Biology of the Vertebrates
EEB 2214, Fall 2010
The evolution of form, function,
& diversity of the vertebrates
Meeting Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-1:45 in BPB130
Textbook: Pough F. H., C. M. Janis, and J. B. Heiser. 2009. Vertebrate Life, 8th Edition. Prentice Hall.
Contents
Instructors
Dr. Elizabeth Jockusch
Office: Biology/Pharmacy 305B
Phone: (860) 486-4452
Office hours: Tuesdays, 2-3 pm, and by appointment
Dr. Margaret Rubega
Note: All emails must contain "EEB2214" in the
subject line to avoid being filtered out and deleted
Office: Biology/Pharmacy 500
Phone: (860) 486-4502
Office hours: Thursdays 11:30 am -12:30 pm and by appointment
Elizabeth Timpe (Teaching Assistant)
Office: Biology/Pharmacy 322
Phone: (860) 486-6215
Office hours: Thursdays, 2-3:45 pm and by appointment
Grading
Exam 1 = 100 points (25%)
Exam 2 = 100 points (25%)
Exam 3 = 100 points (25%)
Collections Tour = 10 points (2.5%)
Video Project = 90 points (22.5%)
There will be two one-hour, non-cumulative, exams scheduled during the lecture hour. During the final exam period, a third one-hour exam will be given covering material from the final third of the course. Details about the collections tour and video project will be provided later in the semester.
Collections Tours
Every student is expected to visit the EEB Biological Collections for a tour that will introduce you to the resources and opportunities in the collection. We will offer 10 different opportunities, on different days and times. You will need to sign in at the collection; at the end of the semester, everyone who has signed in, will have 10 points added to their grade. Tours will take about 45 minutes, they meet at the south end of the Biology/Physics building lobby on the hour. You are responsible for finding a day and time to attend from the options below; if your class schedule prohibits you from attending any of these, you are responsible for letting us know that you will need an alternate opportunity BEFORE THE LAST WEEK OF CLASS. If you have already toured the collections (e.g., in a previous class with me or another instructor), provide me with documentation to that effect, and we will just add the 10 points to your grade without you needing to tour the collections again.
Available tour days/times:
Thurs, Nov. 11, 2 pm
Fri., Nov. 12, 2 pm
Thurs Nov. 18, 11 am & 3 pm
Tues, Nov. 30, 2 pm
Weds, Dec. 1, 5 pm
Thurs, Dec. 2, 9 am
Mon., Dec. 6, 11 am
Tues., Dec. 7, 10 am
Weds. Dec. 8, 12 pm
Course Policies
Missed Exams:
Any student who does not attend an exam and fails to receive permission in advance will receive a 0 for the exam. Approval of any request to miss an exam requires, but is not guaranteed by, verifiable written documentation of the reason. A student who receives approval to miss an exam will have his or her grade for the missed exam prorated based on his or her performance on the remainder of the exams. We will not give make-up exams. Every student must take the final (exam 3). Permission to reschedule the final can only be obtained through procedures determined by the Office of Student Services and Advocacy.
Academic Integrity:
Plagiarism and cheating are violations of the student conduct code, and may be punished by failure in the course or, in severe cases, dismissal from the University. For more information, see Section IV of the Student Conduct Code.
Disabilities:
If you have a disability for which you may be requesting an accommodation, you should contact a course instructor and the Center for Students with Disabilities (Wilbur Cross Building, Room 201) within the first two weeks of the semester.
Help Resources
The secret of success to this course is to not let yourself fall behind. Be sure to fill gaps in your notes and navigate blocks in your understanding as soon as possible. Should you run into trouble with the material, below we have listed some steps for obtaining assistance. While we welcome any and all questions on the material, before you contact us, please first check the resources below to see if your question has already been answered. If/when you do contact us, please understand that we will respond as quickly as we can, but we do have other obligations that might prevent this from happening as urgently as you may need (like 3:00 am the day of an exam...).
FAQ's:
Study Materials:
- Study Questions
Exam1 Study Guide
Phylogeny Tutorial
Tree Quiz
Vertebrate Phylogeny
Amniota Phylogeny Worksheet
Video Assignment:
Updated with important information about scheduling and preparing for your video meeting with either Dr. Jockusch, Dr. Rubega or Beth.
Review Sessions:
Phylogenetic Trees Workshop: Thursday, September 23, 6:00PM Room BPB130
Exam 1 Review: Monday, September 27, 6:00PM, Room BPB 131 NOTE: BPB 131 is right next door to our usual classroom
Exam 1 Review: Tuesday, September 28, 6:00PM, Room BPB 130
Exam 2 Review: Monday, November 1, 6:0PM, Room BPB 131 NOTE: BPB 131 is right next door to our usual classroom
Links to External Resources:
- DigiMorph - Excellent source of 2 & 3D images of internal & external structures of various organisms
- ARKive - a unique collection of thousands of wildlife videos, images and fact-files, with a special focus on the world's threatened species
Vertebrates in the News
Declines in Northern Spotted Owl Populations 7 September 2010
The Language of Bats 20 September 2010
Fossil Snake 20 September 2010
Florida Panthers' Genetic Rescue 23 September 2010
Toiling to Save a Threatened Frog 4 October 2010
Lecture Schedule & Materials
Date | Topic | Readings | Supplemental materials | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Part I: Aug 31 - Oct 14, Dr. Elizabeth Jockusch | ||||
Aug 31 | Vertebrate Diversity | --------- | Study Questions Marine Iguana Running Komodo Dragon Walking Salamander feeding videos |
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Sept 2 | Chordate and Vertebrate Origins | Ch. 1, 2 | Study Questions |
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Sept 7 | Living Jawless Vertebrates | Ch. 3 |
Study Questions
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Sept 9 Sept 10 |
Early Vertebrate Fossils Groups Assigned for Video Project ![]() |
Ch. 3 | Study Questions Lamprey Spawning |
|
Sept 14 | Early Vertebrate Fossils & Chondrichthyans | Ch. 5 | Study Questions ![]() Male Sand Tiger Shark Swimming Whitetip Reef Sharks Mating Leopard Shark Courtship Lemon Shark Birthing |
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Sept 16 | Chondrichthyans & Osteichthyan Origins | Ch. 5, 6 | Study Questions Shark Feeding on Albatross Whale Shark Feeding Eagle Ray Feeding/Locomoting Manta Ray Feeding |
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Sept 21 | Actinopterygians | Ch. 6 | Study Questions Paddlefish Feeding Fish Suction Feeding Moray Eel Feeding (with Pharyngeal Jaw) |
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Sept 23 Sept 23 Sept 24 |
Sarcopterygii and Evolution of Tetrapods Tree Workshop BPB 130 6:00PM Video Topic Submission Due |
Ch. 9 (pp. 196-211) | Study Questions Coelacanth Lungfish vs. Bird |
|
Sept 27 Sept 28 Sept 28 |
Review Session BPB 131 6:00PM Tetrapod Origins and Amphibian Diversity Review Session BPB 130 6:00 PM |
Ch. 10 | Study Questions Caecilian Feeding Salamander Pheromone Delivery Salamander Sperm Transfer Giant Salamander |
|
Sept 30 | EXAM 1 includes material through the origin of tetrapod (but not amphibian diversity) | --------- | ||
Oct 5 | Frogs | Ch. 10 | Study Question Slow Motion Jumping Frog Frog Feeding on Frog Toad Feeding Gray Treefrog Calling Screaming Frog Toad Amplexus Red-eyed Treefrog Eggs Hatching Suriname Toad Reproduction Corroboree Frog Reproduction | |
Oct 7 Oct 8 |
Amphibian Declines Video Project Synopsis Due |
Ch. 10 | Study Questions Frog vs. Snake Lake Titicaca Frog Golden Toad Mating |
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Oct 12 | Amniote Origins / Lepidosaurs | Ch. 9 (pp. 211-218), Ch. 13 | Study Questions Tail Autonomy |
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Oct 14 | Evolution of Snakes | Ch. 13 (pp. 339-349) | Study Question Namib Chameleon Blood Squirting in Horned Lizards Snake Eating Crab |
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Part II: Oct 19 - Dec 16, Dr. Margaret Rubega | ||||
Oct 19 | Turtles | Ch. 12 | UPDATED Available Video Meeting Times Ophir et al. 2009 Why you shouldn't text in class Study Questions Turtles Digging a Nest Turtle Laying Eggs Turtle Hatchlings Emerging Turtle Hatchlings Heading to the Water |
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Oct 21 | Introduction to Archosaurs & Crocodilians | Ch. 16 | ![]() Study Questions Alligator Walking Croc Galloping Alligator Courtship Female Crocodile Digging Out Hatchlings |
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Oct 26 | Archosaurs: Pterosaurs | Ch. 16 | ![]() Study Questions Pterosaur Locomotion |
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Oct 28 | Dinosaurs and Other Mesosoic Diapsids | Ch. 16 | Study Questions | |
Nov 1 Nov 2 |
Review Session BPB 131 6:00PM EXAM 2 includes material beginning with Lissamphibia and ending on Saurichia (includes all of Thursday's lecture material) |
--------- | ||
Nov 4 | Dinosaurs II - Theropods | Ch. 16 | Study Questions | |
Nov 9 | Birds: Avian Origins | Ch. 16 (pp. 439-443) | Wing-assisted Incline Running | |
Nov 11 | Birds: Feeding | Ch. 17 | ||
Nov 16 | Birds: Morphology and Reproduction | Ch. 17 | ||
Nov 18 | Mammals: Origins and Radiation Video Project Due |
Ch. 18 | ||
Nov 30 | Mammals: Primate Evolution and Human Diversity | Ch. 24 | ||
Dec 2 Dec 4 |
Mammals: Diversity Evaluations of 5 Group Videos Due |
Ch. 20 | ||
Dec. 7 | Mammals: Morphology and Behavior | Ch. 21 | ||
Dec 9 | Vertebrate Mass Extinctions, Past and Present | Ch. 25 | ||
Dec 16 | EXAM 3 (FINAL) 10:30 am-12:30 pm | --------- |