Amphibians
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Evolution of
Amphibians
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"Amphibian" comes from the
Greek meaning "both life".
Amphibians can live on water and
on land.
Scientist infer that amphibians
evolved from lobe-finned fishes
called crossopterygians.
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Crossopterygian
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Biologist conclude that amphibians appeared
during the late Devonian period, about 345
million years ago.
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Crossopterygians had no gills but they had
internal nostrils and a primitive lung that may
have enabled them then to respire for periods of
time on land.
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Characteristics
of Amphibians
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Amphibians are cold-blooded
(Ectothermic), which means their
blood temperature rises and falls with
that
of the surrounding environment
•
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They use gills, lungs, skin, and
mouth cavity in respiration.
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They have moist, smooth, thin skin with no
scales.Feet are webbed and the toes lack
claws.
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Amphibians have many prominent characteristics that
are adaptations to a life spent both on land and in
water:
They change from an aquatic larval stage to a
terrestrial adult
form. This transformation is called metamorphosis
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Amphibians enter a state of dormancy or
torpor when conditions are unfavorable.
They often bury themselves in mud or
leaves, emerging when conditions are
better.
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Such states of inactivity
are known as known as:
Hibernation when it
occurs in the winter
Estivation when it occurs
in the summer
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Larvae have two-chambered hearts;
adults have three-chambered hearts
and well-developed circulation.
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Eggs lack multicellular membranes
or shells. They are usually laid in
water or in a moist environment and
fertilized externally.
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Classification of
Amphibians
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Biologists have identified about
2,375 living species of amphibians
and have classified them into four
orders
Anura/Salientia – Frogs & Toads
Urodela/Caudata – Salamanders
Trachystoma – Mud eels
Apoda/Gymnophiona - Caecillians
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Frogs and toads make up the
Order Anura/Salientia
("without a tail").
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Salamanders and other
amphibians with legs and tails
make up the Order
Urodela/Caudata ("visible tail").
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Some aquatic amphibians
. (mud eels
& sirens) belong to the Order
Trachystoma ("rough mouth")
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Siren
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Apoda/ Gymnophiona includes
caecilians, a tropical, burrowing
worm-like amphibians that is
often Legless
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Anuran/Salientia
Characteristics
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Frogs and toads comprise the
order Anura
There are about 3,500 known
species of frogs and 300 kinds
of toads
They are found on every
continent except Antarctica
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Some types spend their entire life
in or near water, but others live
mainly on land and come to the
water only to mate
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Some frogs and toads are climbers
that dwell in trees or burrowers
that live underground.
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Toads and frogs have many
similarities in the way they look.
Some basic differences between
them are: toads have dry, warty
skin, while frogs have smooth, wet
skin.
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Both frogs and toads return to water to
reproduce. In nearly all species eggs are
fertilized externally. The fertilized eggs
hatch into swimming larval forms called
tadpoles
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Urodelan/Caudata
Characteristics
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Salamanders, typical members of
the Order Urodela, have elongated
bodies, long tails, and smooth,
moist skin
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Compared to the anurans, salamanders
are less able to remain on dry land,
although some can live in dry areas by
remaining inactive during the day
Legs are set at right angles
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Salamander lay their eggs in water
and like anurans they hatch into
swimming larva
Salamander eggs
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Other species can reproduce in
damp land environments. Eggs
laid on land hatch into miniature
adult salamanders
Marbled Salamander
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Apodan/Gymnophiona
Characteristics
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Caecilians, members of the Order
Apoda, compose a highly specialized
group of tropical burrowing
amphibians
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These legless wormlike
creatures average 30 cm long,
but they can be up to 1.3m
long.
They have very small eyes and
are often blind.
They eat worms and other
invertebrates
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The caecilian male deposits sperm
directly into the female, and the
female bears live young
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Trachystoma
Characteristics
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The Order Trachystoma contains
three living species of mud eels,
or sirens.
Sirens live in the eastern United
States and northeastern Mexico.
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Frog External
Anatomy
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The frog's powerful hind legs are
equally effective in jumping or
swimming. On land frogs sit with
their hind legs folded against the
body, poised to jump at the first
sign of danger.
Most frogs can make leaps many
times their body length
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Frog's eyes also work equally well in or
out of water. Because the eyes bulge
out from the head, the frog can stay
submerged while literally "keeping an eye
out" for predators
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Eyelids that can blink protect the
frog's eyes from dust and
dehydration
In addition to upper and lower eyelids,
a third, transparent eyelid called a
nictitating membrane covers each
eyeball and joins the lower eyelid
This membrane keeps the eyelid
moist and protects it when it is
under water
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Frogs have eardrums, or
tympanic membranes, which are
circular structures located
behind each eye
Tympanic membrane
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The frog's thick, moist skin serves
two important functions—
respiration and protection
Glands secrete mucus to keep it
from drying up
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Some glands secrete foul-tasting or
poisonous substances that protect
the frog from predators
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Some frogs, such as Hyla
versicolor, can change color in
order to blend with the
environment (Camouflage).
Count the
number of
frogs in the
picture?
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Frog Internal
Anatomy
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Skeletal System
The frog's spine has
nine vertebrae
The cervical
vertebra at the
anterior end of the
spine allows neck
movement that helps
frogs catch prey
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Skeletal System
Posterior to this are
seven trunk
vertebrae, and then a
single sacral vertebra
that supports the
hind legs
A long, slim bone
called the
urostyle/tail bone
extends from the
sacral vertebra
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Skeletal System
Bones of the pectoral
girdle, which form the
shoulders, connect to
the front legs
They also provide the
primary protection to
the internal organs,
since the frog has no
ribs
The pelvic girdle
connects to the hind legs
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Digestive System
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Digestive System
Most frogs feed on insects, and their
digestive system is adapted to their diet
A frog's tongue is an excellent insect
catcher. The frog simply flicks out its
long sticky tongue, curls it around its
prey, and pulls the insect back into its
mouth. Then the frog snaps its mouth
shut and swallows.
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Digestive System
Frogs have two types
of teeth that hold
on to prey. A row
of maxillary teeth
line the perimeter
of the upper jaw.
Two patches of
vomerine teeth
project from bones
in the roof of the
mouth.
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Digestive System
Sometimes the frog
blinks, pulls its eyes
inward, and presses them
against the roof of its
mouth. This action helps
push the food down its
throat
Digestion in frogs takes
place in the alimentary
canal, which includes the
esophagus, stomach, small
intestine, large intestine,
and cloaca
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Circulatory System
An adaptation to the
greater oxygen needs of
land animals is a more
efficient circulatory system
than the fish's two-
chambered heart.
The amphibian's three-
chambered heart partially
mixes oxygenated with
deoxygenated blood and
pumps the blood throughout
the body at higher pressure
than does the fish's heart
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The left atrium receives
oxygenated blood from
the lungs, and the right
atrium receives
deoxygenated blood Blood to
from the body. body
Both the atria empty
into the ventricle, the Oxygenated
main pumping chamber Deoxygenated
blood
blood from
lungs
of the heart. from body
In the ventricle R
oxygenated and
deoxygenated blood mix
partially and are
pumped to the lungs and
the rest of the body.
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Deoxygenated blood travels in veins
back to the right atrium from the
various regions of the body.
Oxygenated blood returns from the
lungs to the left atrium via the
pulmonary veins
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Respiratory System
Tadpoles respire, or
exchange carbon dioxide and
oxygen, through gills
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Respiratory System
Adult frogs lose the gills but can
respire in three ways: through the
lungs, through the skin, and through
the mouth.
Respiration through the lungs is called
pulmonary respiration.
A frog breathes by changing the
volume and pressure of air in its
mouth while either opening or closing
its nostrils
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Respiratory
System
Air moves from the throat to
the lungs through the glottis.
Because the frog's lungs are
small, cutaneous respiration, or
respiration through the skin in
both air and water, is very
important, especially during
estivation or hibernation.
Oxygen can diffuse across the
lining of the mouth and into the
blood.
Frogs use mouth (buccal)
breathing for only a relatively
small amount of theirCopyright Cmassengale
respiration.
Excretory System
Urine and wastes from the digestive
system are eliminated through the anus.
When a frog is in water, its permeable
skin allows the water to enter its body.
Frogs that live primarily in water rid
themselves of excess water by excreting
a large volume of very dilute urine.
Frogs that live mainly on land conserve
water by producing a small volume of
more concentrated urine.
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Excretory System
Amphibians eliminate two primary types of metabolic
waste products—carbon dioxide from respiration and
waste compounds from the breakdown of foods.
Kidneys are the primary excretory organs and lie on
either side of the spine against the dorsal body wall.
The kidneys filter nitrogenous wastes from the blood
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The Nervous System
The frog brain is more
complex than the fish brain,
enabling the frog to contend
with a more varied
environment.
The optic lobes, which
control vision
The cerebellum, is the
center of balance and
coordination.
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Nervous System
The medulla oblongata lies at the back
of the brain and joins the spinal cord.
It controls organ functions.
Ten pairs of cranial nerves extend out
directly from the brain.
The spinal cord transmits signals from
all parts of the body to the brain and
from the brain back to the body.
The spinal nerves branch from the
spinal cord to various parts of the
body.
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Reproductive System
Both male and female frogs
have internal sex organs
The male frog's foreleg muscles
and first fingers swell
These swellings help the male
maintain his grasp on the female
Sperm cells develop in the
testes and pass through tubes Male System
to the kidneys and urinary ducts
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Reproductive System
Female frogs have a pair of
large, lobed ovaries containing
thousands of tiny immature
eggs lie near the kidneys
During the breeding season
eggs enlarge, mature, and
burst through the thin ovarian
walls into the body cavity.
They leave the body through
the cloacae opening.
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Reproductive System
The male clasp the female in
a process known as Amplexus
The vast majority of eggs
and tadpoles are eaten by
predators such as fish, birds,
snakes, and turtles. Some
species of frogs have
Amplexus
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Metamorphosis
Newly hatched tadpoles live off yolk
stored in their bodies. They gradually
grow larger and develop three pairs of
gills.
Tadpoles have a two-chambered heart.
Tadpoles can also regenerate injured or
lost body parts such as a leg or tail.
Legs grow from the body, and the tail
disappears.
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Metamorphosis
A saclike bladder in the throat
divides into two sacs that become
lungs. The heart develops a third
chamber.
A hormone called thyroxin
circulates throughout the
bloodstream and stimulates
metamorphosis.
The cells of the tadpole are
genetically programmed to
respond to thyroxin at the
appropriate stage of
development.
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