Exploration: Phylogeny and Evolution
Directions
You will evaluatesome of these activities yourself, and your teacher may evaluate others. Please save this document before beginning the lesson and keep the document open for reference during the lesson. Type your answers directly in this document for all activities.
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Self-CheckedActivities
Read the instructions for the following activities and type in your responses. At the end of the lesson, click the link on the Summary screen to open the Student Answer Sheet. Use the answers or sample responses to evaluate your own work.
1. Classifying Species
A team of scientists exploring the jungles of the Amazon has stumbled upon a previously undiscovered patch of the Amazonian rainforest. This rainforest, spread over an approximate area of 150 acres, has a waterfall, sulfur springs, and a sleeping volcano. As a member of this team, you are to help identify all life-forms found in this forest. You are also required to assist in naming some of the new species thatyou and the teamhave discovered.
Below is a table listingdetails of some of the new life-forms found in this forest.
Provide a species name for the new life-form. Base the name on its physical description keeping the genus name in mind. The only rulesare to use binomial nomenclature and to be creative!
Type your response here:
Kingdom / Physical Description / Genus Name / Species Name(your suggestion)monera /
- yellow bell flower with a red colored protruding leaf
- the leaf is a part of the flower
- grows as a small plant with weak branches
- extremely fragrant, attracting all butterflies
protista /
- green, bamboo shoots looking cylindrical organism
- resembles a relatively large algal species
- the filaments can even been seen with the unaided eye
plantae /
- the upper part of the flower stalk is composed of male flowers
- the lower, brown bushy part is the female flower
- grows in marshy situations (near the waterfall) where there is usually some standing water
- roots are starchy and edible
fungi /
- found growing on wood mulch in cup shaped carriers
- is white, round, and in small clusters
animalia /
- a white-phase Catalpa Hornworm on the underside of a leaf
- some of these caterpillars show a white phase; most are darker
As part of this activity, you can also participate in the online collaborative projects available at Undergraduate Initiative.
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How did you do? Check a box below.
Nailed It!—Iincludedall of the same ideas as the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
Halfway There—I included most of the ideas in the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
Not Great—I did not include any of the ideas in the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
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2. Everyday Cladogram
Choose four everyday objects from a group and draw a cladogram. For example, you could create a cladogram of the following four computer data storage devices:floppy disk, DVD, 2 GB USB key, 2 GB SD card. Choose your own group or useobjects from one of the following groups: automobiles, things with engines, hair care products, or cleaning supplies. Draw your cladogram using the drawing tools provided in Word or use a pencil and paper.
To learn more about cladograms, explore these links:
- Building the Tree
- A Name by Any Other Tree
Type your response here:
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How did you do? Check a box below.
Nailed It!—Iincludedall of the same ideas as the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
Halfway There—I included most of the ideas in the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
Not Great—I did not include any of the ideas in the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
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3. Evolutionary Relationships
Use this resource to trace the evolutionary relationships in phylogenetic trees for a few animals. Click through the opening screens, and then use the tools along the bottom of the resource to explore anatomy, development, and DNA of the animals in the set. Then find the pairs that are most closely related. When you are finished, list the three pairs of animals that are most closely related within their clade.
Type your response here:
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How did you do? Check a box below.
Nailed It!—Iincludedall of the same ideas as the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
Halfway There—I included most of the ideas in the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
Not Great—I did not include any of the ideas in the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
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4. Animal Cladogram
Using the link below, identify the common characters of the following animals and make a cladogram. Draw your cladogram using the drawing tools provided in Word or use a pencil and paper.
- alligator
- shark
- hippopotamus
- whale
- rhinoceros
Link: Encyclopedia of Life
Type your response here:
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How did you do? Check a box below.
Nailed It!—Iincludedall of the same ideas as the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
Halfway There—I included most of the ideas in the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
Not Great—I did not include any of the ideas in the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
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5. Environmental Adaptation
Study the cladograms of finches and show adaptations to the different aspects of the environment in its genetic lineage. First try to find the differences in how tree finches adapted compared with ground finches. Then look for other adaptations in each type of finch.
Refer to the following site for a cladogram of Darwin’s finches:
Darwin and Evolution; go to the section Cladograms Illustrate Lines of Descent.
Search this site for deeper research into the classification of finches:
Encyclopedia of Life
Type your response here:
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How did you do? Check a box below.
Nailed It!—Iincludedall of the same ideas as the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
Halfway There—I included most of the ideas in the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
Not Great—I did not include any of the ideas in the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.
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