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 BSP130
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: by appointment
Elizabeth Timpe (Teaching Assistant)
Office: Biology/Pharmacy 322
Phone: (860) 486-6215
Office hours: Thursdays, 2-3:45 pm, and by appointment
Website: http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/eebedia/index.php/Biology_of_the_Vertebrates
Grading
Exam 1 =25% (100 points)
Exam 2 =25% (100 points)
Exam 3 (Final) =25% (100 points)
Video Project + Collections Tour =25% (90 points + 10 points)
Missed Exams
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 only material from the final third 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 (http://www.dosa.uconn.edu/student_code_partiv.html)
Disabilities
If you have a disability for which you may be requesting an accommodation, you should contact a course instructor and one of the following offices within the first two weeks of the semester: Center for Students with Disabilities at the Wilbur Cross Building, Room 201 (http://www.csd.uconn.edu)
Lecture Schedule & Materials
| Date | Topic | Readings | Supplemental materials* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part I: Aug 31 - Oct 14, Dr. Elizabeth Jockusch | ||||
| Aug 31 | Vertebrate Diversity | --------- | ||
| Sept 2 | Chordate and Vertebrate Origins | Ch. 1, 2 | ||
| Sept 7 | Living Jawless Vertebrates | Ch. 3 | ||
| Sept 9 | Early Vertebrate Fossils | Ch. 3 | ||
| Sept 14 | Chondrichthyans | Ch. 5 | ||
| Sept 16 | Actinopterygians | Ch. 6 | ||
| Sept 21 | Fish Conservation | --------- | ||
| Sept 23 | Sarcopterygii & Evolution of tetrapods | Ch. 9 (pp. 196-211) | ||
| Sept 28 | Amphibian Diversity and Decline | Ch. 10 | ||
| Sept 30 | EXAM I | --------- | ||
| Oct 5 | Amphibian Life Histories | Ch. 10 | ||
| Oct 7 | Amniote Origins | Ch. 9 (pp. 211-218) | ||
| Oct 12 | Amniote diversity / desert adaptations | Ch. 13 | ||
| Oct 14 | Evolution of snakes | pp. 339-349 | ||
| Part II: Oct 19 - Dec 16, Dr. Margaret Rubega | ||||
| Oct 19 | Turtles | Ch. 12 | ||
| Oct 21 | Turtles continued, and Archosaurs | Ch. 16 | ||
| Oct 26 | Crocodilians & friends | Ch. 16 | ||
| Oct 28 | Dinosaurs and other Mesosoic Diapsids | Ch. 16 | ||
| Nov 2 | EXAM II | --------- | ||
| Nov 4 | Dinosaurs II | Ch. 16 | ||
| Nov 9 | Birds: Avian Origins | Ch. 16, 439-443 | ||
| 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 | Mammals: Diversity | Ch. 20 | ||
| Dec. 7 | Mammals: Morphology and Behavior | Ch. 21 | ||
| Dec 9 | Vertebrate Mass Extinctions, past and present | Ch. 25 | ||
| Dec 16 | Final Exam 10:30 am-12:30 pm (TENTATIVE) | --------- |
