Describe characteristics of chordates, including four shared derived characters.

Concept introduction: Animal phylogeny is a rapidly changing field for the biologists. Even if the members of animal kingdom are incredibly diverse, there are various animals sharing certain features that differentiate them from other organisms of the kingdom. Chordates are the deuterostomes. They are coelomates with bilateral symmetrical body structure. Chordates are divided into three clades, namely urochordates, cephalochordates, and vertebrates.

Explanation of Solution

There are four shared derived characters that differentiate the chordates from other group of organisms. These characters are evolved from other animal clades in connection with their locomotion and obtaining food, a postanal tail, endostyle, tubular nerve cord, and notochord. The characteristics of chordates including four shared derived characters are as follows:

Some of the chordates have notochord at a certain period of their developmental cycle, whereas some chordates have notochord during their whole life time like vertebrates. The notochord is the longitudinal rod-like structure that is composed of spongy connective tissue cells.
Some of the chordates have dorsal tubular nerve cord at a certain period of their developmental cycle and some chordates have dorsal tubular nerve cord during their whole life time.
Chordates have muscular postanal tail...

Describe characteristics of chordates, including four shared derived characters.

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Biology (MindTap Course List)

Describe characteristics of chordates, including four shared derived characters.

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