Vertebrate Biology meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 to 11:50 am (or 9-10:20). The laboratory associated with this course is optional and meets for 3 hours on Wednesday or Thursday afternoon. My office is 236 Sabin-Reed, x3856. I encourage you to drop by anytime Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday that we are not in class or lab. If you prefer, you may phone for an appointment. You might want to drop in for several reasons. Problems and questions about vertebrates are good reasons to see me but so are interesting television programs, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, museum exhibits, or examples of vertebrate life you may have seen. Don't go away if the door is shut, just knock. I do my research on Mondays and Fridays, so please don't disturb me then. Thanks.
We share this planet with a number of creatures - great and small. We know very little about most of them, yet our physical and emotional well-being depends on their lives and their survival. This course will review the little we do know about a small subset of Earth's living creatures - the vertebrates.
Vertebrate life is a complex byproduct of billions of years of evolution. Each organism and each individual is a unique synthesis of past and present, structure and function, nature and nurture. We will examine the history of vertebrates on this planet as well as the manner in which they currently survive. We will explore their internal and external shapes, their diversity and relationships, their habits and habitats. Learning about vertebrate life is an enormous task but not a difficult one if you work steadily and constantly. This course will help you do just that.
By the end of this course I expect you to have intelligent answers to the following questions:
"Vertebrate Life" is a thorough review. The 800 pages of the fourth edition contain more information on more topics related to the biology of vertebrates than any other text. It does not give a partial picture of the subject and is a reference book as much as it is a text. In other words, this book is not a novel. One cannot read it word for word, cover to cover, and expect to obtain a complete understanding of the material. Instead one must focus one's objectives and then use the text to meet them. One decides what one wants to know, examines the organization of the text to identify the appropriate portions to explore, then one studies those portions of the text which meet one's goals. The text (unlike a reference book) helps with this process by providing concluding and summary sections at the end of each chapter and short introductory transitions between chapters. Reading these three sections allows one to identify the purpose of the whole chapter. In addition, subject headings within a chapter provide a outline of the chapter as a whole.
You will find Vertebrate Life (VL) a thorough, exhaustive, and exhausting review of the biology of vertebrates. I expect that most of the first 4 chapters are a review of material in introductory biology. Material you should have been exposed before now. You all have different backgrounds, and different parts of the material in chapters 1-4 will be new to each of you. Please read the material and take note of the parts that are new to you. If you have questions about material presented in these chapters bring them to class and we discuss the material your questions raise.
This is the first year we are using the fourth edition of Vertebrate Life. I have tried to revise the syllabus accordingly but may have missed something. Please tell me if you find any inconsistencies with the text and my instructions .
| Week | Topic | VL Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| Overview/Review | 1-5 | |
| 1-2 | classification origins organ systems physiology |
1 2 3 4 |
| Aquatic Vertebrates | 6-9 | |
| 2-4 | early verts cartilaginous fishes bony fishes |
6 7 8 |
| Terrestrial Vertebrates | 10-24 | |
| 4-6 | origins | 10 |
| 6-10 | Ectotherms: Mesozoic diapsids & mass extinction amphibian & turtle biology extant lepidosaurs ectothermy |
13-14 11-12 15 16 |
| 10-13 | Endotherms: birds and flight mammals endothermy social behavior humans |
17-18 19, 21 22 18, 23 24 |
The course includes three exams, each with two parts: take-home and library. Although, in general each exam will cover approximately one-third of the text, some material, by its nature, will be cumulative. I will not give any make-up exams. The course has no written final exam. An assortment of worksheets, quizzes, and assignments will round out your work load.
The nine assignments are a hodge podge of tasks. Three assignments are 5-minute oral presentations on the biology of a particular vertebrate which you will choose from an approved list one to two weeks before the presentations are to be delivered. The nine assignments are appended to the end of this syllabus. Each assignment has a point value and a due date clearly indicated. Please see 'format for written work' below for instructions on presentation.
All eight quizzes for this semester are appended to this syllabus. The quiz dates and the point values for each quiz are also indicated. Any quiz may be retaken once for complete credit, subject to the- following restrictions. Only one very low (<51% correct) quiz may be redone for credit over the semester. This allows you to miss one quiz or assignment, due to illness or other unforeseen event, but prevents you from making a habit of it.
Quizzes may be retaken only on the following Saturday mornings from 9-11 am in SR 205.
quizzes 1-3: 7 Mar
quizzes 4-8: 18 Apr
The take-home exams will ask you to think about problems and questions in vertebrate biology. The exam will be given out in a Thursday class and will be due back the following Tuesday before class. Thus, you will have a weekend in which to complete the exam. You will be able to use any published material, but I expect a bibliography listing your sources appended to each exam. List your sources alphabetically and provide complete and consistent information. See Pechenik 1997 (on reserve) for format. You are not allowed to discuss the exam questions with anyone until after the due date. You may ask me for clarification of ambiguous questions. The exam questions will, in general, be similar to those on your worksheets or in a study guide I wrote for an earlier edition of Vertebrate Life (on reserve). Please see 'Format for written work' below for more instructions on presentation. Exams are due in the Science Center Office on Tuesdays before class (that is before10:30 am) on the following dates: Exam I due 24 Feb, Exam II due 31 Mar, Exam III due 28 Apr.
In lieu of writing the take-home section of any exam, you may write a 5-10 page paper (or equivalent) on an aspect of the biology of vertebrates which could have been covered in that section of the course. For example you could provide a dialogue between a cladist and an evolutionary systematist about vertebrate taxonomy, or explain the physiology of hot-blooded fishes, or discuss the social behavior of dinosaurs, or explore the functions of bird song. Your paper must use at least 10 sources from the primary literature or equivalent, i.e. not books and not popular press articles (e.g., not from Discover, Science News, or Natural History). Include either a thorough abstract or summary section as well as a concise outline. If you are interested in this option I encourage you to use it for at least one of the exams. Please see me to discuss the format more clearly and to make sure that the topic you would like to explore is suitable. Be creative!
These assignments are designed to show you how material from the primary literature is incorporated into textbooks. One assignment is due the Thursday each take-home exam is distributed. However, any assignment may be handed in before that date. Please see 'Format for written work' below for instructions on presentation.
Examine the 'references' section of any of the first eight chapters of "Vertebrate Life". Choose an article (longer than 5 pages, from one of the journals listed below which is cited in the 'references' section and discussed the text. Read the article and write a one-page (or more) summary of it. State the hypotheses of the article. the empirical or theoretical evidence for and against each hypothesis, the authors conclusions, and your opinion. Then write a one-page (or more) comparison of the treatment of the information in the article as opposed to the text. Discuss similarities and differences in emphasis, content, and style as well as other aspects you notice. Include a 'references' section to your essay which gives a complete citation of the article as well as the section of "Vertebrate Life" in which the article is discussed.
|
American Midland Naturalist American Naturalist American Zoologist Animal Behaviour Arctic Australian Journal of Zoology Behaviour Bird Banding Canadian Journal of Zoology Condor Copeia |
Ecological Monographs Ecology Evolution Great Basin Naturalist Growth Herpetologica Journal of Field Ornithology Journal of Mammalogy Journal of Morphology Mammalia Physiological Zoology |
Read one chapter in either R.T. Bakker's "The Dinosaur Heresies" (on reserve in the science library) or a chapter in any of J.R. Horner's dinosaur books (e.g. "Digging Dinosaurs"). Write a one-page (or more) summary of the chapter outlining the major hypotheses of the chapter, the major empirical evidence for and against each hypothesis, the author's conclusions, and your opinion. Then write a one-page (or more) comparison of the treatment of the subject in the chapter you read versus the treatment of the same (or similar) material in "Vertebrate Life". Include such issues as: What is the context of each presentation? What is the audience for each? What is the thesis of each regarding the material? Include a 'literature cited' section which gives the complete citation of both the chapter you chose and the relevant section of "Vertebrate Life".
From a recent (1993 to present) issue of one of the journals listed above, choose an article (longer than 5 pages) examining an aspect of vertebrate life which could be discussed in the last 8 chapters of our text. Do not use the same journal you used for the library assignment of Take-Home Exam 1. Write a one-page (or more) summary of the article, detailing the hypotheses as well as the empirical evidence, the author's conclusions, and your opinion. Then find the section of "Vertebrate Life" which is appropriate to the topic of the paper you read. Read the section. Find the exact place where your paper would be included and include it. That is, rewrite the paragraph/section of "Vertebrate Life" which discusses the topic of your article so that it includes the material from the article you read. Make sure your inclusion is at least 6 sentences long. Indicate the page, column, and paragraph of "Vertebrate Life" where your text could be inserted as well as a full citation of your article in a 'bibliography' section of your essay.
Part of your grade on any assignment will reflect how well you have mastered the following requirements. I expect all your work to be presented professionally and organized logically.
In all essays, papers, answers to take-home exam questions, and assignments you should state your thesis, define your terms, explain your perspective, provide examples in support of your ideas, and summarize your conclusions. Provide titles for all written work and include your name and the date. For exam questions, include a copy of the exam or the text of the questions. All essays, take-home exams, lab reports, etc are to be typed or preferably word-processed. Each should be single-spaced with even spacing and margins preferably one-inch top and bottom margins and 1/2 to 3/4 inch side-margins. Use pica or elite type or a font of similar size (10-12 point).
Scientific names should be properly presented. Underline or italicize genera and species. All names of genera begin with a capital letter, but species names do not. Taxonomic names for higher levels are never italicized and are not capitalized when used as adjectives (e.g. canid). However, they are capitalized when used as proper names (e.g. Canidae).
The names of geologic time frames (e.g. Mesozoic, Eocene) must also be capitalized. Do not plagiarize. Cite all sources within the text and give the last name of the author and the year of the publication (e.g. Pough et al. 1996). A complete bibliography must appended to each piece of work you hand in. Personal communications may be referred to as follows (Hayssen, pers comm).
Say what you mean to say and say it cleanly. Use correct spelling, appropriate punctuation, clear grammatical constructions, and succinct diction. Do not use place-keepers as subjects (eg. there are, it is, it can be shown that, etc). Instead make the true subject of the sentence the subject you use for the sentence. Proofread your paper. You will be graded on the fluidity of your composition as well as the subtlety of your comprehension. Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style" (in the bookstore) is a brief, excellent guide to clear writing. Pechenik's short guide to biological writing (on reserve) will also be helpful.
Bakker, R. The Dinosaur Heresies. Kensington Pub Co. NY, NY. (Reserve Reading)
An entertaining synthesis of the most controversial theories about the biology of Mesozoic vertebrates. (You will need to read a chapter in this text for Library Assignment 2.)
Carroll, RL. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. WH Freeman, San Francisco, CA.
Hayssen, V. A Study Guide to Vertebrate Life. (Reserve Reading)
A sequential series of leading questions for each chapter of Pough, et al's third edition oft "Vertebrate Life'. The guide is more complete for earlier chapters than for later ones. (Take-home exam questions are often modifications of questions in this guide.)
Pechenik, JA. 1997. A short guide to writing about biology. Longman, Addison Wesley, NY. (Reserve Reading)
Pough, FH, Heiser, JB, & McFarland, WN. 1996. Vertebrate Life, 4th ed. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. (REQUIRED TEXT)
Radinsky, L. 1987. The Evolution of Vertebrate Design. Univ Chicago Press.
Written for a non-majors course in vertebrate morphology, Radinsky does not cover many important topics in physiology, behavior, ecology, and conservation. However, his discussion of topics in comparative anatomy are excellent as he has filtered out technical jargon and encyclopedic detail without losing the sophistication of the ideas or the precision of the arguments. (Reading this book before -reading the similar chapter in "Vertebrate Life" will help you decide what information is important -This text was used as the laboratory text in 1990.)
Roest, Al. 1986. A Key-Guide to Mammal Skulls and Lower Jaws. Mad River Press. Eureka, CA.
A means for identification of mammalian crania.
Strunk, W, Jr, White, EB. 1979. The Elements of Style. Macmillan. NY, NY.
A classic guide to clean prose.
Wake, MH. 1979. Hyman's Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy. Univ Chicago Press.
An excellent classical site to the form, function, and history of vertebrate morphology.
Wolff, RG. 1991. Functional Chordate Anatomy. DC Heath & Co. Lexington, MA.
A readable review of vertebrate anatomy. Not as dense as Wake (1979). This text was used as the laboratory text in 1998.
due in class, Tues [3 Feb] - 40 points
Name 10 major anatomical systems and, using your texts and material on reserve or in the vert lab (Sabin Reed 205), describe the salient features of each anatomical system in hagfish and lamprey. Note any gaps you find.
Summarize the major similarities and differences between the two groups for each anatomical system. For each trait state whether the character states of that trait found in hagfish and lamprey are synapomorphic, symplesiomorphic, plesiomorphic, autapomorphic, or convergent.
Based on your comparative morphological analysis do you think lamprey and hagfish should be lumped into one group (the traditional classification) or split into two groups (the contemporary phylogeny)? Explain the rational for your conclusion.
due in class, Tues (10 Feb] - 45 points
due Tues [17 Feb] - 25 points (15 outline/10 report)
Prepare a 5-minute oral report detailing the following on the taxon you will be assigned in class. Make sure you understand and can define any term that you use. The typed, detailed (2-3 page) outline for your report must be handed in.
"Place in the world" (where it lives, what it eats, what eats it) Major anatomical specializations Diversity, significance Most interesting feature
ostracoderms, acanthodians, placoderms, Elasmobranchii, Holocephali, Actinistia, Dipnoi, Polypteriformes, Acipenseriformes, Lepisosteiformes, Amiiformes, Osteoglossomorpha, Elopomorpha, Clupeomorpha, Ostariophysi, Scopelomorpha, Paracanthopterygii, Acanthopterygii (n=18, too many).
Library Assignment 1 & Exam I
Library assignment due before class 19 Feb, 25 points;
Exam due before class, Tues 24 Feb, 75 points
due in class, Tues, [3 Mar] - 25 points
due in class, Tues [10 Mar] - 40 points
due Tues [24 Mar] - 25 points (15 outline/10 report)
Prepare a 5-minute oral report detailing the following aspects of the biology of the taxon you will be assigned in class. Make sure you understand and can define any term that you use. The typed, detailed (2-3 page) outline for your report must be handed in.
"Place in the world" (where it lives, what it eats, what eats it) Major anatomical specializations Diversity, significance Most interesting feature
mesozoic amphibians, mesozoic turtles, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, placodonts, mosasaurs, pterosaurs, sauropodomorphs, theropods, thyrephors, ornithopods, pachycephalosaurs, ceratopsians
Library Assignment 2 & Exam II
Library assignment due before class 26 Mar, 25 points;
Exam due before class, Tues 31 Mar, 75 points
due in class, Tues [7 Apr] - 30 points
due in class, Tues [14 Apr] - 45 points
due Tues [21 Apr] - 25 points (15 outline/10 report)
Prepare a 5-minute oral report detailing the aspects of the biology of the taxon you will be assigned in class. Make sure you understand and can define any term that you use. The typed, detailed (2-3 page) outline for your report must be handed in.
"Place in the world" (where it lives, what it eats, what eats it) Major anatomical specializations Diversity, significance
most interesting feature
Perching birds, Non-perching birds, Monotremata, Marsupialia, Chiroptera, Primates, Carnivora, Cetacea, Perissodactyla, Artiodactyla, Sciuromorph rodents, Myomorph rodents, Hystricomorph rodents
Library Assignment 3 & Exam III
Library assignment due before class 23 Apr, 25 points;
Exam due before class, Tues 28 Apr; 75 points
Summary of article (10 points)
similarities and differences with respect to emphasis
29 Jan (Thurs) - 37 points
5 Feb (Thurs) - 27 points
12 Feb (Thurs)- 30 points (10 written, 20 oral)
26 Feb (Thurs) - 24 points
5 Mar (Thurs) - 31 points
12 Mar (Thurs) - 16 points
2 Apr (Thurs) - 9 points
9 Apr (Thurs) - 26 points
By achieving a thorough understanding of the text and classroom you can accumulate up to 800 points. I expect that those students who accumulate 90% or more points will get an A, 80% or more a B, 70% or more a C- etc.
Extensions - NONE
Extensions will only be granted for legitimate medical reasons. These will require signed approval of the health service. Late assignments will be docked 10 points per workday late.
All accidents involving students that occur while in the Science Center or during related activities (field trips) must be reported to the Director of the Science Center on a student accident report form available in the Burton office.
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