Vertebrate Zoology

Course Description
Brief Overview
Vertebrate Zoology is a lab-based, inquiry-driven class where students are expected to create and test hypotheses, conduct research and investigations, and work collaboratively to form conclusions. Students will explore the different vertebrate classes and conduct research to study case studies involving those classes. Through their hands on experiences, students will be able to make connections between the labs that they engage in during class and the content that they are supposed to learn. It is very important that students attend class and participate in the lab work and class discussion. This is a one trimester, 12 week course, therefore we move at a relatively fast pace. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Biology A, B, and C

Contact Information: Teacher: Stephanie Costigan E-Mail: costig12@gmail.com Phone: (517) 699-7441 Classroom: W211 Prep Period: 4th

Why should you take zoology?

! ! ! To learn interesting facts about animals! To expand your knowledge of scientific concepts! To better understand why things are the way they are in the animal kingdom!

Materials
Since this course is taught through an inquiry approach, students create their own textbook throughout the course by keeping a class/lab notebook. Several in class texts are used as reference in addition to magazine, newspaper articles, and Internet research. Two Prentice Hall Biology texts (1986, 1992) are used as well as two BSCS Biology texts (2003) as in-class references. Students may arrange to check out a textbook from their teacher if needed. ! Therefore, all students are required to have a 3-ringed binder (approx. 1.5 inches) and a spiral notebook (approx. 80 pgs.) to dedicate to this class.

Evaluation and Grading

The final exam is worth 20% of the final course grade in accordance with school policy. The remaining 80% is comprised of test and quiz scores, homework, lab reports, class participation, written work, presentations, research projects, and lab notebook checks. The remaining 80% will be split as follows: 40% assessments (tests and quizzes) and 40% homework, lab notebooks, projects, etc. It is important that students are learning the content and that they have practice studying for tests since many college classes are solely based on examinations. There will be a total of 4 tests (1 on fish, 1 on amphibians and reptiles, 1 on birds and dinosaurs, and 1 on mammals) before the final exam. There will also be a study guide for each test. Students will be given the study guide 1 week prior to the test and expected to complete the study guide the day before the test in order to receive points for the assignment. Student work will be evaluated based on correctness, quality, and completeness. Grades are determined by the amount of points received; therefore missing work does great harm to the grade percentage that is earned. The overall grading scale can be found in the student handbook.

Classroom Policies
Students will be held accountable for being in class, coming to class prepared and studying for examinations, and being responsible for turning in their work. The following policies are in place in order to provide students with a fair learning environment and to hold students to these high standards of education.

Course Website
The link below is to the course website. It will be frequently updated with important announcements and due dates, as well as all of the handouts and lab materials from class. https://sites.google.com/a/msu.edu/science -with-ms-costigan/home

Making up tests and quizzes: Students will be given one week from the date of the absence to make up missed tests and quizzes. It is the students responsibility to arrange a date and time with the instructor, either before or after school, to make up the missed assessment. Making up missed labs and class work: When a student misses a lab or class

Vertebrate Zoology

work, they should borrow another students notebook in order to get the information that they missed. Labs can be made up either before or after school per students request and correspondence with the instructor.

Late homework and notebooks: Late work is accepted. However, for every day that the assignment is late, 5 points will be subtracted from the score that was earned. Points will be deducted up to 50% and from that point on a maximum of 50% can be earned on that particular assignment. Students are URGED to turn in all assignments regardless of how late they are. Every point counts when it comes down to calculating grades.

Questions to ponder that you will learn the answers to in Zoology class
! Why are animals shaped the way they are? (For example, why is an iguana very long and skinny while a rabbit is more round and compact?) Were dinosaurs warm-blooded? Why or why not? What evidence is there that supports or rejects this hypothesis? Why are some birds sexually dimorphic (the males look different than the females) while others are not? Which of the following animals is most closely related to a whale and why? A) bat, B) crocodile, C) shark, D) penguin, E) frog

Homework Assignments
At the beginning of the trimester, every student will randomly be assigned a focus animal. Over the course of the trimester, students will complete approximately 4 homework assignments on their focus animal. The focus animals will be used to randomly assign seating charts (and lab groups) throughout the trimester as well. Through these assignments, students will learn about how and why animals are classified, learn a lot about a new animal, and explore whether or not zoos are doing a good job with the animals that they house there. !

HW1: Focus Animal Taxonomy !

Students will research the taxonomy classifications that their specific animal belongs to, including: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species names.

HW 2: Focus Animal Family Tree

Students will construct a family tree for their focus animal. They will find 2 other animals that are in the same genus, family, order, etc. as their animal. They will see how the further up the classification system they go, the more diverse the animals there are within that category.

HW 3: Focus Animal Research

Students will research their focus animal in order to learn about their diet, habitat, reproductive patterns, social arrangements, and other interesting facts.

HW 4: Focus Animal: Nature vs. Zoo

Students will use the information from their focus animal research assignment to compare their animals needs to what it receives in the zoo. They will recommend possible improvements that the zoo could adopt that would benefit their animal.

Vertebrate Zoology

General Big Ideas for All Units:

! Natural Selection specifically structure/function relationships: Through time and natural selection, animal parts and features are shaped for their uses. Sexual Selection: Males are often colored or shaped differently than females. This is due to females investing more in raising young; therefore females tend to do the choosing of mates. Taxonomy and morphology: What are the main members of the class of vertebrates and what traits do they have that make them different from the other classes. Field biology concepts: Practicing techniques that scientists use in the field.

Topics
Week 1

Fish
Week 2

Fish
Week 3

Fish
Week 4

Amphibians
Week 5

Objectives:

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B2.4A: Explain that living things can be classified based on structural, embryological, and molecular evidence. B2.4B: Describe how various organisms have developed different specializations to accomplish a particular function and yet the result is the same. B2.4C: Explain how different organisms accomplish the same result using different structural specializations. B2.4D: Analyze the relationships among organisms based on their shared physical, biochemical, genetic, and cellular characteristics and functional processes. B2.6a: Explain that the regulatory and behavioral responses of an organism to external stimuli occur in order to maintain both short- and long-term equilibrium. B3.5d: Describe different reproductive strategies employed by various organisms and explain their advantages and disadvantages. B5.1e: Explain how natural selection leads to organisms that are well suited to the environment. B5.1g: Illustrate how genetic variation is preserved or eliminated from a population through natural selection resulting in biodiversity. B5.2a: Describe species as reproductively distinct groups of organisms that can be classified based on morphological, behavioral, and molecular similarities.

Amphibians and Reptiles

Week 6

Birds
Week 7

Birds and Dinosaurs

Week 8

Birds and Dinosaurs

Week 9

Mammals
Week 10

Mammals
Week 11

Mammals
Week 12

Final Exam

Fish Unit Overview: History of Lake Michigan Fisheries

Lake trout, the top predator of Lake Michigan and huge part of the fisheries economy, dropped drastically in number. What caused it? Students will research fish and the different types of fish to look at options for controlling the problem. Then, students will explore the effect of the missing top predator on the food web and how other trophic levels were affected. Students will hypothesize about how to solve the initial problem as well as the other issues that consequently resulted. Field biology goals: Wildlife management and understanding of food webs
Fish Unit

What is a lamprey?

Students will explore the 3 main types of fish and what makes them different from one another.

Shark Movie

Students will learn about cartilaginous fish and some of their special characteristics. We will address some of the misconceptions about sharks.

Vertebrate Zoology

Objectives:

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L3.p2a: Describe common relationships among organisms and provide examples of producer/consumer, predator/prey, or parasite/host relationship. L3.p2B: Describe common ecological relationships between and among species and their environments. L3.p3A: Identify the factors in an ecosystem that influence fluctuations in population size. L3.p3D: Predict how changes in one population might affect other populations based upon their relationships in a food web. L3.p4A: Recognize that, and describe how, human beings are part of Earths ecosystems. Note that human activities can deliberately or inadvertently alter the equilibrium. B3.2A: Identify how energy is stored in an ecosystem. B3.2B: Describe energy transfer through an ecosystem accounting for energy lost to the environment as heat. B3.2C: Draw the flow of energy through an ecosystem. Predict changes in the food web when one or more organisms are removed. B3.3A: Use a food web to identify and distinguish producers, consumers, and decomposers and explain the transfer of energy through trophic levels. B3.4A: Describe ecosystem stability. B3.4B: Recognize and describe that a great diversity of species increases the chance that at least some living organisms will survive in the face of cataclysmic changes in the environment. B3.5A: Graph changes in population growth, given a data table. B3.5B: Explain the influences that affect population growth. B3.5C: Predict the consequences of an invading organism on the survival of other organisms. B5.1A: Summarize the major concepts of natural selection.

Lake Michigan Food Web Activity

Food web and population dynamics will be explored. The consequences of change within a food web will also be examined.

Fish Research

Some of the main characteristics of fish will be researched in comparison to the other 5 types of vertebrates.

Betta Lab

Sexual dimorphism and male display will be observed and explained.

Salmon Life Cycle Game

Case study exploration will be continued along with learning about (and observing in our classroom) the salmon life cycle.

Alewives and Natural Selection Lab

Natural selection and variation within a population will be demonstrated and explained.

Fish and Fisherman Lab

Population control, natural selection, and variation will be demonstrated and explained.

Amphibians and Reptiles Unit

Amphibians and Reptiles Unit Overview: How do scientists estimate populations?

We want to estimate the number of frogs in our woods. How can we do that? Students will generate a list of information that we need in order to do this study and then they will research frogs and reptiles to get the necessary information to move forward with the study. Then we will use this information to introduce capture-recapture procedures to examine our frog population and discover how changes in the environment changed the population. Field biology goals: Methods of estimating populations (capture-recapture)
Objectives:

Frog Questions

Students will explore the 3 main types of amphibians and what makes them different from one another.

Amphibian Questions

Some of the main characteristics of amphibians will be researched in comparison to the other 5 types of vertebrates.

Fun with Beans

The purpose of and process of doing a capture-recapture study will be practiced.

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B3.4C: Examine the negative impact of human activities. B3.4B: Recognize and describe that a great diversity of species increases the chance that at least some living organisms will survive in the face of cataclysmic changes in the environment. B3.5A: Graph changes in population growth, given a data table. B3.5B: Explain the influences that affect population growth.

Capture-Recapture (either with frogs in the woods or crickets in the classroom)

Students will complete a capture-recapture study in order to estimate population size.

Vertebrate Zoology

B3.5e: Recognize that and describe how the physical or chemical environment may influence rate, extent, and nature of population dynamics with ecosystems.

Frog Population Analysis

Students will analyze their data from the capture-recapture study.

Birds and Dinosaurs Unit Overview: How do we study animals that no longer exist?
Dinosaurs are extinct, yet we hear a great deal about their behaviors and physical traits. How do we get this information? A great deal comes from living species, so well examine their closest relatives birds. Students will be given an unidentified fossil and asked to make hypotheses about what it is and support their claims. They will learn about how fossils are made as well as the types of fossils that scientists use to learn about the past through this process. They will use what they learn about birds and fossils and apply it to make some predictions about dinosaurs. Field biology goals: Using indirect methods of research to infer information about animals
Objectives:

What makes a reptile a reptile?

Some of the main characteristics of reptiles will be researched in comparison to the other 5 types of vertebrates.

Reptile structure/function

Observe animals in the classroom (snake, leopard geckos, chameleon, iguana, anole, turtles) in order to understand how and why reptiles are the way that they are.

Birds and Dinosaurs Unit

Its a birdits a planeits a dinosaur???

Students will use fossil evidence to hypothesis about animals. They will learn about how fossils are made.

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E5.3B: Describe the process of radioactive decay and explain how radioactive elements are used to date the rocks that contain them. E5.3C: Relate major events in the history of the earth to the geologic time scale. E5.3D: Describe how index fossils can be used to determine time sequence. L5.p1D: Explain the importance of the fossil record. B5.1B: Describe how natural selection provides a mechanism for evolution. B5.1c: Summarize the relationships between present-day organisms and those that inhabited the Earth in the past. B5.1d: Explain how a new species or variety originates through the evolutionary process of natural selection. B5.1f: Explain, using examples, how the fossil record, comparative anatomy, and other evidence supports the theory of evolution. B5.r2d: Interpret a cladogram or phylogenetic tree showing evolutionary relationships among organisms.

So lets say you thought it was a bird

Nesting behaviors and sexual dimorphic appearances (or lack of) will be explored.

Bird structure/function

Observe bird pelts, wings, and feet in order to hypothesize about some of the main characteristics of birds.

What makes a bird a bird?

Some of the main characteristics of birds will be researched in comparison to the other 5 types of vertebrates.

Bird Migration Lab

How, why, and which birds migrate is examined.

Mammals Unit Overview: Are there mountain lions in our woods; how do we know if we cant see them?
Are there mountain lions in Michigan, and more importantly, in our woods? While learning about the main characteristics of mammals, students will learn to observe the signs of animals in the field, especially tracking. They will learn how and why scientists use tracking methods and try some of these methods out themselves. Field biology goals: Learning about and practicing tracking animals in the wild
Objectives:

So lets say you thought it was a dinosaur

Students will use what they learned about birds and apply this to dinosaurs in order to predict some of the appearances and behaviors of dinosaurs.

Dinosaur extinction powerpoint

Students will learn about the main hypotheses about how and why dinosaurs went extinct.

Were dinosaurs warm-blooded?

Vertebrate Zoology

B3.4B: Recognize and describe that a great diversity of species increases the chance that at least some living organisms will survive in the face of cataclysmic changes in the environment. L5.p1A: Define a species and give examples.

Lab
Students will use evidence to explain why dinosaurs were or went not warm-blooded.

Dinosaur Tracks Lab

Skill Objectives
By the end of the course students will be able to:

Dinosaur tracks will be analyzed in order to estimate an animals size and the speed that it was moving.

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B1.1A: Generate new questions that can be investigated in the laboratory or field. B1.1B: Evaluate the uncertainties or validity of scientific conclusions using an understanding of sources of measurement error, the challenges of controlling variables, accuracy of data analysis, logic of argument, logic of experimental design, and/or the dependence on underlying assumptions. B1.1C: Conduct scientific investigations using appropriate tools and techniques (e.g., selecting an instrument that measures the desired quantitylength, volume, weight, time interval, temperaturewith the appropriate level of precision). B1.1D: Identify patterns in data and relate them to theoretical models. B1.1E: Describe a reason for a given conclusion using evidence from an investigation. B1.1f: Predict what would happen if the variables, methods, or timing of an investigation were changed. B1.1g: Use empirical evidence to explain and critique the reasoning used to draw a scientific conclusion or explanation. B1.1h: Design and conduct a systematic scientific investigation that tests a hypothesis. Draw conclusions from data presented in charts or tables. B1.2A: Critique whether or not specific questions can be answered through scientific investigations. B1.2B: Identify and critique arguments about personal or societal issues based on scientific evidence. B1.2C: Develop an understanding of a scientific concept by accessing information from multiple sources. Evaluate the scientific accuracy and significance of the information. B1.2D: Evaluate scientific explanations in a peer review process or discussion format. B1.2E: Evaluate the future career and occupational prospects of science fields. B1.2f: Critique solutions to problems, given criteria and scientific constraints. B1.2h: Describe the distinctions between scientific theories, laws, hypotheses, and observations. B1.2i: Explain the progression of ideas and explanations that lead to science theories that are part of the current scientific consensus or core knowledge. B1.2k: Analyze how science and society interact from a historical, political, economic, or social perspective.

Mammals Unit

Mountain Lions Research

Students will research mountain lions in order to predict whether or not they live in Michigan and live in the woods outside the school.

Mammal Questions

Some of the main characteristics of mammals will be researched in comparison to the other 5 types of vertebrates.

Teeth Lab

Observe skulls in order to be able to learn abut how to predict an animals diet from its teeth.

Hair Lab

Observe animal fur in order to make predictions about where it lives and why the fur feels the way it does.

Brain Power Video

Explores why some animals have larger brains that other animals and why.

Marsupials and Monotremes

The 2 other types of mammals will be examined through an article reading.

Homeothermy: Blessing and Curse Lab

Use math in order to explain why animals are shaped the way that they are.

Inside Tracking Lab

Observe animal footprints in order to make predictions about how the animal is moving, size, and type of animal.

Outside Tracking Lab

Students will go outside and look for tracks. They will use their observations to predict what animal was there and what it was doing.

Vertebrate Zoology