Quiz 8- vertebrates Flashcards by Jessica Wrighter

two major classes of fishes.

Chondrichthyes
Osteichthyes

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Chondrichthyes

Skeletons are CARTILAGE, not BONE
Usually have ventral mouth w/ multiple rows of replaceable teeth
5-7 pairs of gill slits
Includes: sharks, skates, rays, chimera

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Osteichthyes

Rigid, BONY skeleton for muscular attachent
Very diverse in body form, speed, habitat and feeding adaptations
Fixed teeth on upper & lower jaws - allow fish to chew/process their food
Jaws generally directed forward

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three major reproductive methods of fishes.

oviparous
ovoviviparous
viviparous

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oviparous

shed eggs directly into water column or lay them in nests in sediment/hard substrate- EXTERNALLY FERTILIZED by males

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ovoviviparous

eggs are retained by the female and fertilization is internal, BUT developing embryos receive no nutrition from mother during development

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viviparous

Live-bearing VIVIPAROUS fishes (relatively rare): include some sharks and bony fish species- give birth to live young- embryos develop internally + get nutrients from mother

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Using proper terminology, describe the structures and processes by which fish breathe.

COUNTERCURRENT EXCHANGE
o2 taken in by diffusion
- gill arch, operculum, secondary lamella, gill filament, gill arch, lamella

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Describe how different types of fishes maintain buoyancy, and explain how the swim bladder works.

swim bladder: Absorbs + secretes gasses to adjust depth at which it’s neutrally buoyant- not controlled muscularly but rather by changes in water pressure at different depths
- rete mirabile: responsible for incr. gas pressure of o2, allowing for the gas bladder to fill even in the deep sea.
- lactic acid secreted that allows hemoglobin to release o2 within the swim bladder, outside of the bladder vein still gives off o2 which diffuses back into the nearby artery going into the bladder- COUNTERCURRENT HEAT EXCHANGE

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List and explain the major ways fishes use countercurrent exchange.

BREATHING
maintaining proper neutral BUOYANCY levels
-countercurrent HEAT exchange

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Describe the purpose and function of major sensory systems, including the lateral line system & ampullae of lorenzini.

lateral line- canals containing a system of nerve endings along the body that detect disturbances in nearby water (water displacement)
ampullae- electroreceptors

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major types of fish feeding ecology.

suction feeding
ram feeders

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suction feeding

rapidly open mouth to suck in small prey + surrounding water
mouth closes rapidly
smaller prey like zooplankton are captured on gill rakers that act like a sieve

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ram feeding

move forward + open jaws- engulf prey + surrounding water
water expelled thru opening gill slits
some sharks widen jaw to capture prey

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2 different methods for filter feeding

modified gill rakers strain out zooplankton from water
some use continuous ram feeding- water constantly being strained out as the fish keeps moving thru the water

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various body forms seen in fishes

Cruising Predators
Lie-in-wait predators
Surface-oriented fishes
Benthic fishes

Cruising Predators

tuna, marlin
usually long and torpedo shaped, with fins spaced along the body for maneuverability, but with nearly all the thrusting capability in the tail

Lie-in-wait predators

also torpedo shaped, but the fins are often positioned near the tail, to help provide the sudden thrust necessary to capture prey

Surface-oriented fishes

eg flying fish
often have the mouth oriented upwards, to capture prey at the surface

Benthic fishes

variable in shape

List and describe the three major functional components of swimming in fishes.

Flounders & Soles: known for flattened shape- one side preferentially on the sea bed + both eyes on the other side facing up
Some bottom-roving sharks have strongly flattened heads (hammerheads)
Some fishes (sculpin, gobies)- modified pelvic fins- allow them to adhere to the bottom

3 main functional components of swimming in fish

Accelerating - Maximized by the propulsion generated by a strong caudal fin - allows rapid escapes or strikes at prey
Cruising - Involves continual undulation of the body
Maneuvering - Best accomplished with a disk- or diamond-shaped body; permits body flexing and sudden changes in direction
(notice: optimal body for maneuvering is in conflict with the optimal shape for high-speed cruising)

List & describe the major groups of marine mammals. Provide an example of the type of organisms found in each group.

order: cetaceans
- suborder odontoceti: toothed whales
- suborder mysticeti: baleen whales
order: carnivora
- suborder pinnipedia: seals
- family phocidae: true seal
- Family otaridae: eared seal
- sea otters

Distinguish between the two cetacean suborders: Odontoceti & Mysticeti

O: toothed whales
capable of echolocation (melon in their skull)
one blowhole
M: baleen whales
continuous + intermittent ram suspension feeders
2 blowholes

Explain echolocation, who does it, and how it is likely to have evolved.

done by ODONTOCETI

Explain how feeding ecology distinguishes the two major groups of mysticeti.

right whales - continuous ram suspension feeders: constantly filter-feeding as they move thru the water rorqual whales - intermittent ram suspension feeders - longitudinal pleats expand when mouth opens to allow more water to enter the mouth

Summarize the major characteristics of Pinnipeds, including their general reproductive behaviors.

well known for living much of their life at sea but then coming to land to breed

Distinguish between the two major families of pinnipeds.

Phocidae - true seal Otaridae - eared seal

Summarize the major characteristics of sea otters, and describe their ecological importance to kelp forests ecosystems.

- streamlined body, modified appendages, and hair with an air layer that can act as a thermal barrier to slow heat loss to seawater - Carnivores - primarily preying on benthic inverts like sea urchin and mollusks, but also eat fishes - often dive 10s of meters to pull abalone and urchins off rocky bottom, bring them to the surface, and crush them with the aid of rocks. - killing off urchins helps kelp forest ecosystems (especially those where starfish have died off)

Summarize the major characteristics of sirenians, and describe the challenges they currently face in coastal Florida.

- manatees, dugongs, and sea cows - Nutrient pollution in sea beds is disrupting pops- esp for manatees in Florida- manatees eat abt 100 lbs per day, and we’ve seen an 80% decrease in sea beds- also algal blooms- they are starving + affected by cold weather Attempting to grow sea grass in large amounts, but can’t be put in the polluted water + survive

Compare and contrast marine turtles with freshwater/terrestrial turtles.

- Adapted to live in ocean, but breathe air & lay eggs on land- despite this, most of life is spent underwater - hold breath for long periods of time: 4-7 hours while resting- allows them to dive deep for food. - Head + limbs can't retract into shell like freshwater relatives - streamlined shell + flippers for movement in water - Special adaptation to high salt environments/diet - glands by their eyes release salt in high concentrations

Differentiate between the two major families of marine turtles.

Cheloniidae- everything except... Dermatochelyidae- leatherback

Describe sea turtle nesting habits

- Most females return to the same beach each time- often emerge within a few hundred yards of where they last nested - nesting occurs most often at night - “false crawl,” can happen naturally or be caused by artificial lighting or the presence of people on the beach - most nest at least 2x in a season, some only 1 time, some more than 10x - average size of a clutch ranges from about 80 to 120 eggs

Describe sea turtle hatchling movements.

- usually emerge from their nest at night or during a rainstorm when temperatures are cooler - erupt from the nest cavity as a group - orient themselves to the brightest horizon - dash toward the sea - only about one in 1,000 survives to adulthood - turtles imprint on the unique magnetic field of their natal beach as hatchlings and then use this information to return as adults