Midterm I review (with sample questions)
Taxonomy
Know how species are defined and named; understand how taxonomic nomenclature is used
Know the taxonomic categories of fishes covered in class (superclasses, classes, sub-classes, and orders) and how many there are under ‘fishes’
Be able to identify characteristics and common names of fishes in the orders we have covered
Know how to ‘read’ taxonomic descriptions
Recognize primitive (older) versus advanced (recent) traits in fishes
Understand the principle of modern phylogenetic systematics, and associated terminology (e.g., monophyletic, paraphyletic, polyphyletic groupings)
· Give an example of a meristic measurement that could be used in a taxonomic description of a fish.
· How many classes/orders/species of fish are there?
· What is a nomen praeoccupatum?
· What is a paraphyletic group?
· Choose two of the following five orders and give the common name of one or more groups of species in the order, and one characteristic of species in the order: Petromyzontiformes, Rajiiformes, Heterdontiformes, Squaliformes, Pristioformes
Fish Anatomy
Be familiar with the external and internal structures of fishes, and how they vary functionally and taxonomically
Be familiar with the parts of a fish skeleton emphasized in class and on the powerpoint images, and their function
Know the names and varying locations of fins and their functions
Know the names of fish body shapes
Know the types of scales and which are primitive vs. advanced
· Circle the fins than may bear spines in one or more species: anal, dorsal, pelvic, pectoral, adipose, caudal
· Where are the pelvic fins located in more advanced fishes, relative to more primitive orders?
· Define or describe the following; where are they found in the body, and what is their function:
lepidotrichia suspensorium
· What mouth location and types of teeth might be found in a fish that eats crayfish?
Swimming
Understand the physical characteristics of water that affect swimming efficiency – density, viscosity, turbulence
Be able to link morphology with locomotion type (which parts of the body are used for swimming) and efficiency
Know the terms for different swimming types, and the difference between oscillatory and undulatory motion
Understand the physics of movement in fluids – lift, drag, laminar flow, boundary layers
Understand the various modes of fish propulsion, factors that affect their efficiency, and representative orders/species that use them
· Describe the characteristics that you would expect to find in fast-swimming fish.
· Describe a non-swimming form of locomotion and a fish (common name or order) that uses it.
Buoyancy
Understand the options for achieving neutral buoyancy, and their advantages or disadvantages.
Know how a rete mirable works
Respiration
Know the constraints on acquiring oxygen (e.g., availability in water)
Be familiar with the various options for acquiring oxygen
Know how ‘breathing’ is accomplished in gilled fishes