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Saturday, October 15, 2016

Biological Principles 2 -- HW#34



1.      Birds are different from all other living vertebrates because they have feathers
2.      When did amphibians evolve? 350 million years ago
3.      In addition to the frog, what other organisms are classified as modern amphibians?  Toads, salamanders
4.      Which of the following traits are possessed by amphibians but are not present in fish? Limbs
5.      The species shown in the video is the species that originally climbed out from the oceans onto land. False
6.      Over 40% of amphibians are threatened with extinction. Considering an amphibian's lifestyle, which of the following explains why amphibians are called “indicator species” of environmental quality? Their permeable skin and life cycle depends on both water and land.
7.      You are given the task of finding all the information that you can about a newly discovered species.  Unfortunately the only material you have to study is a small tissue sample.  You are able to sequence the DNA of this animal from the sample, and in doing so you find that the animal has multiple clusters of Hox genes.  Without looking further, what can you conclude about this species?  It is a vertebrate; It has the potential for tremendous structural complexity; It is a chordate
8.      Tadpoles undergo a metamorphosis before being able to leave the water. True
9.      In order for frogs, and other amphibians, to live on land, what adaptations did they develop? Legs; lungs
10.  You have the pleasure of observing wood frog tadpoles in a pond on campus.  You see them make the transition from gilled larvae into adults with lungs.  In order to make this amazing transformation from an entirely aquatic life to one that includes time on land, your tadpoles will face a series of obstacles, not unlike those that the first vertebrate inhabitants of land faced.   Complete the following sentences to correctly examine those changes.
·         Because of their large body size, ancestral amphibians likely faced challenges supporting themselves out of the aquatic environment
·         Although there was far more oxygen available to gills in air than in water, the delicate structure of gills couldn’t be supported in the terrestrial environment
·         The costs of locomotion on land and greater oxygen demand from enlarged muscles led to modifications of the heart and circulatory system
·         The early amphibians could not venture to far away from water because egg deposition was restricted to moist environments
11.  The primates share several characteristics, which distinguish them from all other mammalian orders.
·         An opposable thumb; A large and well-developed brain; Binocular vision
12.  Birds are thought to have evolved from small feathered dinosaurs. Evidence for this comes from the fossil discoveries of Archaeopteryx and Caudipteryx, two transitional forms between dinosaurs and birds.
13.  The nearest living relatives of crocodiles and alligators are birds
14.  Which of the following are primate characteristics? Grasping hand; Large brain; Forward-facing eyes; Complex social behavior
15.  Which of the following are the closest ancestors of humans (genus Homo)? Australopithecines
16.  Eutherian mammals are uniquely defined by longer gestation periods because of more highly developed placentas
17.  Which are characteristics that distinguish mammals from other vertebrates?  Hair; Specialized teeth; Enlarged skull; Mammary gland
18.  Select the features that are lacking in amphibians but present in reptiles and that confer an advantage to reptiles for living on land. Egg with an amnion, yolk sac, allantois, chorion, and shell; Skin resistant to water loss; Ability to concentrate urine
19.  Metamorphosis is changing of one body form to another within a species, such as the change from an aquatic tadpole to a terrestrial frog.
20.  How do monotremes differ from other mammals?  Monotremes lay eggs; Monotremes are found only in New Guinea and Australia; Monotremes lack a placenta; Monotremes have poorly developed nipples
21.  Imagine that you are studying a mammal with a mutation that prevented the growth of hair.  What issues do you predict would be problematic for this animal as a result of lacking hair? Retaining body heat; Sensing environmental changes; Hiding from predators; Defense against predators
22.  In Earth's history, what might the cooling of the Earth and the resulting change from a forested to a grassy landscape have made adaptive in humans? Bipedalism
23.  A number of critical evolutionary innovations allowed reptiles to dominate terrestrial environments. Match the following descriptions with the correct evolutionary innovation.
·         Concentrating wastes prior to elimination: water-conserving kidneys
·         Using copulatory organ to deliver sperm into the female reproductive tract: internal fertilization
·         Coordinated muscle contractions expand the rib cage creating negative pressure in the lungs and relaxation of the muscles forces air out: thoracic breathing
·         Keratin aids in water retention: desiccation-resistant skin
24.  The vertebrate chordates have several features that set them apart from their invertebrate chordate relatives and have allowed them to move into novel environments like on land and in the air. Complete the following sentences discussing the features of the vertebrates.
·         For the majority of vertebrates, the notochord is replaced by the vertebral column during embryonic development
·         The cranium and vertebral column are parts of the endoskeleton
·         This structure is composed of either bone or cartilage
·         Vertebrates possess a great diversity of internal organs
·         These include a heart with at least two chambers
25.  What unique trait do bats have that no other mammal has? Flight
26.  Bats are active at night, therefore having acute hearing assist the bat in finding food. True
27.  Mammals have specialized teeth that reflect the food that they eat. Which animal's teeth would be most similar to the teeth of the frog-eating bat? Cat consumes meat
28.  What term best describes the bat's relationship to the frog? Predatory
29.  If the bat is able to distinguish poisonous from non-poisonous frogs, what conclusion can you draw? The mating song of the poisonous versus non-poisonous frogs is different.
30.  Tiktaalik is an important fossil for the understanding of phylogeny because it is an intermediate form between fish and amphibians. True
31.  Hominins are all forms of humans, extinct and extant
32.  Animals capable of producing their own body heat by way of metabolism and of retaining it are said to be endothermic

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