extant
(adjective)
still in existence; not extinct
Examples of extant in the following topics:
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Characteristics of the Animal Kingdom
- Although over one million extant (currently living) species of animals have been identified, scientists are continually discovering more species as they explore ecosystems around the world.
- The number of extant species is estimated to be between 3 and 30 million.
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Agnathans: Jawless Fishes
- The superclass Agnatha describes fish that lack jaws and includes the extant species of hagfish and lampreys.
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Characteristics and Evolution of Amphibians
- An important characteristic of extant amphibians is a moist, permeable skin that is achieved via mucus glands that keep the skin moist; thus, exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the environment can take place through it (cutaneous respiration).
- All extant adult amphibians are carnivorous.
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Characteristics of Eukaryotic DNA
- All extant eukaryotes have cells with nuclei; most of a eukaryotic cell's genetic material is contained within the nucleus.
- All extant eukaryotes have these cytoskeletal elements.
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Modern Reptiles
- Crocodilia ("small lizard") arose with a distinct lineage by the middle Triassic; extant species include alligators, crocodiles, and caimans .
- Squamata ("scaly") arose in the late Permian; extant species include lizards and snakes.
- Squamata is the largest extant clade of reptiles .
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Bryophytes
- Bryophytes are the group of seedles plants that are the closest-extant relative of early terrestrial plants.
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Early Plant Life
- Seedless non-vascular plants (bryophytes), such as mosses, are the group of plants that are the closest extant relative of early terrestrial plants.
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Evolution of Land Plants
- Paleobotanists distinguish between extinct species, as fossils, and extant species, which are still living.
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Chordates and the Evolution of Vertebrates
- Extant members of Cephalochordata are the lancelets, named for their blade-like shape.
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Binary Fission
- While both proteins are found in extant organisms, tubulin function has evolved and diversified tremendously since evolving from its FtsZ prokaryotic origin.