Urochordata & Cephalocordata:

Impact on Human Society

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/chordata/urochordata.html

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Now & In The Future

Perhaps only time and technology will tell the full impact that Uro- and Cephalochordata can have on our lives.  As species closely related to vertebrates, the study of uro- and cephalochordates can further the understanding and advancement of the evolutionary pattern of vertebrates and perhaps provide new insight into medical technology.  Numerous studies have been done on the pathology of invertebrates in an effort to increase our understanding of these organisms and their wound repair process.  For instance, wound repair has been studied in the Amphioxus (cephalocordate).  Due to the ability of Amphioxus to resist inflammation, its cell cycle, known as phagocytosis, has been heavily studied by researchers (Silva et al. 1995).  Overall, Amphioxus has an "amazing capacity" to cope with tissue healing, infection, and other pathologies without phagocytes (Silva et al. 1995).  Continued study of this capacity may help lead to important breakthroughs in areas that range from mild infection to limb damage.  

Addtionally, uro- and cephalochordate may have the ability to contribute to internal medical breakthroughs.  Over half of American pharmaceuticals are taken from natural sources (Wong 2001).  Recently plants and sessile or slow-moving marine invertebrates such as sponges, corals and sea slugs have attracted particular attention from scientists since these organisms, rather than running away from a predators, instead have chemical defenses (Wong 2001).  These chemicals can be made into potentially life saving medicines (Wong 2001).   For instance, ecteinascidin-743 and aplidine are two anticancer compounds that can be derived from a Caribbean sea squirt (Wong 2001). 

Unfortunately, for as great of an impact as urochordates and cephalochordates can have on human society, humans can have as negative an impact on their environment or "society."  An estimated 27 percent of coral reefs have been destroyed and this number could rise as up to 40 percent by the year 2010 (Wong 2001).  The continuous pollution of sea water and destruction of the coral reef not only harmfully impacts the incredible diversity of the sea species and draws it closer to extinction, but also decreases our chances of extracting from these chordates potentially life saving chemical formulas for the vaccines and medicines of the future (Wong 2001).  

http://www.serc.si.edu/sms/IRLSpec/Phyl_Chorda.htm 

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