32. Vertebrates

Vertebrates and tunicates share a. jaws adapted for feeding. b. a high degree of cephalization. c. an endoskeleton that includes a skull. d. a notochord and a dorsal, hollow nerve cord.

True or false? Both echinoderms and vertebrates have endoskeletons. Explain.

Living vertebrates can be divided into two major clades. Select the appropriate pair. a. the chordates and the tetrapods b. the urochordates and the cephalochordates c. the cyclostomes and the gnathostomes d. the marsupials and the eutherians

What trait(s) characterize the vertebrates? a. vertebrae and a cranium b. jaws and a spinal cord c. bony endoskeleton d. notochord and post-anal tail

In Figure 34.25, which of the following is the sister taxon to the archosaurs? (A) synapsids (B) crocodilians (C) turtles (D) lepidosaurs

Which clade does not include humans? a. synapsids b. lobe-fins c. diapsids d. osteichthyans

Two black female mice are crossed with a brown male. In several litters, female I produced 9 black offspring and 7 brown; female II produced 57 black offspring. What deductions can you make about the inheritance of black and brown coat color in mice? What are the genotypes of the parents?

Which of the following could be considered the most recent common ancestor of living tetrapods? a. a sturdy-finned, shallow-water lobe-fin whose appendages had skeletal supports similar to those of terrestrial vertebrates b. an armored, jawed placoderm with two pairs of appendages c. an early ray-finned fish that developed bony skeletal supports in its paired fins d. a salamander that had legs supported by a bony skeleton but moved with the side-to-side bending typical of fishes

To estimate the relative abundance of the major phyla, calculate how many named species of arthropods, mollusks, and nematode worms exist per named species of chordate (the phylum containing vertebrates, including humans; see Table 30.1). Do you think these calculations are likely to be underestimates or overestimates? Why?

EVOLUTION CONNECTION Living members of a vertebrate lineage can be very different from early members of the lineage, and evolutionary reversals (character losses) are common. Give examples that illustrate these observations, and explain their evolutionary causes.

In garden peas, yellow seeds (Y) are dominant to green seeds (y), and inflated pods (I) are dominant to constricted pods (i). Suppose you have crossed YYII parents with yyii parents. List the genotype(s) of gametes produced by F1 individuals.

Consider the evolution of protostomes and deuterostomes (this chapter): (1) Compare adaptations in protostomes and deuterostomes for living on land. (2) Recall that changes in the expression patterns of tool-kit genes in arthropods such as insects enabled a dramatic diversification of their segmented appendages and bodies. Design an experiment to test whether this concept applies to vertebrates.

The smooth feathers on the back of the neck in pigeons can be reversed by a mutation to produce a 'crested' appearance in which feathers form a distinctive spike at the back of the head. A pigeon breeder examined offspring produced by a single pair of non-crested birds and recorded the following: 22 non-crested and 7 crested. She then made a series of crosses using offspring from the first cross. When she crossed two of the crested birds, all 20 of the offspring were crested. When she crossed a non-crested bird with a crested bird, 7 offspring were non-crested and 6 were crested. For these three crosses, provide genotypes for parents and offspring that are consistent with these results.

The size and shape of the vertebrate skull can reveal a great deal about an animal's lifestyle and evolutionary relationships. Consider your own skull. If you put your finger in your ear and move your jaw up and down, you can feel the space near the hinge of your jaw. Nestled in this space are the tiny bones that make your hearing possible: the malleus, incus, and stapes. All mammals have these three ear bones, but reptiles such as this T. rex don't. Where did ear bones come from? Analyze the morphological data shown here and write a hypothesis to explain the origin of mammalian ear bones. (The cynodont shown is one of many extinct synapsid amniotes that lived early in the lineage that gave rise to mammals.)

The size and shape of the vertebrate skull can reveal a great deal about an animal's lifestyle and evolutionary relationships. Consider your own skull. If you put your finger in your ear and move your jaw up and down, you can feel the space near the hinge of your jaw. Nestled in this space are the tiny bones that make your hearing possible: the malleus, incus, and stapes. All mammals have these three ear bones, but reptiles such as this T. rex don't. Where did ear bones come from? How is the opossum related to you? Select True or False for each statement. T/F An opossum is an animal, but I am a human. T/F An opossum is a mammal, but I am a human. T/F An opossum is a marsupial, but I am a placental mammal. T/F The opossum and I are both tetrapods.

The size and shape of the vertebrate skull can reveal a great deal about an animal's lifestyle and evolutionary relationships. Consider your own skull. If you put your finger in your ear and move your jaw up and down, you can feel the space near the hinge of your jaw. Nestled in this space are the tiny bones that make your hearing possible: the malleus, incus, and stapes. All mammals have these three ear bones, but reptiles such as this T. rex don't. Where did ear bones come from? The illustration of the opossum skull shows that the ear bones are completely separated from the jawbone (as they are in all mammals). Pose a hypothesis to explain why this separation could be an adaptation that contributed to the radiation of mammals into diverse niches, including a nocturnal lifestyle.

Match each description on the left with the corresponding term on the right Closest relatives of chordates

a. annelids

b. nematodes

c. sponges

d. arthropods

e. flatworms

f. cnidarians

g. molluscs

h. echinoderms

i. chordates

The size and shape of the vertebrate skull can reveal a great deal about an animal's lifestyle and evolutionary relationships. Consider your own skull. If you put your finger in your ear and move your jaw up and down, you can feel the space near the hinge of your jaw. Nestled in this space are the tiny bones that make your hearing possible: the malleus, incus, and stapes. All mammals have these three ear bones, but reptiles such as this T. rex don't. Where did ear bones come from? Gene expression patterns can be used to test hypotheses based on morphology. For example, the regulatory gene Bapx1 is expressed in the hinge of the developing lower jaw in fishes and reptiles. Where would you predict Bapx1 expression to occur in mammals?

Two mothers give birth to sons at the same time in a busy hospital. The son of couple 1 is afflicted with hemophilia A, which is a recessive X-linked disease. Neither parent has the disease. Couple 2 has a normal son even though the father has hemophilia A. The two couples sue the hospital in court, claiming that a careless staff member swapped their babies at birth. You appear in court as an expert witness. What do you tell the jury? Make a diagram that you can submit to the jury.

The size and shape of the vertebrate skull can reveal a great deal about an animal's lifestyle and evolutionary relationships. Consider your own skull. If you put your finger in your ear and move your jaw up and down, you can feel the space near the hinge of your jaw. Nestled in this space are the tiny bones that make your hearing possible: the malleus, incus, and stapes. All mammals have these three ear bones, but reptiles such as this T. rex don't. Where did ear bones come from? Researchers studied mice embryos as a model organism to determine whether the cells of the ear bones originated from the same embryonic cells as the cells that form the jaw in other vertebrates. Why would the researchers use mice instead of humans? Do the results from mice tell you something about your own ears? Why or why not?

The size and shape of the vertebrate skull can reveal a great deal about an animal's lifestyle and evolutionary relationships. Consider your own skull. If you put your finger in your ear and move your jaw up and down, you can feel the space near the hinge of your jaw. Nestled in this space are the tiny bones that make your hearing possible: the malleus, incus, and stapes. All mammals have these three ear bones, but reptiles such as this T. rex don't. Where did ear bones come from? Evolution often results in the co-option of a preexisting structure for a new use. Cite three examples from this chapter to support this statement. Evolution can also result in the loss of a trait. Cite three examples from this chapter.

Which of the following nested monophyletic groups are correctly organized from largest (most inclusive) to smallest (least inclusive), showing your place in the tree of life?

a. Deuterostomes>Chordates>Vertebrates>Mammals

b. Animals>Mammals>Vertebrates>Primates

c. Chordates>Primates>Mammals>Hominins