Table of Contents
Introduction to Vertebrate Systematics
Vertebrate systematics is the study of the classification and evolutionary relationships of vertebrates. The goal of vertebrate systematics is to develop a natural classification of vertebrates based on their evolutionary relationships. This natural classification can then be used to study the evolution of vertebrates.
Vertebrate systematics is divided into two main branches: phylogenetics and taxonomy. Phylogenetics is the study of the evolutionary relationships of organisms. Taxonomy is the study of the classification of organisms.
Phylogenetics is the study of the evolutionary relationships of organisms. Phylogenetics is used to develop a phylogenetic tree, which is a graphical representation of the evolutionary relationships of organisms. A phylogenetic tree is based on the principle of parsimony, which is the principle that the most simplest explanation of a phenomenon is the most likely to be correct.
The phylogenetic tree is used to study the evolution of vertebrates. The phylogenetic tree can be used to study the evolution of the vertebrate body plan, the evolution of the vertebrate immune system, and the evolution of the vertebrate nervous system.
Taxonomy is the study of the classification of organisms. Taxonomy is used to develop a taxonomic hierarchy, which is a classification of organisms into groups based on their evolutionary relationships. The taxonomic hierarchy is based on the principle of monophyletic groups, which is the principle that a group of organisms is monophyletic if it
Vertebrate Nervous System
The vertebrate nervous system is a complex network of cells and tissues that control all the activities of the body. It consists of the brain, spinal cord, and a vast array of nerves that extend throughout the body. The brain is the central control center, receiving information from the senses and sending instructions to the muscles and organs. The spinal cord transmits messages between the brain and the rest of the body. Nerves carry information between the brain and the rest of the body and allow us to feel sensations, such as pain, heat, and cold.
Primitive Conditioning
The first type of learning is called “primitive conditioning,” and it relies on the pairing of a neutral stimulus with a stimulus that already elicits a response. For example, if you were to pair the sound of a bell with the delivery of food, eventually the sound of the bell would come to elicit a response of hunger in the dog. This is because the bell has been associated with the food, and the dog has learned that the bell predicts the arrival of food.
Encephalization
The encephalization quotient (EQ) is a measure of the relative size of the brain of an animal compared to the body mass. It is calculated as the ratio of the actual brain mass to the predicted brain mass for an animal of the same body mass. EQ is used to compare the relative intelligence of different species.
The higher the EQ, the more intelligent the species is considered to be. The EQ of a human is 7.5, while the EQ of a mouse is 0.003.
