Biology of the Vertebrates

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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.

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 2-3 pm and by appointment

Elizabeth Timpe (Teaching Assistant)
Office: Biology/Pharmacy 322
Phone: (860) 486-6215
Office hours: Thursdays, 2-3:45 pm (1st half of semester), Tuesdays 2-3:45 pm (2nd half of semester), 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.

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:

Can I convert this course to honors?

Study Materials:

Study Questions

NEW! Pdficon small.gif Exam1 Study Guide

Pdficon small.gifPhylogeny Tutorial
Pdficon small.gifTree Quiz
Pdficon small.gifVertebrate Phylogeny

Video Assignment:

Video Project

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

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

Pea-sized frog found in Borneo 30 August 2010

Pea-sized Frog.jpg


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
Sept 2 Chordate and Vertebrate Origins Ch. 1, 2 Study Questions
Sept 7 Living Jawless Vertebrates Ch. 3

Study Questions
Urochordate heart beat
Hagfish Slime
Hagfish on sea floor
Hagfish feeding

Sept 9
Sept 10
Early Vertebrate Fossils
Groups Assigned for Video Project Pdficon small.gif
Ch. 3 Study Questions
Lamprey Spawning
Sept 14 Early Vertebrate Fossils & Chondrichthyans Ch. 5 Study Questions
Pdficon small.gif Sample Questions
Male Sand Tiger Shark Swimming
Whitetip Reef Sharks Mating
Leopard Shark Courtship
Lemon Shark Birthing
Sept 16 Chondrichthyans & Osteichthyan Origins Ch. 5, 6 Study Questions
Shark Feeding on Albatross
Whale Shark Feeding
Eagle Ray Feeding/Locomoting
Manta Ray Feeding
Sept 21 Actinopterygians Ch. 6 Study Questions
Paddlefish Feeding
Fish Suction Feeding
Moray Eel Feeding (with Pharyngeal Jaw)
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
Oct 12 Amniote Origins / Lepidosaurs Ch. 9 (pp. 211-218), Ch. 13 Study Questions
Tail Autonomy
Oct 14 Evolution of Snakes Ch. 13 (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 and Friends Ch. 16
Oct 28 Dinosaurs and Other Mesosoic Diapsids Ch. 16
Nov 2 EXAM 2 ---------
Nov 4 Dinosaurs II Ch. 16
Nov 9 Birds: Avian Origins Ch. 16 (pp. 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
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 (TENTATIVE) ---------