STUDY GUIDE: TEST 2

Main Topics

I. Phylogeny of Vertebrates

• Know the major groups of vertebrates and some of the key characteristics (Note: I am unlikely to ask a specific question on this. Rather, I will ask a general question and have you choose some of these as examples).

  • First vertebrates

  • Jawless fishes

  • Jawed fish

  • Sarcopterygii

  • First tetrapods

  • Temnospondyls to Amphibians

  • Amniotes

  • Anapsids

  • Synapsids to mammals to hominids

  • Diapsids to snakes/lizards/dinosaurs/birds

• Know how those characters fit into the key transitions in vertebrate evolution

• Know how processes like natural selection, genetic drift, and speciation might have operated during important transitions

• Be able to articulate any controversies over transitions in vertebrates. What is not known that if known might resolve these debates?

II. Vertebrates as examples of Evolution

• Be able to use the details of some of the groups we have discussed to evaluate the idea of descent from a common ancestor

III. Definitions- Be able to define and provide examples of the following:

• Adaptive radiation

• Homology/homologous

• Convergence

• Monophyly

• Preadaptation

• Rhipidistean

• Tetrapod

• Temnospondyl

• Amniote

• Anapsid

• Synapsid

• Diapsid

• Bipedality