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Spring 2008 At the beginning of the appropriate lecture, I will call on students to answer questions such as these. Occasionally I will ask for all the papers of a particular day to be turned in at the beginning of class to be graded as quizzes. These questions are from previous lectures or the textbook, unless otherwise noted. Feel free to use any sources of information, though, including other books, articles, handouts or the Web (including Wikipedia). Scroll down the page to the most recent set of questions at the bottom. January 16, 2008 (Wednesday) 1. What is Dollo’s Law? How can it be used to help develop a chronology of events in geological time? This is a good chance to practice your Google skills. 2. What is the definition of an isotope? 3. What is the difference between a relative time scale and an absolute time scale?
January 18, 2008 (Friday) This set of questions is different because it has a specimen involved! Each of you was given a small gray rock in class on Wednesday. It comes from a roadcut in the Richmond, Indiana, area directly from bedrock. The same kind of rock is found throughout the Cincinnati region of southwestern Ohio, southeastern Indiana, and northern Kentucky. 1. How old is this rock? When a geologist asks this question, it usually means: “During which period of geological time was this rock formed?” This is not a hard question, even though right now it may seem impossible to tell, Just do a little research on the Web. You have all the information you need to make a conclusion. Please tell me how you determined the age. 2. What fossils do you see in your rock? Again, a bit of web research, especially after you determined the age of the rock, will give you the answers. Each rock is unique, so answers will differ here. 3. Under what depositional conditions was this rock formed? In other words, what was the general environment in which the sediments accumulated and the animals lived?
January 21, 2008 (Monday) 1. A pre-Darwinian idea about the mechanism for organic evolution was proposed by Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck at the turn of the 19th Century. What was Lamarck’s concept of the driving force behind evolutionary change? 2. The hierarchical classification of life was developed by the Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778). Please fill in the blanks below with the classification of humans. Kingdom: ______________________________ Phylum: ______________________________ Class: ______________________________ Order: ______________________________ Family: ______________________________ Genus: ______________________________ Species: ______________________________
January 23, 2008 (Wednesday) 1. One of the most interesting types of evidence for organic evolution is the presence of vestigial structures in organisms. What is the definition of a vestigial structure? Please also make a short list of vestigial structures in the human body. 2. Why can identifying a feature of an organism as “vestigial” be problematic? Think of the human appendix or tonsils as examples.
January 25, 2008 (Friday) 1. One of the extraordinary discoveries of the 20th Century was the structure of DNA, the “code of life”. Please list the four nucleotides (sometimes called “nitrogenous bases”) which make up the critical part of a DNA molecule. What is their pattern of pairing? (And what, for that matter, does “DNA” stand for?) 2. What is the structure of the RNA molecule? What is the role of “messenger RNA” in reproduction? 3. Finally, what is a ribosome and how does it do in reproduction? Answer all three questions correctly and you have a good idea of the “central dogma” of modern genetics.
January 28, 2008 (Monday) 1. As we approach the origin and evolution of stars, the Solar System, and Earth itself, knowing several terms in advance will be useful. Please provide simple definitions of the following -- Red Shift nebula supernova January 30, 2008 (Wednesday) 1. Today we begin our discussion of the origin of the atmosphere. (This by good fortune corresponds with the “Focus the Nation” (http://www.focusthenation.org) event on campus regarding climate change issues.) We will have, obviously, a historical approach to the origin and evolution of the Earth’s atmospheric system. We’ll start with a simple question: What is the origin of most of the oxygen in the atmosphere? 2. What is ozone and what is the ozone layer in the Earth’s atmosphere? How did the ozone layer form? 3. How is the ozone layer critical to life on Earth?
February 1, 2008 (Friday) 1. The origin of life is one of the greatest unsolved problems in science. As a start, we must define life itself. What are the characteristics of life which separate it from non-living things? A simple list will do. 2. The Miller-Urey experiment in the 1950s -- with its gases, liquids and sparks in a sealed set of laboratory glassware -- was revolutionary in its time. What were the results of this experiment?
February 4, 2008 (Monday) 1. One of the astonishing discoveries of the 20th Century was that there are organic compounds in space. These molecules could have been the precursors to life on Earth. In simple terms, what are these extraterrestrial organic compounds and where are they found? (The Web is your friend, especially that nice Mr. Google.) 2. How would organic compounds from space get to the surface of the Earth? This is not as easy as it sounds, considering what happens to objects as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere from the outside (think of “shooting stars”).
February 6, 2008 (Wednesday) 1. There are now six kingdoms of life generally recognized. Please list them below and be ready to tell me how they are distinguished from each other. 2. List below the differences between eucaryotes and procaryotes. (Note that they are sometimes spelled “eukaryotes” and “prokaryotes”.)
February 8, 2008 (Friday) 1. The Endosymbiotic Theory for the origin of eucaryotic cells is at once elegant and astonishing – one of the coolest ideas in science. Briefly, what is this theory in its modern form? Back to the Web for this one! 2. A theory, of course, is only as good as the evidence behind it. Please list below two lines of evidence used to support the Endosymbiotic Theory.
February 11, 2008 (Monday) 1. What is the competitive exclusion principle in biology? This is sometimes called “Gause’s Law”. You will need to go to the web for this one. 2. Nothing to write for this one. Please just be prepared to use this ecological terminology in class: Feeding strategies (marine): Living strategies (marine):
February 13, 2008 (Wednesday) 1. Just one question this time. After we examine the amazing diversity of animals which appeared in the Cambrian (the “Cambrian Explosion”), we will have to ask why we had so many types of animal appear so suddenly. Some people think that this diversification took only 5-10 million years, which is incredibly rapid on the evolutionary time scale. What do you think about the possible causes? Again, the best answers will not be in textbooks.
February 18, 2008 (Monday) 1. On Monday we begin our investigation of plate tectonic theory. To start, please draw below a simple, labeled cross-section of a spreading center. 2. Please briefly describe one way by which moving continents can affect evolution at either a global or local level.
February 20, 2008 (Wednesday) 1. Since I suspect we may be a bit behind in the lecture because we’ll be going over the test results in class on Monday, we’ll have a question supplementary to the last set: Please draw below a simple, labeled cross-section of a subduction zone. 2. List below places you can go in the world today to see ….
February 22, 2008 (Friday) 1. The Permian Extinctions represent the greatest mass killings in the history of life. Please list below at least two groups which go completely extinct at the end of the Permian. Feel free to list more! 2. We’ll talk about how volcanoes may have contributed to the Permian Extinctions. It is a complex story, so let’s just take part of it: How can volcanic eruptions cool the atmosphere? How can volcanic eruptions warm the atmosphere? (Bit of a paradox, eh?)
February 25, 2008 (Monday) “The Rise of the Vertebrates” begins this week in class. There are numerous links to early vertebrate evolution information on our History of Life course webpage, including a special link to the outline for the first two lectures (http://www.wooster.edu/geology/HOL/Chordata.html). 1. What features define the Phylum Chordata? In other words, what makes our phylum different from all the others? 2. Neoteny will be a critical concept in our exploration of early vertebrate evolution. What is neoteny?
February 27, 2008 (Wednesday) 1. The first recognizable vertebrate is a strange extinct fish called an ostracoderm. Please describe an ostracoderm below. A nice little drawing will help. How did it eat? Are they still around today? 2. The acquisition of jaws has an obvious benefit for eating. What would be another advantage for a fish to have movable jaws? (Watch a goldfish for a clue.)
February 29, 2008 (Friday) 1. When vertebrates moved from water to land, they had to solve several physical and biological problems. Imagine, then, the issues which faced the first amphibian on dry land. Please briefly describe two of the problems which had to be overcome for a successful transition from water to land.
March 3, 2008 (Monday) 1. You’ve just got to love the ichthyosaurs – fast-swimming, sleek reptilian predators of the Mesozoic seas. Please describe below a typical ichthyosaur. What analogous structures do they share with dolphins and sharks? 2. Ichthyosaurs had a bit of a problem when it came to giving birth. Reptiles usually lay their eggs on land, but these critters were entirely aquatic. So what did they do to bring their little ones into the world? (Hint: Think of what their spooky doppelgängers the sharks and dolphins do.)
March 5, 2008 (Wednesday) 1. A very characteristic reptile of the Permian was the pelycosaur. Turns out that this strange creature is in the family history of the mammals. Please describe a typical pelycosaur below: 2. Now, what do you think the function was for that large, fin-like dorsal sail pelycosaurs possessed along their backs?
March 7, 2008 (Friday) 1. Dr. Olsen talked about the Triassic Extinction during his Osgood Lecture. (It has been his specialty since he was an undergraduate.) Who were the primary victims of this extinction at the end of the Triassic Period: 2. Who benefited from the Triassic extinctions and why? Again, Dr. Olsen’s Osgood Lecture contained the answers.
March 26, 2008 (Wednesday) 1. The questions for today come from “The Dinosaur Handout” distributed in class on Monday. What was it that paleontologist Mary Schweitzer found in a bone of Tyrannosaurus rex which so amazed the scientific world? Why was this find so unexpected? 2. Why have creationists been particularly excited about this find? What is Dr. Schweitzer’s answer to them? 3. What is one aspect of dinosaur social behavior which can be learned by studying their fossilized tracks?
March 28, 2008 (Friday) 1. Who were the first vertebrates to have powered (not gliding) flight? During what period did this flight begin? (Bonus question: Who were the first flying animals?) 2. What is the genus of the earliest bird? What features did it inherit from its reptilian ancestors? (In other words, what homologous structures does it share with reptiles?) Age? 3. How does the structure of a bat’s wing differ from that of a pterosaur? (Little labeled drawings will help here.)
March 31, 2008 (Monday) 1. We may be able to look at the early mammals before your test on Friday and have some time for review. What evidence supports the hypothesis that some of the earliest mammals were nocturnal? 2. What evidence do we have that the earliest mammals suckled (“nursed”) their young? It is indirect! 3. Why are some Mesozoic mammals called “multituberculates”? To what does this name refer?
April 2, 2008 (Wednesday) We are ahead in the lecture material far enough that we can use part of the class period on Wednesday as our review session for Friday’s test. Please put your questions together AND provide “identify, define and/or describe” answers for all of the terms below from our posted sample test. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________
April 7 & 9, 2008 (Monday & Wednesday) 1. What defines a vascular plant? 2. Like vertebrates, plants also made a transition from water to land in their evolutionary history. What sort of problems did they face when they made this move? You’ll find them remarkably similar to those of the first amphibians. Just speculate here – you may not find direct answers in any source.
April 9 & 11, 2008 (Wednesday & Friday) 1. What defines an angiosperm plant? 2. The angiosperms exploited a little-used niche in gymnosperm forests: the understory, or that place underneath the foliage of the larger trees. What are some of the problems plants may have in this particular niche?
April 14, 2008 (Monday) 1. Please give a definition below of coevolution: 2. Please describe in detail one example of coevolution between angiosperms and animals. Tell me the advantages both organisms derive from each other and the particular evolutionary innovations both have made as part of this coevolutionary system. The Web will be useful, especially sites like: http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio303/coevolution.htm.
April 16, 2008 (Wednesday) 1. Iridium, iridium, iridium – Why does everyone talk about this element when discussing the Cretaceous extinctions? 2. We’ll talk a lot in lecture about the vertebrate groups which went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous, so let’s focus here on the invertebrates. So which invertebrate marine groups were hit hard in these extinctions? Which seem to have survived relatively unscathed? Any interesting patterns? (I’m thinking that Wikipedia may be helpful here.)
April 18, 2008 (Friday) 1. On Friday we will look at the bright side of mass extinctions. (That sounds like the beginning of a Monty Python skit.) Imagine the history of life without mass extinctions and describe below how the patterns may be different from what we have experienced with them. This is a conceptual question, so there are a variety of ways to approach an answer.
April 21, 2008 (Monday) 1. Please read carefully (in a textbook or on the Web) about the Tertiary adaptive radiations which followed immediately upon the Cretaceous extinctions catastrophe. In the space below, describe two examples of mammals and/or birds filling niches in the Tertiary which were opened by the extinction of large reptiles at the end of the Cretaceous.
April 23, 2008 (Wednesday) The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is a relatively new concept in the History of Life, and it appears to be directly connected to the rise of mammals on the land (including primates). Today’s assignment is designed to acquaint you with these new ideas. You will want to refer to at least one of the following websites (linked on our webpage under the “Preparation Questions”): http://geology.usgs.gov/connections/mms/joint_projects/methane.htm 1. First, what is a methane hydrate? (Sometimes it is called “methane clathrate”.) 2. Under what physical conditions is a methane hydrate stable (solid)? 3. What do you have to do to a methane hydrate to cause it to release its gas into the atmosphere?
April 25, 2008 (Friday) 1. Let’s look at one fantastic mammal in detail – the Sabre-Tooth Cat! Please tell me below what you can learn about when and where it lived, how it captured and consumed its food, and what in the end forced it into extinction.
April 28, 2008 (Monday) 1. What features distinguish the primates from other mammals? (Look at yourself and then your dog, for starters.) 2. What mammalian order likely includes the immediate ancestors of the primates? What is the evidence for this connection?
April 30, 2008 (Wednesday) 1. What physical features distinguish humans (Homo sapiens) from the other living primates? Physical features, so don’t tell me about wearing clothes, going to 8 a.m. classes, and the like.
May 2, 2008 (Friday) 1. After covering the evidence for human evolution, we will discuss interpretations of that evidence on Friday, especially in terms of trends which led to the present primates, including us. We’ll start with bipedalism. Briefly describe and discuss below one of the many ideas cited to explain why humans and our immediate ancestors walked habitually on their hind legs.
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