AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -vertebrate, also called Craniata, any animal of the subphylum Vertebrata, the predominant subphylum of the phylum Chordata. They have backbones, from which they derive their name.

Detailed explanation-2: -Most species within the phylum Chordata are vertebrates, or animals with backbones (subphylum Vertebrata). Examples of vertebrate chordates include fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

Detailed explanation-3: -Dorsal Hollow Nerve Cord The nerve cord found in most chordate embryos develops into the brain and spinal cord, which comprise the central nervous system.

Detailed explanation-4: -The CNS in chordates is positioned dorsally and consists of an anterior brain and a posterior spinal cord. Vertebrates have the most complex brain within chordates (Butler and Hodos 2005; Kaas 2009).

Detailed explanation-5: -Key Points. The phylum chordata is named for the notochord, a longitudinal, flexible rod between the digestive tube and the nerve cord; in vertebrates, this is the spinal column. The chordates are also characterized by a dorsal nerve cord, which splits into the brain and spinal cord.