Introduction April 18, 2022

Comparative Vertebrate
Anatomy
Comparative morphology deals with Evolutionary morphology embraces
the anatomy and its significance. the “how” evolutionary changes are
inscribed in the animal structure.
Functional morphology is the
discipline that relates a structure Comparison examines the differences
to its function. and similarities between the functional
and the anatomical structures that
carry within the vertebrate animals.

Notable Persons

He proposed the conditions and

mechanisms of evolution:
-Possessing high reproductive
FFaatthh
potential. eerr
-Competition for the shrinkage of EEvvoo ooff
lluutt
iioonn
resources.
-Survival of the few.
Natural selection is a naturalistic
mechanism that explains the changes
in genetic traits over time. Charles Robert Darwin
The favored characteristics will be (1809-1882)
passed on to the next generation.

Darwin's view of Evolution

1 2 He observed that finches

3 4
have developed different
shapes of beaks to allow
them to take advantage of
the food available on the
different islands.

1. Geospiza magnirostris
2. Geospiza fortis
3. Geospiza parvula
4. Certhidea olivasea
 ooff
hhe
e r
r Devised the binomial system for

a
att r
r n
n naming plants and animals which
FF d
d ee yy forms the basis of modern
oo
MM oom m taxonomy.
nn
xo

Assert that species were

Ta

immutable or unchangeable over

time.

Carolus Linnaeus
(1707-1778)
Theo
ry
Introduced the concept of of
Inhe
acquired variations.
rit
Ac anc
Driven by the inner "need". qu eo
Ch ire
ar d

f
ac
Organisms lose characteristics
that are not useful and

te
acquired characteristics that

ris
are essential and inherited by
future generations.

Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck tic

s
Note:
His theory was challenged by (1744-1829)
modern genetics and
evolutionary theory. Lamarck's view of Evolution
He claimed that giraffe
ancestors are short-necked
but due to the inaccessible
ground vegetation, they
tend to stretch their necks
progressively to reach tall
trees resulting in the
descendant of a long-
necked trait that was
passed on to their
offspring.
 An English comparative anatomist
and vertebrate paleontologist.

He did not believe the

aa t
t uu r a
all
N
evolutionary ideas but rather
N y
or y engaged in the idea of
iss t archetypes.
H euum
m
s e
uu Archetype is a kind of biological blueprint,
M that laid the plan upon which an organism
was built.

Suggest that all vertebrates share

common archetypes and are
Richard Owen susceptible to adapt according to
(1804–1892) their given environment.

Created the Natural History

Museum, one of the greatest
"cathedrals of science".

" Then it suddenly flashed upon me that this self-acting process

The
ory
would necessarily improve the race, because in every generation the Nat of
ura
inferior would inevitably be killed off and the superior would Sele l
ec t
remain-that is, the fittest would survive" ion
_Wallace, 1858

He is a brilliant explorer, collector,

naturalist, geographer, anthropologist,
and political commentator.

He prompted the basic idea of evolution.

Co-developed the theory of natural Alfred Russel Wallace

selection and evolution with Charles (1823–1913)
Darwin.
The Grand Design

The animal design is favored by natural Internal factors are also

selection.
The factors in the external environment
manifest natural selection.
The best organism to thrive and adapt in
an exigent environment will survive and
reproduce, while those that are less well
suited will be extinct because of the
struggle of resources.
significant as Darwin inferred
that organisms in populations
differ from one another in
terms of many traits that
tend to be passed on from
parent to offspring.

Morphology
Primarily involved in the study of
the physical form and structure of
a living organism.
Homology Analogy
Morphology as defined by:
Cuvier - the study of structure with
function.
Homoplasy
Owen - the study of archetypes behind
the structure.
Note: Parts can be homologous
Huxley - the study of structural and analogous and homoplastic.
change over time.
2. Symmetry - denotes how the
Morphological Concepts organism's body meets the
surrounding environment.
1. Similarity - distinct organism is
considered similar by considering their : Types of Symmetry
Ancestry
Function Radial Symmetry - symmetry
Appearance around the central axis.
e.g. starfish, jellyfish
Types of Similarities

Homology - when two or more features Bilateral Symmetry - only the

share a common ancestry.
Analogy - features with a similar
function.
Homoplasy - features that simply
resembles to one another.
midsagittal plane divides the body
into two mirrored images, left and
right.
e.g. fruit fly, humans, turtle
Radial symmetry Bilateral symmetry

Asteroidea Drosophila

Body Planes and Region

Anatomical Directions
Dorsal: Toward the spine
Ventral: Toward the sternum
Medial: Toward central line
Lateral: Away from central line
Cranial: Toward the head
Caudal: Toward the tail
Rostral: Toward the nose (beak)
Proximal: Toward the body (trunk)
Distal: Away from the body
Anatomical Planes
Dorsal Plane: Parallel to the back
Transverse Plane: Perpendicular to
the long axis of the body
Sagittal: Dividing the body to right
and left parts
Median: Sagittal section on midline
dividing into right and left halves

3. Segmentation - a process that
divides the body into repeated
sections is called segmentation or
metamerism.
e.g. backbone is composed of
repeating vertebrae
Vertebrae
The human backbone.
Evolutionary Morphology
Function is the action or property of
a part as it works in an organism.
Biological role is meant about how
the part is used in the environment
during the course of the organism's
life history.
Preadaptation is a structure or
behavior that possesses the
necessary form and function before
the biological role arises.
Phylogenies serve as a framework
for the evolutionary relationships of
organisms.
Dendrograms are schematic diagrams
that depict treelike branched
connections between groups.
Note:
Not all body segmentation is
the same. The difference in
structures is due to the
function they perform such as
digestion or breathing etc.
In some invertebrates,
segmentation is the basis for
amplifying reproductive output as
observe in tapeworms.
Annelids have segmented bodies
that provide support and
locomotion.
Cladogram is a representation
of the ancestor‐to‐descendant
relationship through a
branching tree.
Primitive - structures that are
similar to that of the ancestors
or shared by all living groups.
Derived - structures that are
different from that of the
ancestors.
Generalized - modified to perform
a variety of functions.
Specialized - modified to perform
restricted functions.
A clade is a single lineage of all
organisms belonging to a common
ancestor.
 References
Carolus Linnaeus - biography. (2019). Anbg.gov.au; jurisdiction: Commonwealth of Australia;
corporate name: Australian National Botanic Gardens.
https://www.anbg.gov.au/biography/linnaeus.html

Editor. (2019, November 26). Alfred Russel Wallace: The Natural Selection for the Unsung Hero
of Science. The Oxford Scientist. https://oxsci.org/alfred-russel-wallace-the-natural-
selection-for-the-unsung-hero-of-science/

Kardong, K. (2019). VERTEBRATES : comparative anatomy, function, evolution.

Planes and Axes - Anatomy & Physiology - WikiVet English. (2012). Wikivet.net.
https://en.wikivet.net/Planes_and_Axes_-_Anatomy_%26_Physiology

Scoville, H. (2019, June 26). How Finches Helped Darwin Develop His Theory of Evolution.
ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/charles-darwins-finches-1224472

Sir Richard Owen | Encyclopedia.com. (n.d.). Www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved April 23, 2022,
from https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/science-and-technology/zoology-biographies/sir-
richard-owen

Society, N. G. (2019, August 23). Alfred Wallace. National Geographic Society.

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/alfred-wallace/#:~:text=age%20of%2090.-

(2022a). Pinimg.com.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6a/e0/3a/6ae03ae3203df1b8b0408a2d80a5a458.png

(2022b). Andersonleadershipsolutions.com. http://www.andersonleadershipsolutions.com/wp-

content/uploads/2013/02/Backbone.jpg

(2022c). Britannica.com. https://cdn.britannica.com/18/195018-050-F546DA34/Radial-symmetry-

body-point-vertebrates-groups-animals.jpg

(2022d). 42evolution.org. http://www.42evolution.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Young-Richard-

Owen.jpg

(2022e). Wikimedia.org. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Jean-

Baptiste_de_Lamarck.jpg/640px-Jean-Baptiste_de_Lamarck.jpg

(2022f). Edcdn.com. https://ca1-tls.edcdn.com/_720xAUTO_crop_center-center_none/Linnaeus-

portrait.jpg

(2022g). Gettyimages.com. https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/portrait-of-a-young-charles-

darwin-in-1840-watercolor-and-chalk-on-picture-id525373839?s=612x612