Axial skeleton
Encloses spinal cord, (dorsal aorta) Site of muscle attachment Suspends body - tetrapods
Somites Somites – metameric blocks of mesoderm that form early in development Somites in green
Somites – Dermatome Sclerotome Myotome
Neural (Vertebral)arch Hemal arch Neural, hemal spines Vertebral structure
Most vertebrates have centra that unite with arches
Shapes of the Centrum
Pad of notochord bw vertebrae compression and bulging dislocation Amphicoelous
Articulate in ball and socket fashion Intervertebral pad is ossified Nerve cord bending Opisthocoelous, Procoelous
Titanoboa
Centra are flattened – distributes compression equally Intervertebral disks, notochord Acoelous
Interlocking ‘saddle’ shapes Twisting prevented, yet flexible Heterocoelous
Vertebral development
Dorsal ribs, ventral ribs Ribs and sternum
Diapophysis, parapophysis Ribs and sternum
Ribs meet ventrally at sternum for many tetrapods (mostly amniotes) Lung ventilation Amphibian Amniote Ribs and sternum
True ribs False ribs Floating rib Ribs and sternum
Change from water to land... Evolution of the axial skeleton
Lateral forces, compression, dislocation Extended neural, hemal arches Trunk vs. tail vertebrae Fish
Land not level - need dorsal-ventral flexion Tetrapod forces
Land not level - need dorsal-ventral flexion Lateral flexion for some vertebrates Tetrapod forces
Vertebrae experience torsion forces Tetrapod forces
Tetrapods – resists torsion forces Zygapophyses Prezyg. Postzyg.
Fish vs. tetrapods: regionalization
Amphibian regionalization
1: Atlas - ringlike 2: Axis - odontoid process extends forward into atlas Amniote cervical region No zygopophyses human dog
Changes to regionalization Amniotes have atlas, axis and other cervical
Cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, caudal Lumbar vs. thoracic Mammal regionalization
Comparing relative lengths of lumbar area
Comparing length and broadness of neural spines
Cervical vertebrae Zygapophyses Hemal arch Modifying tetrapods to be aquatic
Turtle rib modification
Bird axial modifications
Keel of sternum Uncinate process Synsacrum Tradeoff of strength and flexibility