Zly 202 Chordate Zoology

ZLY 202 CHORDATE ZOOLOGY
DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES OF CHORDATE
There are four characteristics present at some stages of chordate development: notochord, nerve
cord, pharyngeal gill and post anal tail.
Notochord - This is the internal and skeletal structure that lies ventral to the central nervous
system and dorsal to the gut. It is flexible, rod-like, semi-rigid body cells enclosed by a fibrous
sheath. It extends to the whole length of the body. It is the first part of the endoskeleton to appear
in the embryo. The notochord is an axis for muscle attachment and because it can bend without
shortening, it permits undulating movement of the body.
Nerve cord (Dorsal tubular nerve cord) – This is above the notochord and along the length of
a developing chordate’s body. In most invertebrate phyla that have a nerve cord, it is ventral to
the alimentary canal and notochord and it is a tube although the hollow centre may be nearly
obliterated during growth. In vertebrates, the anterior end becomes enlarged to form a brain. The
hollow chord is produced in embryo by infolding of ectodermal cells on the dorsal side of the
body above the notochord. The nerve chord passes through the posterior neural arches of the
vertebrae, and the anterior brain is surrounded by a body or cartilaginous cranium.
Pharyngeal slits and pouches – Pharyngeal slits are perforated slit-like openings that lead from
the pharyngeal cavity to the outside. They are formed by the inpocketing of the ectoderm
(pharyngeal grooves) and the evagination, or the out-pocketing of the endodermal lining of the
pharynx (pharyngeal pouches). In aquatic chordates, the two pockets break through the
pharyngeal cavity where they meet to form the pharyngeal slit. In amniotes, these pockets may
not break through the pharyngeal cavity and only grooves are formed instead of slit. In tetrapod
vertebrate, pharyngeal pouches give rise to several different structures including Eustachian tube,
middle ear cavity, tonsils and parathyroid glands. The perforated pharynx evolved as a filter
feeding apparatus and is useful as such in protochordates. Water with suspended food particles is
drawn by ciliary action through the mouth and flows out through pharyngeal slits, where food is
trapped in mucus.
In vertebrates, ciliary action is replaced by muscular pharyngeal contractions that drive water
through the pharynx. The addition of a capillary network and thin gas-permeable walls in the
pharyngeal bars led to the development of internal gills, completing the conversion of pharynx
from a filter feeding apparatus in protochordates to a respiratory organ in aquatic vertebrates.
Post anal tail – This is an extension of the notochord. It is a muscular structure of the end of the
developing chordates. A post anal tail together with somatic musculature and the stiffening
notochord provides the motility that larva tunicates and amphioxus need for their free swimming
existence. As a structure added to the body behind the anus, it clearly has evolved specifically for
propulsion in water. Its efficiency is later increased in fishes with addition of fins. A tail is
evident in human only as a vestige (the coccyx, a series of small vertebrate at the end of the
spinal column) but most other mammals have waggable tails as adults.
The four distinctive characteristics are always found at embryonic stage, although they may be
altered or disappeared in later stages of the life cycle. For instance, the notochord is present in
embryo of vertebrates but during development, it is replaced by a new structure, vertebral
column or backbone composed of cartilage or bone (vertebrae). Gill slits are functional in fishes
for respiration but appear only in embryo of amphibian, reptile and mammal.
BIOLOGICAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF CHORDATE
1. The endoskeleton of vertebrates permits continuous growth and the attainment of large
body size and it provides an efficient frame work for muscle attachment.
2. The perforated pharynx of protochordates that originated as suspension-feeding device
served as a framework for subsequent evolution of the internal gills with pharyngeal
muscular pump and jaws.
3. Adoption of predatory habit by early vertebrates and the accompanying evolution of the
highly differentiated brain and paired special sense organ contributed in large measure to
the successful adaptive radiation of the vertebrates.
4. Paired appendages that appeared in aquatic vertebrates were successfully adapted later as
jointed limbs for efficient locomotion on land or as wings for flight.

Zly 202 Chordate Zoology

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ZLY 202 CHORDATE ZOOLOGY

DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES OF CHORDATE

BIOLOGICAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF CHORDATE

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