Reptiles: Under the Cover of Darkness

David Nguyen BIO 210 Stinson May 8, 2012

Amphibians and reptiles are related to each other distantly as they do share a lot of similarities, but at the same time they do have different characteristics that set the two apart. They can be distinguished from one another by their physical appearances as well as their different stages in life. Amphibians and reptiles are both ectothermic tetrapods, species that rely on their surrounding environment for adjustment of their body temperature. Reptiles have acquired different characteristics that allow them to live successfully in dry, terrestrial environments. Reptiles have dry and scaly skin, whereas amphibians feel moist and sometimes rather sticky. They are vertebrates and cold blooded like amphibians. The skin of most amphibians is smooth and not water-proof unlike reptiles. Although most of the amphibians have lungs, they usually breathe through their skin and lining of their mouth, whereas most reptiles breathe primarily through their lungs. These characteristics will be discussed in depth on how they improve the reptiles existence. A table has been provided at the end of this assignment to summarize these differences. Reptiles have better developed lungs than that of amphibians. Reptiles do rely primarily on their lungs for gas exchange, but they are function more efficiently by having more surface area than the lungs of amphibians and are circulated by drawing air into the lungs, rather than pushing air into the lungs like the amphibians do. Reptiles expand their thoracic cavity which draws air into the lungs and expands the ribcage or moving towards their internal organs depending on which species of reptilian. For example, pulmonary respiration is supplemented by respiration in the cloaca or pharyx in aquatic turtles, where as sea snakes go through cutaneous respiration. Another evolutionary characteristic would be that reptiles have tougher, dry scaly skin that enables them to have protection against desiccation and physical injury. On the other hand, amphibians have a thin, moist skin in order to go through gas exchange. This rather fragile skin makes the amphibians vulnerable to dehydration and protection. The characteristic of scales in reptiles are formed

mostly by beta keratin unique to the clade Reptilia, provide great protection against wear and tear in terrestrial environments. Crocodiles have scales that remain throughout their life, growing gradually to replace wear and tear, whereas lizards and snakes have new keratinized epidermis growing beneath their old layer, which their skin is then shed. Turtles have new layers of keratin under old layers of platelike scutes, which are modified scales. The jaws of reptiles are efficiently designed for crushing or gripping prey, which provide them with a better mechanical advantage. Their tongue is also muscular and mobile, functioning to move food through the mouth for mastication and swallowing. The circulatory system of reptiles are more efficient and versatile than that of amphibians, providing an added benefit of permitting blood to bypass the lungs when respiration does not occur. An example of this would be when a turtle would be diving. Reptiles have efficient strategies for water conservation, while amphibians excrete their metabolic waste primarily as ammonia which requires more water to dilute the toxic ammonia concentrations. Reptiles excrete uric acid instead, which can be concentrated without being over toxic, conserving most of the water in their system. The nervous system of reptiles is also more complex than amphibians. They have an enlarged cerebrum which is in conjunction with integration of sensory information and control of muscles during locomotion, giving them good vision; however, smell is not a sense that is not very well developed in most reptiles, but snakes and lizards use highly sensitive sense of smell through their tongue and transferred through the roof of the mouth by a specialized olfactory chamber. Finally, the amniotic egg is a key distinguishing feature for living on land. It is essentially a waterproof egg with a shell. The amniotic egg is named for one particular membrane, the amnion, formed by the developing embryo. The amnion protects the embryo from drying out and surrounds a fluid-filled cavity that cushions it. The egg allows reptiles to reproduce outside water, although the eggs often require high humidity to avoid desiccation. For many reptilian species, the egg or embryo

development occurs in the females reproductive tract, providing protection from predators and dehydration. The other membranes formed during development of the embryo function in gas exchange, waste removal, and supplying nutrients. The membranes responsible for each function are the chorion, allantois, and yolk sac, respectively. The amniotic egg contrasts with the amphibian egg, which lacks a shell and amnion and is not waterproof. Amphibians such as frogs must deposit their eggs in a pond or other wet place. The amniotic egg, with its self-contained "pond," makes it possible for the embryo to develop within an egg laid on land. This kind of egg is unique to the amniotes, a group that includes turtles, lizards, birds, dinosaurs, and mammals. The earliest mammals laid eggs, and a few, such as the monotremes, still do. Embryos as diverse as fish, salamander, tortoise, bird and humans show how similar they look folling gastrulation. They reveal features common to the entire subphylum Vertebrata, and as development proceeds, each embryo becomes more increasingly recognizable according to their species. This demonstrates that the amniotic egg evolved several times in this subphylum.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/clades/Ornithodira.shtml

A cladogram is a tree showing closeness of relation between taxa. Each node on a tree represents the common ancestor of the branches coming out of that node. Traditionally, reptiles

included all the amniotes except birds and mammals. Thus reptiles were defined as the set of animals that includes crocodiles, alligators, , lizards, snakes, and turtles, grouped together as the class Reptilia; however, some cladists have recently defined the class Reptilia as a monophyletic group, including both the classic reptiles as well as the birds and perhaps the mammals. As previously stated, the amniotic egg evolved from the earliest reptiles. This allowed for the first true occupation of the land by tetrapods. The term that includes archosaur had come to include crocodiles, dinosaurs, and a wide variety of primitive Triassic reptiles. There is still a wide consensus among paleontologists that birds are the descendants of theropod dinosaurs. The pelvis in the saurischian dinosaurs resembles that of still-extant reptiles, but in the ornithischian dinosaurs the pubic bone of the pelvis has forward and backward extensions that resemble those found in birds. This makes it possible to consider that modern birds are extant dinosaurs, and it is also possible to recognize dinosaurs as a group of extinct reptiles. All together, the differences seem to lie between the respiratory and structural differences of each phylogenetic lines.

http://biology.unm.edu/ccouncil/Biology_203/Summaries/Phylogeny.htm

A phylogeny is a tree showing the genealogical relationships of taxa, often drawn to show time and ancestor-descendant relationships, usually based on a cladogram and supported by evidence derived from synapomorphies. Reptiles evolved from labyrinthodont amphibians 300 million years ago. The success of this terrestrial vertebrate group is due in large part to the evolution of shelled, largeyolked eggs in which the embryo has an independent water supply. This advance enabled reptiles to be the first vertebrates to sever their ties with water, becoming the dominant life form on the planet during the Mesozoic Era, otherwise known as the age of the reptiles.

Amphibian Yes. Breathes water through gills until it Metamorphosis: develops lungs. Examples: Skin Texture: Frog, toad, newts, salamanders Smooth, moist and sometimes rather sticky skin. Laden with mucous glands.

Heart structure: 3- chambered Body Ectothermic (cold-blooded) Metabolism: limbs: Method of Breathing: Eggs:

Reptile No. Looks like a miniature adult when born. Snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles Dry and scaly. Scales are small folds in skin. Skin is found underneath the scales. 3-chambered Ectothermic (cold-Blooded)

reptiles crawl or creep- as they short fore limbs and long hind limbs with five have either weak short limbs or webbed digits. even no limbs. Gills and lungs Lungs

Defense:

Introduction:

Amniotic egg. Have hard, Have soft, gel surrounding their eggs without leathery eggs laid on land or any hard covering. Usually, found in water or they keep eggs in their bodies damp places. until they hatch. claws, whipping tails and bites Toxic skin secretions and can bite. No claws (some have venom; Gila or nails. monster, beaded lizard) Amphibians mean living two lives (on land as Reptiles are groups of animals well as on water). Amphibians usually have to that breathe air, have scales on stay near water sources to prevent drying out, their bodies , and lay eggs. and have smooth skin.

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