mMarine Mammals

(SPECIFICALLY DUGONG)
Objectives
To be familiar with the
mechanics of Identiying
organisms to the species level,
particularly dugong
ationale

m3M species of animals and about 350,000

species of plants

mThere is a need to classify organisms

SPECIES CONCEPT
Biological Species Concept (BSC)

It defines species in terms of interbreeding

Ernst Mayr"species are ˜






˜  
 
  




 


 from other such
groups.³

The 
  











 

, i.e. form
phenetic clusters, and 







Phenetic Traits
A trait/character is any recognizable
character, feature, or property of an
organism.

Evolutionary biologists are interested in a

character's heritability, so, BSC is compared
to Ecological species concept (ESC).

ichard Dawkins, define a species by the

biological species concept.
vhen two organisms breed within a species, their
genes pass into their combined offspring.

As this process is repeated, the genes of different

organisms are constantly shuffled around the
species gene pool. The shared gene pool gives the
species its identity.

By contrast, genes are not (by definition) transferred

to other species, and different species therefore take
on a different appearance.
Systems of Classification
A. Artificial System of Classification
based on superficial resemblances
ex. Grouping animals with shells
together

B. Natural Classification
based on evolutionary relationships
started by Karl Von Linne or Carolus
Linnaeus
ex. Classification based on
embryonic development


 
˜


  
 
Kingdom
Phylum/Division

Class

Order

  Family


˜


 
 Genus
  





 Species
 SPECIE
Smallest unitS
in classification
GENUS
A group of related species

FAMILY
A group of related genera

ODE
A group of related families

CLASS
A group of related order

Plylum/Division
A group of related classes

KINGDOM
A group of related phyla/division
V
    
 
 
  


V


˜  
 


Ex. Orgainsms with jointed appendages are group together

V


˜






Ex. Organisms belonging to the same species have the same
number of chromosomes

V


˜ 

Ex. Animals with backbones have insulin-secreting cells

V


˜
 

 

Ex. Turkeys and turtles differ by 8 amino acids
„
 ˜
  



 

 


˜ 

!


 "







"  


Prokaryotic Unicellular Photosynthetic

Eukaryotic Multicellular Absorptive

Ingestive

    „ "#



Bacteria and the blue green algae

 Amoeba and Paramecium

Yeasts, molds, mushrooms

Fungi
Thallophyta

 
Embryophyta
Eukaryotic,multicellular, photosynthetic,
primarily non-motile

Eukaryotic, multicellular, ingestive type of  

Nutrition, primarily motile
 Survey of the Major Groups of Organisms

˜
  
   

Monera Prokaryotic , Unicellular, some members may Bacteria, BGA
group to form colony or a filament
Some absorptive, some photosynthetic
Protista Eukaryotic , unicellular, with some colonial Paramecium,
forms Amoeba
Some absorptive, some ingestive
some photosynthetic
Fungi Eukaryotic, multicellular Yeasts, molds,
Absorptive type of nutrition (lack chlorophyll) mushroom
eproduce through spores; non-motile
Plantae Eukaryotic, Multicellular, Photosynthetic Algae,mosses
Primarily non-motile Vascular plants
Animalia Eukaryotic, Multicellular, ingestive type of Sponges, fishes,
nutrition, primarily motile frogs
Plants maybe classified as follows:

A. Thallophyta ± plants which are not divided into roots,

stems and leaves

Division Chlorophyta ± green algae

Division Phaeophyta ± Sargassum

Division hodophyta ± Eucheuma

B.Embryophyta ± plants with roots,stems and
leaves

Division Bryophyta ± liverworts,

hornworts,mosses

Division Tracheophyta -vascular plants

a. Class Filicinae ± ferns
b. Class Angiospermae ± flower-
bearing plants
c. Class Gymnospermae ± cone-
bearing plants
Animals may be classified as follows:
A. Phylum Porifera ± sponges

B. Phylum Coelenterata ± corals

C. Phylum Platyhelmenthis ± Flatworms (ex. flukes,

tapeworm)

D. Phylum Nematoda- round worms (es. Ascaris)

E. Phylum Annelida- segmented worms (ex. Leeches,

earthworms, marine worms
F. Phylum Mollusca
shells, snails, clams, squids, octopus

G.Arthropoda ± crustaceans, (crabs, shrimps,

lobsters) , insects, centipedes, millepedes,
spiders, scorpions

H.Phylum Echinodermata
sea urchins, sea stars sea cucumbers, brittle
stars

I. Phylum Chordata ± fishes (bony and

cartilagenous), amphibians (frogs and
toads), reptiles, birds, mammals
Classification of a

a



 


 


 

 
  

a


 a


 


a



 
 Differences Between Fish and Marine Mammals

Look at the tail:

vhale¶s tail is horizontal

and moves up and down

vhile a fish¶s tail is vertical

and moves from side to side
Differences between Cetacean and Dugong


 $˜
˜
Body more streamlined and Body is less streamlined, has
thicker blubber thinner blubber layer;
No hair Tough skin with short and
stubby hairs
Spongy bone Bones dense and thick
blowholes Nostrils at the tip of the snout
Mammary slit found between Mammary nipples found in
the genital slit and anus the axilla
The mouth oriented linear to The rostrum is turned
its body downward and mouth located
at the ventral plane
Feeds on crustacean, fish or Feeds on seagrasses
squid
vhat separates cetacea from the
suborder of baleen or whalebone
(Mysticeti) and tooth whales
(Odontoceti)........?

Answer: the absence of plates

and teeth

$

 
$˜
˜
Male

Umbilical scar, genital

slit and anus more or
less equally distant

Female

Genital slit and anus very

close to each other than
the umbilical scar