General Vertebrate Zoology -- Biology
386
Fall 2005
Room:
Biology 100
Instructor: Dr. Thomas
F. Turner
Office: 227 CERIA
Email: turnert@unm.edu
Web: http://biology.unm.edu/Biology/fishes/people/turner.htm
Phone: 277-7541 (voice)
Office Hours: MW
*E-mail contact is encouraged
Course description: Through a combination of
lectures, laboratory exercises, and independent research project, field trips,
and readings, this course will provide a general overview of species diversity,
natural history, and ecological and evolutionary relationships of
vertebrates. Fundamental concepts of the
course are highlighted through comparisons within and among vertebrate
groups. We will emphasize evolutionary
relationships among vertebrates as a framework for comparison, and use
evolutionary relationships to keep track of morphological, physiological, and
ecological innovations that have contributed to the remarkable diversity and
abundance of vertebrates.
Requirements:
1) Textbook: Pough, F.H., C.M. Janis, and J.B.
Heiser. 2005.
Vertebrate Life, 7th Edition.
2) Participation in Laboratory -. If you are enrolled in BIOL 386, you
are required to enroll in Vertebrate Zoology Laboratory (BIOL 386L). The TAs for
GVZ laboratory are Heather Bateman (hbateman@unm.edu)
and Hilary Lease (hlease@unm.edu), both are
Ph.D. candidates in the Biology Department.
3)
Participation in Field Trips. You will be required to
attend class trips.
4) Come to
class, and be ready to learn. Although not required,
regular attendance is probably the best way to succeed in lecture course. Supplemental readings are given with each
lecture topic. Reading this material
prior to class will strongly enhance your understanding and performance in the
class. Write questions down ahead of time for discussion in class.
Exams and Grading: Your final grade depends on
your performance in lecture (60% of final grade) and laboratory (40%). In lecture, four components designed to
permit you to demonstrate your knowledge of vertebrate zoology will be
offered. Of these, your lecture grade
will be determined by selecting the three highest grades (total = 500 pts.). Consequently, there are absolutely no
make-up exams in this course. A missed exam will result in a score of zero for
that exam.
1. First Hour exam 167 pts.
2. Second Hour exam: 167 pts.
3. Third Hour exam: 167 pts.
4. Research Project 167 pts.
The grading scale (as a percentage of total
points) will be:
A+ =
97 - 100%
A = 93 - 96
A- = 90 - 92
B+ = 87 - 89
B = 83 - 86
B- = 80 - 82
C+ = 77 - 79
C = 73 - 76
C- = 70 - 72
D+ = 67 - 69
D = 63 - 66
D- = 60 - 62
F = 59% and below
Your
grade is earned points as a percentage of the total points possible (= 500).
Exams: Exams will be mixed format, containing all or one of
the following: multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the blank, short essay, and
long essay questions. You may also be
asked to provide illustrations on certain questions.
Research Project: Research projects are not
to be book reports! The assignment is
to investigate what a characteristic (trait), or set of related characteristics
"does" for a vertebrate or group of vertebrates (e.g., enhance
survival, reproduction, energy acquisition, etc.). The full number of points (167) will be
awarded projects that either analyze original data (that you collect yourself;
use as a study system your fish tank, the zoo, the duck pond, etc.) or analyze
data from the primary literature (scientific journals) in a novel way. For example, you may wish to make comparisons
of existing data across groups of vertebrates.
In either case, you should formulate a specific question to be
addressed, and gather and analyze data to address the question. Projects that
do not involve data analysis will be scored at a maximum of 130 pts. The final report must be written in the
format of a scientific journal of your choice (format requirements can be found
in Instructions to Authors section of
a given journal) and must be carefully prepared on a word-processor and printed
on a high-quality printer. You must
include the Instructions to Authors section
of the journal you use as an appendix to your paper. You must work individually
on this project.
Grading of research projects
will focus on (in order of importance)
·
Strength of presentation and interpretation of data
·
Adherence to style
·
Literature cited section
·
Care of preparation (spelling, numbering tables and figures, reference
to tables and figures in the manuscript)
The research projects
progress along a series of steps that must be completed in accordance with the
following itinerary. In order to be awarded credit for the
research project, you must complete all steps by the given deadlines.
Step One: Define your project and
submit the attached "Description of Research Project
Form". The deadline is
Wednesday, October
5th at
Step Two: Submit a progress report,
summarizing the data you've collected and
preliminary analysis of the data. Outline any changes in the project, and
include the bibliography of your final report.
Citations should follow the style of the journal you have selected. The deadline for the progress report is
Monday,
October 24th at
Step Three: Submit an abstract (no more
than 300 words) of your final report.
This
abstract will state the question,
describe and summarize the data you gathered to address your question,
summarize your results, and draw a concise conclusion. The deadline for the abstract is
Wednesday,
November 16th at
Step Four: Submit your final report on
the research project. The deadline is
Monday, December 5th at
Academic
Conduct: “Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to,
dishonesty in quizzes, tests or assignments; claiming credit for work not done
or done by others; hindering the academic work of others…” “The university
reserves the right to take disciplinary action, including dismissal, against
any student who is found responsible for academic dishonesty…” UNM Catalog
Tentative Lecture Schedule
(Subject to change with notice)
|
Date |
Day |
Lecture |
Topic |
Text |
Special Event |
|
22-Aug |
M |
1 |
Course Details & Introduction |
1-15 |
|
|
24-Aug |
W |
2 |
Origin of Vertebrates, Development |
16-42 |
|
|
29-Aug |
M |
3 |
Evolutionary History and Comparative Physiology of Vertebrates |
43 - 71 |
|
|
31-Aug |
W |
4 |
Early Vertebrates; Fishes I |
43 - 71 |
|
|
5-Sep |
M |
|
Labor Day |
|
Labor Day |
|
7-Sep |
W |
5 |
Fishes II -- Chondrichthyes |
101 - 117 |
|
|
12-Sep |
M |
6 |
Guest Lecturer |
TBA |
|
|
14-Sep |
W |
7 |
Guest Lecturer |
TBA |
|
|
19-Sep |
M |
8 |
Fishes III--Osteichthyes |
124 - 155 |
|
|
21-Sep |
W |
9 |
Comparative Ecology and Physiology of Fishes |
72 - 100 |
|
|
26-Sep |
M |
|
Fish Physiology II and Review |
72 - 100 |
|
|
28-Sep |
W |
|
Exam 1 |
|
|
|
3-Oct |
M |
9 |
Sarcopterygians |
119 - 124 |
|
|
5-Oct |
W |
10 |
Life on land and Early Tetrapods |
167 - 212 |
Description of
Research Project Deadline |
|
10-Oct |
M |
11 |
Amphibians: Salamanders and Caecilians |
220 - 262 |
|
|
12-Oct |
W |
|
No Lecture --
Fall Break |
|
|
|
17-Oct |
M |
12 |
Amphibians: Frogs |
220 - 262 |
|
|
19-Oct |
W |
13 |
Amniotes: Introduction, Turtles |
265 - 326 |
|
|
24-Oct |
M |
14 |
Lepidosaurs: Lizards and Snakes |
327 - 363 |
Progress Report
for Research Project |
|
26-Oct |
W |
15 |
Archosaurs: crocodilians, dinosaurs |
388 - 420 |
|
|
31-Oct |
M |
16 |
Archosaurs: dinosaurs |
388 - 420 |
|
|
2-Nov |
W |
|
Dinosaurs III and Review |
388 - 420 |
|
|
7-Nov |
M |
|
Exam 2 |
|
|
|
9-Nov |
W |
17 |
Birds: Origins and Diversity |
421 - 434 |
|
|
14-Nov |
M |
18 |
Birds: Flight and Physiology |
435 - 483 |
|
|
16-Nov |
W |
19 |
Birds: Ecology |
435 - 483 |
Abstract of
Research Project Deadline |
|
21-Nov |
M |
20 |
Origin & Diversity of Mammals |
487 - 508 |
|
|
23-Nov |
W |
21 |
Morphological Variation of Mammals |
519 - 552 |
|
|
28-Nov |
M |
22 |
Mammalian Specializations |
553 - 577 |
|
|
30-Nov |
W |
23 |
Mammalian Ecology |
578 - 628 |
|
|
5-Dec |
M |
24 |
Vertebrate Conservation Biology |
660 - 683 |
Final Research
Project Deadline |
|
7-Dec |
W |
|
Review |
|
|
|
12-Dec |
M |
|
Exam 3 |
|
|
Last Update 18 August 2005, by T. Turner; © T. Turner