Comparative Anatomy of

Vertebrates
Introduction: Terms, Concepts and History

Prepared by: Mr. Ian Kenneth M. Cabrera

 Objectives

• To know the common terminologies used in Comparative

Anatomy
• To be able to know the historical development of the subject
matter.
• To identify the people behind its development and their
corresponding contributions
• To know the fundamental concept/principle of species
development including structure, form and function.
Meaning

• Comparative Anatomy, but to be more accurately – comparative

morphology, deals with the study of parts and structure (forms) and the
corresponding functions of these forms of bodies of vertebrates.
• It is both descriptive and analytical.
• The course also deals with the study of natural history. Where did present
day species come from? Are present day species the same millions of years
ago? What course did higher organisms went though in order arrive at such
immutable complexity like what we know now of them today? Did we
really originate from apes?
• The subject also deals with species of animals which no longer inhabit the
Earth and are known to us by fossil records.
The Tool

The tool?
• of structures throws similarities
and differences

• it emphasizes the evolutionary

Comparison. and functional themes vertebrates
possess within their innate
structures.

• also helps formulate the questions

we might inquire in the future.
Central Theme?

Evolution of Characteristics
History of the Study: The People Responsible.

Carl von Linne also

Carolus Linnaeus 1707-
1778
– devised the binomial system
of naming plants and animals
which became the basis of
modern taxonomy.
– published Systema Naturae
– argued that species were
immutable or unchangeable.
Jean Baptiste de Lamarck 1744-1829

• first to classify the animal

kingdom into invertebrate and
vertebrate
• published Philosophie Zoologique
• acquired characteristics and road
to perfection
Georges Cuvier 1769-1832

• also argued that species are

immutable.
• he stated that the design of each
animal could not have changed
since creation.
• organisms “must be understood as
functional wholes because the
parts and the function they served
were tightly related”.
• published a 22-volume
masterpiece – Naturelle des
Poisons
Richard Owen 1804-1892

• developed concepts of homology

and analogy
• obtained and described the first
good specimen of the primitive
bird Archaeopteryx which
provided evidence for the theory
of evolution.
• opposed the theory of evolution
by natural selection.
• advocated the idea of the
archetype, or ideal original
pattern, which served as a
blueprint for species.
 Louis Agassiz 1807-1873

• Swiss-American paleontologist
and geologist
• published Studies on Glaciers
• considered as the first teacher of
comparative anatomy
• had the ability to draw with both
hands at once while speaking
Charles Darwin 1809-1882

• developed the modern theory of

evolution
• 2 books – On the Origin of
Species and The Descent of Man
• based on his journey and travels
on the HMS Beagle to the
Galapagos islands in the Pacific
ocean.
• established the evolutionary basis,
comparative, functional and
adaptive morphology and
anatomy.
Alfred Russel Wallace 1823-1913

• developed the concept of survival

of the fittest
Thomas Huxley 1825-1895

• published Comparative Anatomy

of Vertebrates in 1871
• established the modern concept of
the evolution of the vertebrate
skull
Terms and Concepts
Homology
• refers to features of two or more organisms sharing common ancestry
• it also refers to the correspondence in type of structure between parts or
organs of different animals
• clearly linked through time by continuity of fossil record
• shown to develop similarity in the embryo from identical primordial.
• different appearance, common general make-up
example: the skeletons of the forelimbs of cats, the
wings of birds, the arms of humans,
and the wings of a bat.
Analogy
• refers to features of two or more organisms sharing common
function
• correspondence in function of a structure in similar or different
organs or organ parts.
example: the fin of a fish and the flipper of a whale
the scales of fishes and reptiles

Homoplasy
• refers to features of two or more organisms which may be related
by similarity of appearance but cannot be explained by either
homology and analogy.
example: mimicry and camouflage
Ontogeny
• the developmental history of an organism
• begins with embryogenesis, the development after fertilization
• includes post embryonic changes: aging or senescence and death.
• genes are the primary operants
• a single lifetime

Phylogeny
• the evolutionary history of group of species
• it requires hundreds or thousands to hundred of millions of years.
Symmetry
• refers to the arrangement of body parts in relation to the surrounding
environment.
• radial, spherical, biradial and bilateral.

Segmentation
• refers to the regular repetition of body parts along the antero-posterior axis.
• also known as metamerism
• each unit is called a segment or metamere or somite
Cephalization
• it refers to the centralization or localization of nervous structures with
accompanying dominance of the head.
• the pronounced tendency for the anterior end of the body to become more
and more distinctly separated and differentiated from the rest of the
body=head.
• localization within the head the main part of the nervous system - i.e. the
brain – and the most important sense organs
• it is more and more prominent as one ascends the animal kingdom
References

Ching, J. Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates Compendium. National

Bookstore. 1st ed. 2004.

Hyman, L.H. Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy. The University Chicago

Press. 2nd ed. 1963.

Kardong, K. Vertebrates Comparative Anatomy, Function, and Evolution.

McGraw-Hill.2nd ed. 1998.
The End