Just the morphological traits

Question 1

Provide four anatomical traits exclusively shared by extant vertebrates

Answer 1

1. Vertebrae
2. Elaborate skulls
3. Extrinsic eye muscles
4. At least 2 semicircular canals

Question 2

Provide four anatomical and/or embryological traits shared by extant craniates

Answer 2

1. Skull
2. Five-part brain
3. At least 1 semi-circular canal
4. Endoskeleton

Question 3

Provide four anatomical traits shared by extant hagfish

Answer 3

1. No paired fins
2. Single caudal fin
3. Scale-less skin
4. Four hearts

Question 4

Provide four distinctive features of extant lampreys

Answer 4

1. Anterior and posterior dorsal fins
2. Single small dorsal nostril
3. Two semicircular canals
4. Velum

Question 5

Provide four structural characteristics of extant lampreys that they share with extant jawed vertebrates

Answer 5

1. Vertebrae
2. Elaborate skull
3. Extrinsic eye muscles
4. At least 2 semi-circular canals

Question 6

Provide four distinctive features of extant jawed vertebrates

Answer 6

1. Movable jaws
2. Paired nasal sacs
3. Complex gill arches
4. Three semicircular canals

Question 7

Provide four key structural or embryological characteristics of the jaws

Answer 7

1. Upper and lower jaw cartilaginous precursors
2. Posterior hinge
3. Often carrying teeth
4. Primitively simple opening and closing devices performing vertical movements

Question 8

Provide four general morphological features shared by extant sharks

Answer 8

1. Fusiform bodies
2. Enlarged snout region
3. Lateral gill slits
4. Teeth with enlarged bases

Question 9

Provide four anatomical traits observed in extant cartilaginous fish

Answer 9

1. Tesserate calcified cartilage
2. Anterior fontanelle
3. Pelvic claspers in males
4. Placoid scales

Question 10

Provide four anatomical and/or embryological traits shared by extant bony fish

Answer 10

1. Rooted teeth
2. Large dermal bones on skull and pectoral girdle
3. Swim bladder/lungs
4. Bony fin rays

Question 11

Provide four diagnostic characteristics of modern amphibians

Answer 11

1. Smooth and wet skins with mucous and granular glands
2. loss of bones at the back of the skull roof
3. palatal vacuities partly bordered by palatines
4. four or fewer fingers (where present) in anterior limb

Question 12

Provide four distinctive features of the skull of extant frogs

Answer 12

1. enlarged orbits
2. strap-shaped and horizontally orientated palatine
3. wide and T-shaped floor of braincase
4. triradiate pterygoids

Question 13

Provide four structural characteristics of the postcranial skeleton of modern salamanders

Answer 13

1. anterior and posterior limbs of subequal length
2. poorly differentiated vertebrae
3. stumpy ribs
4. abbreviated transverse rib-bearing processes

Question 14

Provide four morphological characteristics of modern frogs

Answer 14

1. Toothless lower jaw
2. Enlarged orbits
3. Urostyle
4. Ribs generally absent

Question 15

Provide four morphological characteristics of modern salamanders

Answer 15

1. Short stumpy ribs
2. Tail in both larvae and adults
3. Gill slits/external gills in aquatic larvae
4. Teeth on both jaws

Question 16

Provide four morphological characteristics of modern caecilians

Answer 16

1. eyes reduced in size or absent
2. two sets of jaw-closing muscles
3. scales embedded in skin
4. absence of girdles and limbs

Question 17

Provide four defensive mechanisms adopted by extant salamanders

Answer 17

1. Biting
2. Warning colours
3. Body posture
4. Tail autotomy

Question 18

Provide four diagnostic characteristics of modern amniotes

Answer 18

1. long neck
2. long and curved ribs
3. strongly domed skull
4. amniotic egg
   Mostly four limbed
   Three- or four- chambered heart
   Size varying from fractions of an inch to over 30 metres
   Internal fertilisation

Question 19

Provide four distinctive features of the amniotic egg

Answer 19

1. porous leathery or hard shell
2. amniotic fluid
3. albumen
4. air-filled space

Question 20

Provide four diagnostic characteristics of extant turtles

Answer 20

1. anapsid skull with posterior emargination
2. retractable necks
3. keratinous beak
4. well developed olfactory bulbs

Question 21

Provide four diagnostic characteristics of modern crocodiles

Answer 21

1. elongate snouts
2. eyes,ears and nostrils situated dorsally on the head
3. thick skin covered in non-overlapping scutes
4. nostril closure underwater

Question 22

Provide four distinctive features of archosaurs

Answer 22

1. Improved limb posture
2. teeth embedded in sockets in upper and lower jaws
3. reduced pineal foramen
4. two-headed cervical ribs

Question 23

Provide four morphological and/or functional roles for crocodile scutes

Answer 23

1. protection
2. thermoregulation
3. buffering against acidosis
4. bracing function for trunk musculature

Question 24

Provide four anatomical characteristics of modern birds

Answer 24

1. Air sacs
2. Feathers
3. Bill
4. Wings

Question 25

Provide four anatomical and/or physiological features of the bird respiratory system

Answer 25

1. unidirectional air flow through the lungs 2. expansion/contraction of ribs and sternum 3. set of parabronchs 4. respiratory cycle consisting of two inhalations and two exhalations

Question 26

Provide four functional roles for bird feathers

Answer 26

1. protection 2. insulation 3. display 4. communication

Question 27

Provide four distinctive features of the reproductive biology of squamates

Answer 27

1. egg brooding in some species 2. nest building in some species 3. internal fertilization 4. leathery to calcified egg shells

Question 28

Provide four anatomical characteristics of modern mammals

Answer 28

1. mammary glands 2. Hair 3. Sweat glands 4. Diaphragm

Question 29

Provide four functional roles for mammalian hair

Answer 29

1. protection 2. insulation 3. defence 4. camouflage

Question 30

Provide four diagnostic anatomical traits of primates

Answer 30

1. grasping hands and feet with apposable thumbs and toes 2. elongated heel bone 3. Hallux baring nails 4. hindlimb dominance

Question 31

Provide four anatomical characteristics of perissodactyls (odd-toed ungulates)

Answer 31

1. odd number of toes on front and/or hind feet 2. elongate facial region of the skull 3. reduced ulna and fibula 4. absence of collar bone

Question 32

Provide four diagnostic features of lagomorphs (pikas and rabbits)

Answer 32

1. short tail 2. two pairs of upper incisors 3. smooth-surfaced brain 4. enamel on front and back of incisors

Question 33

Provide four morphological features shared by carnivores

Answer 33

1. relatively enlarged brain cavity 2. exclusively vertical movement of lower jaw 3. strong sagittal crest 4. enlarged and blade-like last upper premolar and first lower molar

Question 34

What are the first 4 steps to the feeding mechanism suction feeding in lampreys

Answer 34

1. Buccal funnel contracts annular muscles which create suction 2. Funnel narrows + anchors keratinous teeth 3. Lamprey activates protractor muscle 4. Lingual cartilage pulled forwards + pushes tongue outwards + downwards

Question 35

What are steps 5-9 to suction feeding in lampreys

Answer 35

5. Salivary glands secrete anticoagulant 6. Retractor muscles pull tongue inwards + upwards 7. Scraping action of tongue - Flesh fluid 8. Ingestion 9. Velum = Allows lamprey to eat and breathe

Question 36

What is vortical cross-step filtration in paddlefish

Answer 36

1. Water enters through mouth 2. Interacts with a series of backwards facing steps formed by the branchial arches 3. Resulting vortical flow interacts with gill rakers to concentrate particles in zones along the steps 4. Filtrate passes to gill filaments where gas exchange occurs.

Question 37

What is cross-flow filtration in bony fish

Answer 37

1. Water enters through mouth 2. Travels over branchial arches + concentrate particles in the posterior oral cavity 3. Filtrate exits between gill rakers 4. Passes the gill filaments where gas exchange occurs