【摘要】 长久以来，文昌鱼一直被认为和生活在约５亿年前的脊椎动物的直接祖先相似。由于文昌鱼在 进化上的重要性，它在动物学研究史上发挥着关键作用。近１００多年来，文昌鱼作为研究对象曾数次受 到动物学界青睐或冷落。大约１０年前，随着分子生物学技术应用于文昌鱼研究，又激发了动物学家对 文昌鱼的研究兴趣，又一次出现对文昌鱼研究的高潮，并且一直持续至今。分子生物学研究结果表明， 文昌鱼样生物可能是环节动物样动物和最早的脊椎动物之间的进化中间体。因此，文昌鱼在动物学研究 史上好像绕了个大圈又回到了原处，在被忽视一段时间之后，又重新占据脊椎动物起源和进化研究中心 舞台的位置，成为研究脊椎动物起源和进化的模式动物。更多还原

【Abstract】 Amphioxus has long been regarded as being most closely related to the immediate ancestor of the vertebrates that lived some 500 million years ago. Because of its putative evolu- tionary importance amphioxus has played a key role in the history of zoology, falling in and out of favor as a subject of study for well over 100 years. However, a new surge of interest, which is still in full swing, was stimulated around 10 years ago when amphioxus was studied by the methods of molecular biology. Molecular biology has now shown that an amphioxus-like creature was an evolutionary intermediate between an annelid-like precursor and the first vertebrate. Amphioxus appears thus to have come full circle in the history of zoology. After years of neglect, it has again taken the center stage and become a model animal for insights into the origin and evolution of the vertebrates.更多还原