Vertebrate
An animal with a backbone (spinal column). Vertebrates include fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals—about 70,000 species representing less than 5% of all animal species.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 11 chapters:
"All of this requires enormous energy. During active flight, its metabolic rate can reach the highest per-gram rate ever recorded in vertebrates. This creates an existential problem: at night, when the hummingbird can't feed, it would starve before morning. The solution? Torpor."
"...rence on Bear Research and Management, 5, 284-290. Paul, M.J., Zucker, I., & Schwartz, W.J. (2008). Tracking the seasons: the internal calendars of vertebrates. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B*, 363(1490), 341-361. Robbins, C.T., et al. (2012)."
"...2006): 1987–1998. Reviews Lake Victoria's extraordinary cichlid radiation - over 500 species arising in approximately 15,000 years, the fastest known vertebrate radiation. Documents how hybridization combined with strong sexual selection drove rapid speciation. [OPEN ACCESS] McGee, Matthew D., et al. "A ..."
"...es convergence**: If traits develop independently (modular development, Chapter 4), similar traits can evolve from different genetic starting points. Vertebrate and cephalopod eyes develop through entirely different genetic pathways (different developmental genes control eye formation), but both produce camer..."
"...Resistance declines, allowing newts to increase toxicity again. The cycle repeats - Red Queen dynamics. Case 2: Immune system and pathogens The vertebrate adaptive immune system exemplifies a Red Queen arms race. Pathogens (viruses, bacteria, parasites) evolve rapidly, generating antigenic variation..."
And 6 more chapters...
Biological Context
The vertebral column protects the spinal cord and provides structural support. Vertebrates share common body plans and developmental patterns. Despite being a minority of species, vertebrates dominate many ecosystems due to size, mobility, and cognitive capabilities.
Business Application
Vertebrate organizations have clear central structures—hierarchies, reporting lines, command chains. The 'backbone' provides stability and coordination but can also create rigidity. Most large organizations are vertebrate in structure.