AbstractThe usefulness of ecoregions and catchments (hydrologic units) as bases for classifying aquatic vertebrate assemblages in western Oregon was compared using samples collected by electrofishing ...

The cradle of vertebrate evolution was limited to a zone of shallow coastal waters, no more than 60 meters deep. In those waters, fish — the first vertebrates — appeared roughly 480 million years ago, ...

'Junk DNA' could hold the secret of the evolutionary origin of complex animals, according to new research. Vertebrates - animals such as humans that possess a backbone - are the most anatomically and ...

Scientists have discovered a gene that appears to play a vital role in pheromone sensing. The gene is conserved across fish and mammals and over 400 million years of vertebrate evolution, indicating ...

This story appears in the October 2017 issue of National Geographic magazine. From scales to feathers to fur, vertebrates clothe themselves in a dazzling variety of textures and hues. But scientists ...

A mass extinction of fish 360 million years ago hit the reset button on Earth's life, setting the stage for modern vertebrate biodiversity, a new study reports. The mass extinction scrambled the ...