Biology of the Vertebrates 2011

EEB 2214, Fall 2011
The evolution of form, function, & diversity of the vertebrates
Meeting Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-1:45 in BPB130
Textbook: VERTEBRATE LIFE Pough F. H., C. M. Janis, and J. B. Heiser. 2009. Vertebrate Life, 8th Edition. Prentice Hall.

Instructors

Dr. Kentwood Wells
Email: kentwood.wells@uconn.edu
Office: Torrey Life Sciences Building 312
Phone: (860) 486-4319
Office hours: by appointment

Susan Herrick
Office: Torrey Life Science Building 470
Phone: (860) 486-5662
Office hours: by appointment

Elizabeth Timpe (Teaching Assistant)
Email: elizabeth.timpe@uconn.edu
Office: Biology/Pharmacy 322
Phone: (860) 486-6215
Office hours: Tuesdays 2:00-3:30, and by appointment

Grading

Exam 1 = 100 points (25%)
Exam 2 = 100 points (25%)
Exam 3 = 100 points (25%)
Final - Cumulative = 100 points (25%)

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. Additionally a final cumulative exam will be administered at this time.

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 4). 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. 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...).

Study Questions

FAQ's:

Review Sessions:

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

Lecture Schedule & Materials

Date	Topic	Readings	Supplemental materials
	Part I: Aug 30 - Oct 13, Dr. Kentwood Wells		-
Aug 30	Diversity, classification, and origin of vertebrates	Chapters 1, 2
Sept 1	Vertebrate body plan and organ systems	Chapter 2
Sept 6	Fossil and living jawless vertebrates	Chapter 3
Sept 8	Evolution of jaws; biology of Chondrichthyes	Chapters 3,5
Sept 13	Evolution of bony fishes; sarcopterygians	Chapter 6
Sept 15	Respiration, feeding, schooling of fishes	Chapters 4 and 6
Sept 20	Fish reproduction, mating systems, parental care	Chapter 6
Sept 22	Origin of tetrapods	Chapters 7, 8, 9
Sept 27	Diversity, morphology, and feeding of amphibians	Chapter 10
Sept 29	EXAM 1	---------
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)	Study Question Namib Chameleon Blood Squirting in Horned Lizards Snake Eating Crab
	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
Oct 21	Introduction to Archosaurs & Crocodilians	Ch. 16	Amniota Phylogeny Worksheet Study Questions Alligator Walking Croc Galloping Alligator Courtship Female Crocodile Digging Out Hatchlings
Oct 26	Archosaurs: Pterosaurs	Ch. 16	Amniota Synapomorphy Worksheet Study Questions Pterosaur Locomotion
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)	Study Questions Wing-assisted Incline Running
Nov 11	Birds: Feeding, Morphology, and Reproduction	Ch. 17	Study Questions
Nov 16	Birds: Reproduction, and Introduction to Mammals	Ch. 17	Study Questions
Nov 18	Mammals: Origins and Radiation Video Project Due	Ch. 18	Study Questions
Nov 30	Mammals: Primate Evolution and Human Diversity	Ch. 24	Study Questions
Dec 2	Mammals: Primate Evolution continued and Mammal Diversity	Ch. 20	Study Questions
Dec. 7	Vertebrate Mass Extinctions, Past and Present Evaluations of 5 Group Videos Due by 5 pm	Ch. 21	Study Questions
Dec 9	Vertebrate Mass Extinctions, Past and Present	Ch. 25	Study Questions Thylacine Wolf
Dec 13 Dec 16	Review Session BPB 131 7:00PM EXAM 3 (FINAL) 10:30 am-12:30 pm	---------