Urochordata & Cephalochordata (Tunicates & Lancelets)

Urochordata Commonly referred to as: Tunicates, Sea Squirts. Salps and Larvaceans Live in marine environments About 2000 known Species Filter feeders No excretory system Body enclosed in a tunic made of secreted proteins and something similar of cellulose Comes in variety of colors; most are translucent, or whitish, can come in colors of Red, Brown, Yellow or Blue Ascidiacea Ascidiacea, Thaliacea, Larvacea Are commonly referred to as Sea Squirts of Tunicates Are the biggest group within the Urochordata Coastal animals, live in 400 meter depth, but have been seen in 5 000 meter depth Solitary or Colonial Colonial share a common exhalent siphon Tunic is secreted by the epidermis Can shoot a jet of water to ward off predators Ascidiacea Body All organs except the pharynx are enclosed in a membrane called epicardium and surrounded by mesenchyme (a jelly like substance) This is called visceral cavity The Atrial Cavity is bigger then the Visceral Cavity, and cointains the enlarged pharynx The Pharynx has many small holes where the water passes through The Pharynx is connected to the digestive and inhalent siphon The Atrialm Cavity has two sets of Cilia One set moves the water from the inhalant to the exhalent siphon The other moves the mucus lining in the pharynx Feeding The Tunicates feed by siphoning water through the pharynx When the water passes through the holes in the pharynx, food particles get stuck on the mucus coating of the pharynx The mucus gets moved down the pharynx towards the digestive system The mucus is secreted by special cells

Blood System Blood is pumped through small spaces in the mesenchyme The spaces are called sinuses, they are not true blood vessels The heart is very different then most It beast around ~100 times in one direction Stops for a bit Then beats for around ~ 100 times in the other direction The blood is a clear in color The blood often contains high concentrations of vanadium Vanadium is a rare element, and is found sparely in sea water No one hasfigured out why the Tunicates collect this element Reproduction Tunicates are generally hermaphroditic (both male and female) Tunicates avoid self fertilization in two ways: The sperm and eggs may be chemically designed to not accept each other Or the sperm generally mature before the eggs Eggs are retained within the body and the sperm are released into the sea Eggs are fertilized by the incoming water Once fertilized, the eggs stay inside the body until they hatch Ascidiacea Larvae It is more obvious that they are part of the chordate phylum Do not feed, are more of a dispersal form Live only a few hours Attach themselves to the ocean floor using adhesive glands on their heads It then begins a metamorphosis and looses some of the aspects that classify it as a chordate Thaliacea 70 species Live in warmer waters then the tunicates They feed and swim, the Inhalant and Exhalent Siphons are on opposite ends, so it propels them Three classes: Pyrosomida They live in colonies Salpida & Doliolida Are not colonial Pyrosomida When living in colonies, the colony is barrel shaped The barrel has one open end Each animal takes in its own water, gets expelled through common exit, also serves as propulsion (can become several meters long) All are hermaphroditic in a colony, called gonozooids They develop one egg at a time (fertilized internally) develops into a oozoid (asexual form with a short life span)

 Oozoid creates a new gonozooid, which is released into the water This is called alternation of generation Salpida (Salps) Are Asexual dominant 1.5 to 19 cm long Buds form around the asezual oozoid and develop into the gonozooids When the gonozooids are released they stay linked and can do so untill the chain is very long (maximum of 2.5 m) Each gonozooid develops only one egg and the oozoid hatches inside the parent, which means they are viviporous (they give birth to live offspring) Doliolids Average only 1 cm long Once the oozoid form reaches a certain size it gives rise to 3 different buds, which form a temporary colony Trophozooids (feed the temporary colony) phorozooids (essentially Doliolids, have no gonads, support and carry the embryo gonozooids away from the parent oozoid) Gonozooids (are the embryos) Larvacea Sometimes called Apendicularians Only 70 species known to man Live on warm water surfaces They have a oval trunk with a long thin tail They retain their tail throughout their life, unlike the other Urochordata Tail has muscle cells attached to it for swimming Feed with a filtering system inside the house, eat much smaller particles then the other Urochordata (particles as small as 1 micron) The house is the same color and density of the sea water, so it is very hard for us to see The Larvacea abandons the house about every 4 hours, and secretes a new one It is about 2.5 cm in diameter Larvacea Reproduction Only sexual reproduction Most species are hermaphroditic, at least one is gonochoristic Testies mature before the ovaries to prevent self fertilization Sperm are released first, and the eggs (ova) later on Eggs (ova) are released by rupturing the body, this means the animal dies The larva of the Larvacea look like small versions of tunicate larva, though thy mature much faster

Cephalochordata Also called Lancelets There are about 28 species 5 to 10 cm long All species are marine Exhibit all the four basic characteristics of the chordata (a dorsal nerve cord, a notochord, a post annul tail and pharyngeal gill slits) The lancelets have 3 body openings: A mouth guarded by buccal cirri tentacles A antriopore towards the tail where the water exits A anus which is located behind the antriopore Are filter feeders, most of their body is taken up by a enlarged pharynx The way the Lancelets feed is very similar to the Tunicates Blood System Has a main ventral and paired dorsal aorta No central heart, but a number of bronchial hearts The bronchial hearts are located where each of the main vessel branches meet the aorta The blood of the lancelets lack hemoglobin and is colorless Cephalochordata Nerve System Lancelets have a central nerve which is enclosed in a sheath of collagen fibres below the notochord From the central nerve arise smaller ones that serve the rest of the body Lancelets do not have a brain or cranium like the vertebrata Lancelets have metameric muscles, meaning they partially overlap These muscles are called myomeres This structure is very common in fish When the muscles contract on one side the tail moves because the notochord is stiff Cephalochordata Reproduction Lancelets are Gonochoristic Sperm and Eggs are released into the water The fertilized eggs hatch into larvae The original larvae turn into amphioxis larvae, amphioxis larvae resemble the adult form more Both larvae forms are palegic, they life in the water not on the ocean floor Amphioxis larvae fee on plankton till they are large enough to metamorphosise into the adult form Cephalochordata Evolution Lancelets represent a very basic form of chordata life Some scientists believe this is how the ancestors of chordata looked Generally accepted that it is a side branch of evolution rather then a direct ancestor