Tunicate (Noun)
Meaning
Primitive marine animal having a saclike unsegmented body and a urochord that is conspicuous in the larva.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- Tunicates are the closest relatives of the vertebrates and have a unique body structure that blurs the line between the invertebrate and vertebrate body plans.
- The larval tunicate has a notochord and a dorsal hollow nerve cord, features that are characteristic of vertebrates but are lost in the adult form.
- Researchers have been studying the tunicate genome to gain insights into the evolution of vertebrates and the origins of the key features that define the group.
- Tunicates are filter feeders that use siphons to draw in water and capture small particles from the surrounding seawater.
- The adult tunicate has a saclike body with two siphons, an inhalant siphon that brings in water and an exhalant siphon that expels the filtered water.