and the larvae have
vascularized tails for gas exchange in the oviduct.
CONT’D
• In Urodela, sperms collect in the cloaca as
spermatophores.
• After courtship, the male deposits spermatophores in
the female’s body and the spermatophores break to
release the sperms to fertilize the egg.
• Aquatic Urodels have prehensile tails.
• In Apodans, ovoviviparity is common.
• E.g. In Geotrypetes, they produce uterine milk on
which the larvae feed. They also have copulating
appendages on the tail.
ADAPTIVE RADIATION IN
AMPHIBIANS
1. In Apodans, there is little radiation . Almost all
are burrowers except Typhlonectes sp which
occurs in humid tropics. E.g. Seychelles.
2. Anurans are widespread. They are the most
familiar and most abundant amphibians.
• They are represented in every major
geographical region and occur in wide spectrum
of habitat including desert, burrows.
• E.g. Cyclorona live on desert.
CONT’D
• They store water under the skin and glomeruli.
• Rana cancrivora and Bufo viridis are found in
the marine waters and can tolerate 29-35 /oo
salinity.
• The burrowing frog, Heleioporus sp has
radiated to burrowing on land. Only one
manage to go back to water completely. E.g.
Titicaca sp lives in lake Titicaca entirely at the
bottom and takes oxygen for respiration.
CONT’D
• All adult anurans are insectivorous.
• They feed on insects but have no
specialization when they are hungry.
• The size of the anuran dictates the size of the
prey but they are generally smaller except the
forest toad and the goliath frog.
CONT’D
3. Urodela: They are widespread but mostly
unknown in the tropics. They show some special
adaptations.
• Proteus sp lives in water-filled caves and
therefore lack eyes.
• The mountain dwelling newts and salamanders
are adapted to fast flowing waters by gluing its
eggs directly to rocks.
CONT’D
• The major phenomenon of divergence among Urodels is
paedogenesis.
• This is the evolutionary change involving retention in sexually
matured descendants, characters that occur in younger stages of
ancestors.
• E.g. The Mexican axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum frequently
breathe in the gill state.
• The largest Urodel and amphibian is known as Megalobatrachus
sp (now called Andrias sp), which can reach 5 ft. Apart from this
species, all Urodels are less than 1 ft.
• In terms of diet, salamanders are carnivorous as compared to
anurans.
REPTILIA (REPTILES)
CHARACTERISTICS
1. Presence of scales.
2. They produce amniotic eggs
3. They have simple occipital condyle
4. Have single ear
5. They have three chambered heart
6. They are poikilothermic ( i.e. cold blooded)
CONT’D
• Reptiles are believed to have evolved from
amphibians during the carboniferous period, some
300 million years ago (mya).
• The original stocks were cotylosaurs which were
extinct about 150 mya during the Jurassic period.
• Before this, they radiated during the Mesozoic era
before going extinct due to environmental changes.
• They experienced drastic changes in the
environment at the end of the Mesozoic era.
CONT’D
• E.g. Birds and mammals evolved and preyed on
the eggs of the reptiles.
• There were 15 orders before the Mesozoic era but
only 4 orders remain extant (living).
• These are;
(i) Order Rhynchocephalia: This comprises a single
species called Sphenodont punctata (Tuatara).
(ii) Order Crocodilia- 25 species
(iii) Order Chelonia- Tortoises and turtles
CONT’D
(iv) Order Squamata.
• About 2,000 spp. These are the most dominant.
• They include the snakes and lizards.
• Extinct orders include dinosaurs, marine reptiles
and therapsids. During the transition from
amphibians to reptiles, there were some changes.
A. Evolution of water proof skin consisting of dry
cornified skin covered with scales for water
conservation.
CONT’D
B. Improved lungs. The lungs became harder and
compact.
C. Protection of amniotic egg. This was necessary
against desiccation and also as a shock absorber. The
allantoid cavity was a store for secreting waste. The
allantrochorion was used for respiration. The eggs are
covered with leathery scales.
D. Improved kidneys. The terrestrial forms and all the
squamates produce uric acid through the biochemical
pathways.
TAXANOMY OF REPTILES
SUB-CLASS ANAPSIDA
This class has no temporal opening behind the eye
and therefore the skull is compact.
Orders of this sub-class include:
1. Order Chelonia- Tortoises, turtles and terrapins.
In this order:
They have a shell of two elements i.e.; the skeletal
element, which consists of the vertebral column and the
ribs and the horny elements which comprises the scales.
CONT’D
(ii) They have a plastron, which forms the
ventral part of the animal.
(iii) The chelonians have no teeth but they have
horny-like beak for cropping vegetation.
• Sub-orders of Chelonia
a. Sub-order Pleurodira is different because
the neck folds sideways when withdrawn.
Also, the pelvis is fused with the plastron.
eg snaked-necked turtle.
CONT’D
b. Sub-order Cryptodira
The neck folds in a vertical plane when
withdrawn.
Also the pelvis is not fused but free.
SUB-CLASS LEPIDOSAURIA
• This is either a diapsid or the is temporal opening
is lost.
• They have scales on their body.
Order Rhyncocephalia
• Members in this order are diapsid with a pair
of temporal foramen.
• They are found in New Zealand. E.g.
Sphenodont punctata
a. Order Squamata
The skin has horny epidermal scales and they
have a quadrate bone which is movable.
CONT’D
Sub-orders
i. Sub-order Lacertilia
• These are lizards and their mandibles are fused
anteriorly.
• They have movable eye-lids
• The tongue is usually entire.
CONT’D
ii. Sub-order Ophidia (Serpents)
1. These are the snakes
2. The mandibles are joint anteriorly by a
ligament
3. The tongue of ophidians is forked not entire.
4. They have secondarily lost both forament in
the adult; but the juveniles still possess both.
CONT’D
• The lizards, including agamas, geckos,
monitors, stinks are cosmopolitan but not
beyond North of Europe.
• Snakes evolved from burrowing forms of
original stock and secondarily radiated to the
surface above.
• They used to be subterranean/ fossorial.
FAMILIES OF THE SUB-ORDER
OPHIDIA
1. Family Hydrophiidae. They are water snakes
They are venomous
2. Family Boridae. These are primitive snakes
• There are two groups of oceanic mammals namely whales and seals.
• Order Cetacea has two suborders
• Sub-order Odontoceti i.e. the toothed whales; oceanic dolphins, river
dolphins, porpoises, pilot whales, beaked whales, and bottlenose
whales, as well as the killer whale, sperm whale, narwhal, and beluga
whale.
• and sub-order Mysticeti i.e. Baleen whales also called large whales;
the blue, bowhead, right, humpback, minke and gray whales. Baleen
whales are generally larger than toothed whales except for
the sperm whale which is very big and has teeth.
--Ctd
• Whales: They are widespread, motile and have a great range in size.
• The Blue whale is not only the largest whale species, but the largest mammal on
Earth.
• In summer, whales such as the Balaenoptera sp and the humpback whale i.e.
Megaptera sp occur in areas between 35 ℃ and 65 ℃.
• In winter however, they migrate to warmer waters. E.g. sperm whales that is Physeta
sp, bottle nose whale, killer whale, pygmy sperm whales (Kogia sp) are all
migratory.
• In contrast, Stenella, Sotalia and Steno spp are restricted to the tropic and sub-tropic.