Lecture

What are the 4 characteristics shared by all vertebrates? What is the notochord? What is the fate of the notochord in agnathans, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, & mammals? What is the pharynx? Which vertebrates retain pharyngeal slits? What is the neurocoel? What are the oldest known vertebrates & when do they occur in the fossil record? Why are ostracoderms well represented in the fossil record? What are some probable characteristics of the soft-bodied vertebrates that existed before the ostracoderms? What present day organisms probably resemble these early soft-bodied vertebrates? What characteristics of these organisms are probably similar to those of the early vertebrates? What is the relationship between hemichordates & chordates? What present day groups are thought to resemble the invertebrate ancestors of vertebrates? What are the arguments for & against annelids as resembling our invertebrate ancestors? What are the arguments supporting echinoderms as being similar to our invertebrate ancestors? What are the nine vertebrate classes? What are the major differences between agnathostomes & gnathostomes? What are the 2 living groups of agnathans? What are the acanthodians? What features characterize the chondrichthyes, elasmobranchs, osteichthyes? What are the 2 subclasses of osteichthyans? What are the ray-fins, lobe-fins? What features characterize the teleosts? What is the evolutionary significance of the crossopterygians? What features did the crossopterygians share with early amphibians? What are the lungfish? What are the labyrinthodonts & why are they significant in terms of vertebrate evolution? What fish-like features were possessed by the labyrinthodonts? What are the 3 orders of modern amphibians? What features characterize the reptiles? What is the significance of the cotylosaurs? What are the 5 subclasses of reptiles? What present day groups are in the order chelonia, squamata, crocodilia? What evidence is there to suggest that pterosaurs were endothermic? What is the evolutionary significance of the therapsids? Which group of reptiles gave rise to birds? What is the significance of temporal openings in reptile classification? What features do birds share with reptiles? What features of reptiles have been lost by birds? How did the first birds (e.g., archaeopteryx) differ from present day birds? What are some of the modifications of birds that have helped reduce their weight? What features characterize mammals? What are the 2 subclasses of mammals? What reptile-like features are possessed by monotremes? How do the 2 subclasses of mammals differ? What feature(s) separate the metatherians from the eutherians? Overall - Be able to "link" evolutionarily the following groups: ostracoderms, fishes, crossopterygians, labyrinthodonts, amphibians, cotylosaurs, turtles, lizards, snakes, thecodonts, crocodilians, birds, synapsids, & mammals.
 

Text (2nd edition)

Ch. 1 - What is functional morphology (p.2)? What does vertebrate morphology seek to explain (p.2)? What is natural selection (p.4)? What are analogous structures, homologous structures (p.16)? What is radial symmetry, bilateral symmetry (p.16-17)? Be able to define: anterior, posterior, dorsal, ventral, medial, lateral, distal, proximal, pectoral region, pelvic region, frontal plane, sagittal plane, transverse plane (p.17). What is metamerism (p.19)? What is preadaptation (p.21)? Be able to provide an example of preadaptation (p.21). What is phylogeny (p.22)? What are dendrograms (p.22)? Know the material in the section 'Fossilization and Fossils' (p.29-30). What is stratigraphy (p.33)? What are index fossils (p.35)? What is radiometric dating (p.35-37)? Know the material in Figure 1.40 (Geological time intervals; p.39). Know the material in Box Essay 1.3 - Living Fossils (p.44-45).

Ch. 2 - What are coelomates (p.46)? What are deuterostomes (p.47)? What are the 3 subphyla in the phylum Chordata (p.47-48)? When do the earliest chordate fossils appear (p.48)? What are four features that unite all chordates &, taken together, distinguish chordates from all other phyla (p.49)? Why are protochordates important (p.52)? What are the 3 groups of protochordates (p.52)? Why are hemichordates called hemi- or half-chordates (p.52)? Be familiar with the material in the section 'Overview of Protochordates' (p.70). What is the evidence that echinoderms were the likely chordate ancestors (p.71-73)? What are the arguments against the 'echinoderm-to-chordate' hypothesis (p.74)? Be able to briefly explain the dipleuruloid theory (p.74-75).

Ch. 3 - Which vertebrate groups are collectively termed tetrapods (p.84)? What are gnathostomes, agnathans (p.84-85)? What are amniotes, anamniotes (p.85)? What are ostracoderms, cyclostomes (p.87)? What was one of the most significant changes in early vertebrate evolution (p.89)? Why was the evolution of jaws important (p.89)? Know the material in Box Essay 3.2 - Lungfishes: Dealing with Drought (p.98). What are the 3 living orders of amphibians & how many species are in these orders (p.99)? Know the materials in Box Essay 3.3 - Dinosaurs: Heresies and Heresay - The Heated Debate (p.108-109).

Text (3rd edition)

Ch. 1 - What is functional morphology (p.2)? What does vertebrate morphology seek to explain (p.2-3)? What is natural selection (p.4)? What are analogous structures, homologous structures (p.14)? What is radial symmetry, bilateral symmetry (p.16)? Be able to define: anterior, posterior, dorsal, ventral, medial, lateral, distal, proximal, pectoral region, pelvic region, frontal plane, sagittal plane, transverse plane (p.16). What is metamerism (p.16)? What is preadaptation (p.18-19)? Be able to provide an example of preadaptation (p.19). What is phylogeny (p.20)? What are dendrograms (p.20)? Know the material in the section 'Fossilization and Fossils' (p.28-30). What is stratigraphy (p.35)? What are index fossils (p.35)? What is radiometric dating (p.35)? Know the material in Figure 1.43 (Geological time intervals; p.39). Know the material in Box Essay 1.2 - Living Fossils (p.44).

Ch. 2 - What are coelomates (p.47)? What are deuterostomes (p.47-48)? What are the 3 subphyla in the phylum Chordata (p.49)? When do the earliest chordate fossils appear (p.49)? What are four features that unite all chordates &, taken together, distinguish chordates from all other phyla (p.50-51)? Why are protochordates important (p.53)? What are the 3 groups of protochordates (p.53)? Why are hemichordates called hemi- or half-chordates (p.53)? Be familiar with the material in the section 'Overview of Protochordates' (p.70-71). What is the evidence that echinoderms were the likely chordate ancestors (p.73-74)? What are the arguments against the 'echinoderm-to-chordate' hypothesis (p.74-75)? Be able to briefly explain the dipleuruloid theory (p.75-77).

Ch. 3 - Which vertebrate groups are collectively termed tetrapods (p.85)? What are gnathostomes, agnathans (p.85)? What are amniotes, anamniotes (p.85)? What are ostracoderms, cyclostomes (p.85)? What was one of the most significant changes in early vertebrate evolution (p.92)? Why was the evolution of jaws important (p.93)? Know the material in Box Essay 3.2 - Lungfishes: Dealing with Drought (p.101). What are the 3 living orders of amphibians & how many species are in these orders (p.106-107)? Know the materials in Box Essay 3.3 - Dinosaurs: Heresies and Heresay - The Heated Debate (p.114).

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