Lesson 15 ·Class 9 · Five Kingdom Classification · Match Lab
Phylum Chordata
What every chordate has, at some point.
Match each chordate feature to what it is.
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All vertebrates are chordates, but not all chordates are vertebrates. The notochord defines the phylum; the backbone defines the subphylum.
What this lesson covers
Challenges to clear
- Match every feature.
- Connect Amphioxus to what makes it unusual among chordates.
The task
Match each chordate feature to what it is.
What this lesson covers
- Notochord — A flexible supporting rod along the back (In vertebrates it appears in the embryo and is later replaced by the backbone.)
- Dorsal nerve cord — A hollow nerve cord running along the back, above the gut (In invertebrates the nerve cord is solid and lies ventrally — the exact opposite.)
- Pharyngeal gill slits — Openings in the throat wall, present at least in the embryo (Fish keep them for breathing; in humans they appear in the embryo and close up.)
- Post-anal tail — A tail extending beyond the anus at some stage of life (Human embryos have one; it is reduced to the coccyx.)
- Vertebral column — A backbone of vertebrae that replaces the notochord (This is what makes a chordate a VERTEBRATE — not all chordates have it.)
- Amphioxus — A chordate that keeps its notochord all its life and never forms a backbone (It shows that chordate and vertebrate are not the same thing.)
Hint
All vertebrates are chordates, but not all chordates are vertebrates. The notochord defines the phylum; the backbone defines the subphylum.