Biology of the Vertebrates

EEB 2214, Fall 2009

The evolution of form, function, and diversity of the vertebrates
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-1:45 in BSP130
Textbook: TBA

Instructors

Dr. Kentwood D. Wells
Office: Torrey Life Science Room 312
Phone: (860) 486-4319
Office hours: TBA

Dr. Margaret Rubega
Office: Biology/Pharmacy 500
Phone: 486-4502
Office hours: by appointment

Diego Sustaita (Teaching Assistant)
Office: BioPharm 402
Phone: 486-0309
Office hours: TBA

Grading

Point Distribution
Under construction

Missed exams and Concerns about Finals
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, at the discretion of the instructor, either take a make-up exam or have his or her course grade prorated based on performance in the remainder of the course.

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 available at the web site of the Dean of Students.

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:

Review Session Information

Under construction

Study Materials

PHYLOGENY TUTORIAL
Practice Quiz
Practice Quiz Answers
Study guide for Exam 1
Practice Multiple Choice Questions
(Check regularly for frequent updates)

FAQ's

Under construction

Lecture Schedule, Review Questions, and Video Links

Date	Instructor	Topic	Readings
Aug. 26	----	----	----
Aug. 28	Jockusch	Chordates and vertebrate origins	Ch. 1, Ch. 2
Sept. 2	Jockusch	Living jawless vertebrates Hagfish Sliming	pp. 48-53
Sept. 4	Jockusch	Early vertebrate fossils	pp. 43-48, 53-71
Sept. 9	Jockusch	Chondrichthyans Shark Mating Whale Shark Feeding Manta Ray Feeding Eagle Ray Feeding	Ch. 5
Sept. 11	Jockusch	Actinopterygians Paddlefish Feeding Moray Eel Eating Listen to a Black Drum	pp. 124-150
Sept. 16	Jockusch	Fish conservation Leafy Seadragon Babies Hatching Mangrove Killifish in Log Pictures of Deep Sea Fishes Bottom Trawling	pp. 150-155
Sept. 18	Jockusch	Fish conservation, Sarcopterygii Guide to Sustainable Seafood Choices--	pp. 118-124
Sept. 23	Jockusch	The origin of tetrapods	pp. 196-210
Sept. 25	Jockusch	Lissamphibian diversity Salamander Courtship--Headslap Salamander Sperm Transfer Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias) Frog Eats Frog	Ch. 10
Sept. 30	Jockusch	Exam 1
Oct. 2	Jockusch	Lissamphibian diversity continued Frog defenses-In Snake's Mouth Escape Hatching from Snake Attack	Ch. 10
Oct. 7	Jockusch	Amniote diversity/desert adaptations	pp. 327-336, 341-374
Oct. 9	Jockusch	Evolution of snakes Heat Avoidance in Desert Chameleon Horned Lizard Defense (Spurting Blood!) Snake Jaw in Action	pp. 336-341
Oct. 14	Rubega	Turtles Kemp's Ridley turtle digging a nest Kemp's Ridley turtle laying eggs Kemp's Ridley turtle eggs hatching Kemp's Ridley turtle hatchlings making their way to the sea after hatching	Ch. 12
Oct. 16	Rubega	Diapsids: Archosaurs; Crocodilians Crocodile Parental Care	pp. 397-407
Oct. 21	Rubega	Archosaurs: Pterosaurs to Dinosaurs	pp. 407 - 436
Oct. 23	Rubega	Dinosaurs II	pp. 407-436
Oct. 28	Rubega	Birds: Avian origins Wing-assisted Incline Running in birds WAIR in a variety of birds	pp. 426-436
Oct. 30	Rubega	Birds: Feeding Crows use cars as a feeding tool!	pp. 458 -463
Nov. 4	Rubega	Birds: Morphology and Reproduction	pp.443-448, 453-458, 463-478
Nov. 6	Rubega	Birds: Reproduction Australian Bowerbird Behavior	Chap 18
Nov. 11	Rubega	Exam 2
Nov. 13	Rubega	Mammals: Diversity	pp. 519-543
Nov. 18	Rubega	Mammals: Morphology and Behavior	Ch. 21
Nov. 20	Rubega	Mammals: Primate evolution and human origins Muybridge movie showing the ungulate foot as a spring	Chapter 24
Dec. 2	Rubega	Mammals: Primate evolution and human origins continued	Ch. 24
Dec. 4	Rubega	Vertebrate mass extinctions, past and present; Vertebrate Conservation	pp.663-671 ; 671-687
Dec. 5	Maria	Review Session, 4-6pm, BSB 130
Dec. 8		Final Exam 3:30-5:30 pm (TENTATIVE)

Vertebrates in the News

Tiktaalik Article
Mammals Threatened with Extinction
New Feathered Dinosaur Discovered
Bat Disease Fungus Identified
Marine Protected Areas Proposed
New Turtle Fossil with Partial Shell