Phylum
In biology, a phylum is a taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. Traditionally, in botany the term division was used instead of "phylum", although from 1993 the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants accepted the designation "phylum". The kingdom Animalia contains approximately 35 phyla, Plantae contains 12, and Fungi contains 7.
Chordate
A chordate is an animal of the phylum Chordata. During some period of their life cycle, chordates possess a notochord, a dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, an endostyle, and a post-anal tail: these five anatomical features define this phylum. Chordates are also bilaterally symmetric; and ha…
Which phylum is most closely related to Chordata?
Echinoderms and Chordates are more closely related to each other than they are to other animals because the coelom ( an open fluid-filled body cavity lined with tissues) found in the animals of this phylum is made from the digestive tube & the endoskeleton present in the body are composed of 95% of calcium carbonate …
What are the common characteristics of the phylum chordates?
Characteristics Of Phylum Chordata. Phylum Chordata possesses the following characteristic features: Notochord. It is a longitudinal, cartilaginous rod running between the nerve cord and the digestive tract. It acts as a support for the nerve cord and is replaced by the vertebral column after the embryonic stage in all vertebrates.
Which phylum of animals is most related to chordates?
Echinoderms and Chordates are more closely related to each other than they are to other animals because the coelom ( an open fluid-filled body cavity lined with tissues) found in the animals of this phylum is made from the digestive tube & the endoskeleton present in the body are composed of 95% of calcium carbonate ….
What are the 5 characteristics of chordates?
These characteristics are:
- a notochord
- a dorsal hollow nerve cord
- an endostyle or thyroid
- pharyngeal slits
- a post-anal tail.
What are the animals in the Chordata phylum?
What is the chordate of lancelets?
What is the name of the filter feeding animal with a sac-like body?
How do tunicate larvae swim?
How big are tunicates?
Which structure has a long row of cells that form an endostyle?
Where are pharyngeal slits located?
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What is found in the phylum Chordata?
Most species within the phylum Chordata are vertebrates, or animals with backbones (subphylum Vertebrata). Examples of vertebrate chordates include fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. A modern human—one species of mammal—is a familiar example of a chordate.
What are the simplest chordates and where are they found?
Invertebrate chordates illustrate the chordate body structure in its simplest form. There are two main groups of invertebrate chordates: the tunicates and the lancelets. Tunicates are marine animals that look like small sacs. The adults are sessile and often attach to rocks, the underside of boats, or coral reefs.
How do you find the phylum Chordata?
Phylum Chordata possesses the following characteristic features:Notochord. It is a longitudinal, cartilaginous rod running between the nerve cord and the digestive tract. ... Dorsal Nerve Cord. ... Pharyngeal Slits. ... Post anal Tail. ... Urochordata. ... Cephalochordata. ... Vertebrata. ... Lampreys.More items...•
How do chordates eat?
For example, all chordates (with a few bizarre exceptions) eat by ingesting food, rather than by absorption. This means that food is consumed through the mouth, rather than by photosynthesis or absorption through the skin. To over-simplify, all chordates have a tube that food travels through.
Where do chordates come from?
The fossil record of chordates begins in the early Cambrian period, roughly 530 million years ago. The oldest known chordate fossil was found in China and described in 1995. It is a member of the species Yunnanozoon lividium, within the subphylum Cephalochordata.
What is the origin of chordate?
Chordates evolved from some deuterostome ancestor (echinoderms, hemichordates, pogonophorans etc.) as they have similarities in embryonic development, type of coelom and larval stages. Fossils of the earliest vertebrates are known from the Silurian-Devonian period, about 400 million years ago.
What kind of animals are chordates?
Chordata contains five classes of animals: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals; these classes are separated by whether or not they can regulate their body temperature, the manner by which they consume oxygen, and their method of reproduction.
What do all chordates have?
All chordates have a notochord at some stage in their lives, but in some (such as tunicates) the notochord is lost in the adult, whereas in others (such as the vertebrates) the notochord is present in the embryo, but in later stages is largely replaced and surrounded by the vertebrae, or backbones.
What are the 4 main characteristics of chordates?
"The four distinctive characteristics that, taken together, set chordates apart form all other phyla are the notochord; single, dorsal, tubular nerve cord; pharyngeal pouches; and postanal propulsive tail.
Do chordates have teeth?
Phylum Chordata includes the vertebrates. Although not as common as the invertebrates, teeth and bones from different classes of vertebrate animals can be found at Canal sites.
Do chordates have eyes?
These organisms had a brain and eyes, as do vertebrates, but lack the skull found in craniates. This evidence suggests that vertebrates arose during the Cambrian explosion.
Do Chordata lay eggs?
But these four features are pretty much where the similarities end, because the diversity of chordates is immensely broad. Some lay eggs, while others have live births. Some have skin, others feathers, and still others have scales.
Phylum Chordata Definition, Characteristics, Classes - Microbiology Note
Phylum Chordata Definition. The chordates are a class of animals that have four anatomical characteristics, which are (1) nochord (2) dorsal cord of nerves, (3) post-anal tail and (4) Pharyngeal slits, at the very least, during a portion of their growth into maturity.
Phylum Chordata – Characteristics, Classification And Examples
The phylum chordata is a very diverse phylum which contains about 43,000 living species. It includes animals with nerve cord, notochord etc.
What Defines the Phylum Chordata?
Phylum Chordata is one of the phyla that belongs to the Kingdom Animalia that includes all the vertebrates and invertebrates. They possess a bilaterally symmetrical body and are divided into three different sub-phyla called Urochordata, Cephalochordate and Vertebrata.
What is a chordate phylum?
Phylum Chordata: Characteristics, Classification & Examples. Phylum Chordata: What are chordates? The Phylum Chordata is one of the phyla that belong to the kingdom Animalia. These Chordates possess a flexible rod-like structure formed of a material similar to cartilage known as the notochord. Do you have a backbone?
What are the characteristics of the phylum Chordata?
This is one of the subphyla of the Phylum Chordata and exhibits the following characteristics:#N#i. They possess an endoskeleton made up of bone and cartilages.# N#ii. Presence of cranium or brain box that accommodates the brain.#N#iii. Presence of dorsal-ventral column formed of vertebrae.#N#iv. Subphylum Vertebrata is again divided into two sections, namely, Section Agnatha and Section Gnathostomata.
What is the Cephalochordata?
Cephalochordata (Greek: Cephalos – head; chorde – cord) is one of the subphyla of the Phylum Chordata and exhibits the following characteristics: i. The notochord extends from head to tail region, and it is persistent throughout their life. ii. Animals do not have heads. The body has a trunk and tail.
What is the name of the phylum of the Urochordata?
Urochordata (Greek: Uro – tail; chorde – cord) is one of the subphyla of the Phylum Chordata and exhibits the following characteristics:#N#i. They possess two openings on their body surface – mouth and atriopore.#N#ii. The notochord is present only in the larval tail.#N#iii. The larva undergoes retrogressive metamorphosis to form an adult.
What are the four structures found in the embryological stages of chordates?
Animals belonging to phylum–Chordata is characterised by the presence of the notochord, dorsal tubular nerve cord, gill-clefts and a post-anal tail. These four structures are found in the embryological stages of all chordates. Phylum Chordata possesses the following characteristic features:
What is the name of the group with a circular mouth?
i. Agnatha (Greek: Gnathos – mouth; a – without) members have a mouth that is circular and absence of jaws surrounding the mouth.#N#ii. No paired fins and fins are without fin rays.
What is the phylum of Chordata?
Phylum Chordata. Phylum Chordata belongs to the Kingdom Animalia and includes all the vertebrates, i.e., animals with a backbone, and several invertebrates, i.e., organisms without a backbone. They possess a bilaterally symmetrical body and are divided into three different sub-phyla. Let us have a detailed look at the characteristics ...
What are the three subphyla of Chordata?
Classification Of Phylum Chordata into three Sub-Phyla. The subphylum Urochordata and Cephalochordata are collectively known as protochordates, which are marine animals. They are invertebrates but they share attributes of chordates.
How many classes are there in the subphylum Vertebrata?
Subphylum Vertebrata is further classified into seven classes. They are:
What is the rod that runs between the nerve cord and the digestive tract?
Notochord. It is a longitudinal, cartilaginous rod running between the nerve cord and the digestive tract. It acts as a support for the nerve cord and is replaced by the vertebral column after the embryonic stage in all vertebrates.
Where are the openings in the chordae?
they connect mouth and throat. All Chordates have these openings on the lateral sides of the pharynx at some stage of their life.
Can larvae move?
The larva can move and undergoes a metamorphosis.
What is the phylum Chordata?
Jennifer Kennedy. Updated October 03, 2019. The phylum Chordata contains some of the most familiar animals in the world, including humans. What sets them apart is that they all have a notochord—or nerve cord—at some stage of development.
What are the three types of chordates?
3 Types of Chordates. While some animals in the phylum Chordata are vertebrates (e.g. humans, mammals, and birds), not all animals are. The phylum Chordata contains three subphyla: The vertebrates (subphylum Vertebrata): When you think of animals, you probably think about the vertebrates. These include all mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, ...
What is the subphylum of cephalochordates?
The cephalochordates (subphylum Cephalochordata): This subphylum includes the lancelets, which are small aquatic filter-feeders that are fish-like. Members of the subphylum Cephalochordata have large notochords and primitive brains, and their circulatory systems have neither heart nor blood cells. There are only about 30 species in this grouping.
How many species of vertebrates are there?
There are over 57,000 species of vertebrates. The tunicates (subphylum Tunicata): These include the salps, larvaceans, and tunicates such as the sea squirt. They are invertebrates as they don't have a backbone, but they do have a notochord during development.
What is the purpose of vertebrates?
In vertebrates, a backbone develops around the notochord; it is made of bone or cartilage separated into segments called vertebrae, and its primary purpose is to protect the spinal cord. There are over 57,000 species of vertebrates.
Which part of the body has gill slits that lead into the throat?
All have gill slits that lead into the throat or pharynx.
Do all Chordates have spines?
All Chordates Have Notochords. Animals in the phylum Chordata may not all have a spine (some do, which would additionally classify them as vertebrate animals), but they do all have a notochord. The notochord is like a primitive backbone, and it is present at at least some stage of development. These may be seen in early development—in some species ...
What is the Chordate phylum?
Author of The Triumph of the Darwinian Method. Below is the full article. For the article summary, see Chordate summary . Chordate, any member of the phylum Chordata, which includes the vertebrates (subphylum Vertebrata), the most highly evolved animals, as well as two other subphyla—the tunicates (subphylum Tunicata) and cephalochordates ...
What is an example of a chordate?
Some classifications also include the phylum Hemichordata with the chordates. X-ray fish ( Pristella maxillaris ), is an example of a chordate with a visible backbone. As the name implies, at some time in the life cycle a chordate possesses a stiff, dorsal supporting rod (the notochord).
How did the fishlike habitus that evidently began with cephalochordates become modified?
The fishlike habitus that evidently began with cephalochordates became modified by the development of fins that were later transformed into limbs. With the invasion of the vertebrates into fresh water and then onto land, there was a shift in means of breathing—from gills to lungs.
How big are tunicates?
Tunicates are small animals, typically one to five centimetres (0.4 to 2.0 inches) long, with a minimum length of about one millimetre (0.04 inch) and a maximum length slightly more than 20 centimetres; colonies may grow to 18 metres (59 feet) in length. Cephalochordates range from one to three centimetres.
What is the function of chordates?
Chordates are capable of locomotion by means of muscular movements at some stage in life. In tunicate larvae, this is accomplished using a tail; in cephalochordates, by undulations of the body; and in vertebrates, by general body movements (as in eels and snakes) and by the action of fins and limbs, which in birds and some mammals are modified into wings.
What are the external features of a chordate?
An ancestral chordate, as suggested by the adult lancelet and the tadpole larva of tunicates, had a distinct front and hind end, an anterior mouth, a posterior tail above an anus, unpaired fins, and gill slits that opened directly to the exterior.
What were the modifications that emancipated the vertebrates from water?
Other modifications, such as an egg that could develop on land, also emancipated the vertebrates from water. Elaboration of the locomotory apparatus and other developments allowed a diversification of structure and function that produced the amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
How many species of chordates are there?
Of the more than 65,000 living species of chordates, about half are bony fish that are members of the superclass Pisces, class Osteichthyes . Chordate fossils have been found from as early as the Cambrian explosion, 541 million years ago.
What is a chordate?
A chordate ( / ˈkɔːrdeɪt /) is an animal of the phylum Chordata ( / kɔːrˈdeɪtə / ). All chordates possess 5 synapomorphies, or primary characteristics, at some point during their larval or adulthood stages that distinguish them from all other taxa.
What is the rod of cartilage that extends along the inside of the body?
A notochord, a fairly stiff rod of cartilage that extends along the inside of the body. Among the vertebrate sub-group of chordates the notochord develops into the spine, and in wholly aquatic species this helps the animal to swim by flexing its tail. A dorsal neural tube.
What are tunicate larvae?
However, all tunicate larvae have the standard chordate features, including long, tadpole -like tails; they also have rudimentary brains, light sensors and tilt sensors. The third main group of tunicates, Appendicularia (also known as Larvacea), retain tadpole-like shapes and active swimming all their lives, and were for a long time regarded as larvae of sea squirts or salps . The etymology of the term Urochordata (Balfour 1881) is from the ancient Greek οὐρά (oura, "tail") + Latin chorda ("cord"), because the notochord is only found in the tail. The term Tunicata (Lamarck 1816) is recognised as having precedence and is now more commonly used.
What is the coelom of a chordate?
All chordates are coelomates, and have a fluid-filled body cavity called a coelom with a complete lining called peritoneum derived from mesoderm (see Brusca and Brusca). 1 = bulge in spinal cord ("brain") 2 = notochord. 3 = dorsal nerve cord. 4 = post-anal tail.
How do chordates get their name?
Chordates get their name from their characteristic “notochord”, which plays a significant role in chordate structure and movement. Chordates are also bilaterally symmetric, have a coelom, possess a circulatory system, and exhibit metameric segmentation .
What are some examples of chordates?
Example of chordates of four subphyla of lower rank: a Siberian Tiger ( Vertebrata) and a Polycarpa aurata ( Tunicata ), two Olfactores, as well as Ooedigera peeli ( Vetulicolia) and a Branchiostoma lanceolatum ( Cephalochordata ). A chordate ( / ˈkɔːrdeɪt /) is an animal of the phylum Chordata ( / kɔːrˈdeɪtə / ).
Where is the notochord located in a chordate?
The notocord is located between the digestive tube and the nerve cord, and provides rigid skeletal support as well as a flexible location for attachment of axial muscles. In some chordates, the notochord acts as the primary axial support of the body throughout the animal’s lifetime. However, in vertebrates (craniates), the notochord is present only during embryonic development, at which time it induces the development of the neural tube and serves as a support for the developing embryonic body. The notochord, however, is not found in the postembryonic stages of vertebrates; at this point, it has been replaced by the vertebral column (that is, the spine).
Why are humans not chordates?
Humans are not chordates because humans do not have a tail. Vertebrates do not have a notochord at any point in their development; instead, they have a vertebral column. Statement a is true. The dorsal hollow nerve cord is derived from ectoderm that rolls into a hollow tube during development.
What is the purpose of the pharyngeal slits in an invertebrate chord?
Some invertebrate chordates use the pharyngeal slits to filter food out of the water that enters the mouth. The endostyle is a strip of ciliated mucus-producing tissue in the floor of the pharynx. Food particles trapped in the mucus are moved along the endostyle toward the gut.
What is the role of the notochord in the development of the embryo?
However, in vertebrates (craniates), the notochord is present only during embryonic development, at which time it induces the development of the neural tube and serves as a support for the developing embryonic body.
What kingdom are vertebrates in?
Vertebrates are members of the kingdom Animalia and the phylum Chordata (Figure 1). The vertebrates exhibit two major innovations in their evolution from the invertebrate chordates. These innovations may be associated with the whole genome duplications that resulted in a quadruplication of the basic chordate genome, ...
Is a chordate a deuterostome?
Figure 1. All chordates are deuterostomes possessing a notochord.
Where is the dorsal hollow nerve cord located?
The dorsal hollow nerve cord is derived from ectoderm that rolls into a hollow tube during development. In chordates, it is located dorsally to the notochord. In contrast, the nervous system in protostome animal phyla is characterized by solid nerve cords that are located either ventrally and/or laterally to the gut. In vertebrates, the neural tube develops into the brain and spinal cord, which together comprise the central nervous system (CNS). The peripheral nervous system (PNS) refers to the peripheral nerves (including the cranial nerves) lying outside of the brain and spinal cord.
What phylum is Chordata in?
Embryological evidence places the phylum Chordata within the deuterostomes (bilaterally symmetrical animals with undeterminate cleavage and whose mouth does not arise from the blastopore), which also includes the phyla Hemichordata, Echinodermata, and Chaetognatha. The closest relatives of the chordates are probably the hemichordates, since these animals possess gill slits and other features not found in other animal phyla. A slightly more remote relationship to the echinoderms is inferred on the basis of resemblances between the larvae in some groups of hemichordates and echinoderms. The derivation of chordates from certain fossil echinoderms has been argued on the basis of features such as what appear to be gill slits. Theories that derive them from other phyla (e.g., Annelida, Nemertea, Arthropoda) have been proposed, but such theories have few contemporary advocates.
Where do chordates come from?
The derivation of chordates from certain fossil echinoderms has been argued on the basis of features such as what appear to be gill slits. Theories that derive them from other phyla (e.g., Annelida, Nemertea, Arthropoda) have been proposed, but such theories have few contemporary advocates.
Why are hemichordates a separate phylum?
The organizational limits of some groups are also largely a matter of opinion. Some authors have placed the phylum Hemichordata within the Chordata, expressing the close genealogical relationship. Others prefer to keep them as a separate phylum because hemichordates lack what are considered important chordate features.
What is the name of the body part that extends the entire body length, with tip anterior to nerve cord?
Notochord extends entire body length, with tip anterior to nerve cord; atrium a single cavity with single, ventral opening; segments well developed; head poorly developed; no paired fins; no heart; see below Cephalochordates.
When did chordates first appear?
Many scientists maintain that chordates originated sometime earlier than 590 million years ago; that is, they predate the fossil record. Such early representatives were soft-bodied and therefore left a poor fossil record. The oldest known fossil chordate is Pikaia gracilens, a primitive cephalochordate dated to approximately 505 million years ago. There is disagreement over whether older animals—such as Yunnanozoon lividum and Haikouella (both of which date to 530 million years ago and possess several chordate features)—should be considered chordates. An extensive vertebrate fossil record begins about 400 million years ago.
Which phylum contains all animals that possess, at some time in their life cycles, a stiffening rod?
The phylum Chordata contains all animals that possess, at some time in their life cycles, a stiffening rod (the notochord), as well as other common features. The subphylum Vertebrata is a member of this phylum and will be discussed later (see below The vertebrate…
What is the notochord?
Notochord extends to the back of a well-developed head; no atrium; segments well developed; paired fins or limbs usually present; heart present; see below Vertebrates.
What are the animals in the Chordata phylum?
The phylum name derives from the Greek root word chord - meaning string. Most species within the phylum Chordata are vertebrates, or animals with backbones (subphylum Vertebrata). Examples of vertebrate chordates include fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. A modern human—one species of mammal—is a familiar example of a chordate. However, we share this phylum with two groups of invertebrates as well. Tunicates (subphylum Urochordata) and lancelets (subphylum Cephalochordata) are the only invertebrate groups within the phylum Chordata. Figure 3.97 shows some invertebrate representatives of the phylum Chordata.
What is the chordate of lancelets?
Lancelets display chordate features in both the larval and adult stages. In adults the notochord runs the full length of the body almost to the tip of the front end (Fig. 3.102). For this reason scientists assign lancelets to another subphylum called Cephalochordata (from the Greek root words cephalo - meaning head and chord meaning string ). Muscles are arranged in V-shaped segments, much as they are in fish, along the entire body on either side of the notochord. When the muscles contract, they pull the notochord from side to side, producing a wiggly swimming motion.
What is the name of the filter feeding animal with a sac-like body?
Tunicates (subphylum Urochordata) are filter-feeding animals with sac-like bodies. Most tunicate species are sessile (Fig. 3.97 A). They can live either in large colonies (Fig. 3.97 A) or as solitary individuals (Figs 3.1 and 3.97 B). Some species float freely as plankton with jelly-like bodies in large colonies (Fig. 3.97 B and Fig. 3.97 C). Lancelets (subphylum Cephalochordata) are arrow- or spear-shaped animals that live in shallow marine habitats, often partially buried in the sediment (Fig. 3.97 D).
How do tunicate larvae swim?
3.100). To swim, it wiggles its tail by contracting muscles on either side of its notochord. An opening on top of the body, called the oral siphon, leads to the pharynx.
How big are tunicates?
Tunicates may be solitary or colonial. Many solitary tunicates look like miniature vases with two necks. Some tunicates can reach 10 centimeter s (cm) in length (Fig 3.101 B), but colonial tunicates are often much smaller (Fig. 3.99). Some colonial tunicates attached to rocks and pilings resemble gelatin embedded with stars (Fig. 3.99 A). The point of each star is a tunicate, and the center of the star is the common pore through which they all exhale. Individual tunicates in a colony are very small, but the colony itself can be very large (Fig. 3.97 A). Some planktonic kinds of colonial tunicates called salps form huge floating tubes of tunicates, all embedded in the wall of the tube with their mouths pointing outward (Fig. 3.97 B). These colonies can grow to over 10 meters in length.
Which structure has a long row of cells that form an endostyle?
The ventral surface of the pharynx has a long row of cells that form an endostyle. The cells of this digestive structure have tiny cilia that constantly sway back and forth, sweeping food particles toward the stomach opening. The endostyle also secretes mucus, which traps small particles of detritus and plankton.
Where are pharyngeal slits located?
Pharyngeal slits are in the pharynx, the region of the digestive tract just behind the mouth (Fig.3.98). In some chordates, such as tunicates, these slits filter food from the water. In other chordates, such as fish, they are respiratory structures.
Characteristics of Phylum Chordata
Phylum Chordata Examples
- The examples of the phylum Chordata are given below: Phylum Chordata:Examples are lamprey, lancelets, dog, human etc. Fig: Lamprey Subphylum Urochordata: Examples are Ascidia and Salpa. Fig: Ascidia Subphylum Cephalochordata: Examples are Amphioxus and Asymmetron. Fig: Amphioxus Subphylum Vertebrata:Examples are Shark, frog, lizard, etc. Fig: Shark Division Agna…
Summary
- Phylum Chordata is a vast phylum as it includes many subphyla, superclass and classes. All vertebrates are chordates, but all chordates are not vertebrates. The notochord is an elongated rod-like flexible structure extending the length of the body. These possess a backbone and possess many special features like a nictitating membrane, movable eyelids, where birds have w…
FAQs
- Q.1. What is the major difference between chordates and non-chordates with respect to the nerve cord? Ans: All chordates have dorsal hollow nerve cords. Conversely, non-chordates have ventral, solid nerve cords. Q.2. Which class do humans belong to? Ans:Humans belong to the class Mammalia. Q.3. What is Notochord? Ans:This is the first skeleton laid during the embryonic dev…