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The notochord is an elastic, rod-like structure found in chordates. In chordate vertebrates the notochord is an embryonic structure that disintegrates, as the vertebrae develop, to become the nucleus pulposus in the intervertebral discs of the vertebral column.
The name "chordate" comes from the first of these synapomorphies, the notochord, which plays a significant role in chordate body plan structuring and movements. Chordates are also bilaterally symmetric, have a coelom, possess a closed circulatory system, and exhibit metameric segmentation.
A tunicate is an exclusively marine invertebrate animal, a member of the subphylum Tunicata (/ ˌ tj uː n ɪ ˈ k eɪ t ə / TEW-nih-KAY-tə).This grouping is part of the Chordata, a phylum which includes all animals with dorsal nerve cords and notochords (including vertebrates).
The lancelet notochord, unlike the vertebrate spine, extends into the head. This gives the subphylum, Cephalochordata, its name (κεφαλή, kephalē means 'head'). The fine structure of the notochord and the cellular basis of its adult growth are best known for the Bahamas lancelet, Asymmetron lucayanum [51]
Lampreys contain these characteristics that define them as chordates. Lamprey anatomy is very different based on what stage of development they are in. [80] The notochord is derived from the mesoderm and is one of the defining characteristics of a chordate. The notochord provides signaling and mechanical cues to help the organism when swimming.
Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a spine or backbone), which evolved from the notochord.It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordate subphylum Vertebrata, i.e. vertebrates.
[1] [3] The notochord runs down the animal's back with a smooth layer of connective tissue on the exterior, lining an interior core of cells that are loosely packed and contain fluid-filled spaces. [1] The outer sheath resists changes in fluid pressure in the notochord, allowing for flexibility while simultaneously withstanding contraction.
The acorn worms or Enteropneusta are a hemichordate class of invertebrates consisting of one order of the same name. [2] The closest non-hemichordate relatives of the Enteropneusta are the echinoderms. [3] There are 111 known species of acorn worm in the world, [4] the main species for research being Saccoglossus kowalevskii.