Aquatic Vertebrates

A new study gives a glimpse into the origins of vertebrate gene regulation. The researchers studied the lancelet, or amphioxus, an organism in the chordate phylum that lacks the unique attributes of a vertebrate, such as a head, eyes and limbs, but shares a similar body plan. Learning how the lancelet controls its gene activity clarified which control mechanisms evolved with vertebrates, and which were around already.

If your interest is to understand what makes vertebrates, mammals, humans unique, you need to have this basis for comparing them. Vertebrates comprise all species of animals within the subphylum Vertebrata (having backbones). Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum chordate with thousands of species which includes, jawless fish, jawed fishes, jawed vertebrates (cartilaginous fishes, bony fishes). Other vertebrates are the tetrapods, which include bony lobed-finned fishes, as well as amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Vertebrates biology is designed to provide a firm foundation for students interested in the natural history of vertebrates.

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