Materials

Pough, F.H., J.B. Heiser and C.M. Janis. 2002. Vertebrate Life, 6th edition.  Prentice-Hall.
Kardong, K.V. and E.J. Zalisko. 2002. Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, 3rd edition.  McGraw-Hill.

Dissection tools as well as any other necessary printed materials will be supplied to you during the course.

Course Schedule

The lecture section of the course is organized around the historical development of the Vertebrata.  As such, it begins with earliest vertebrate origins in the Paleozoic and continues through the successive radiations that have produced the dominant groups of our modern era, mammals and birds.  A brief outline identifying major vertebrate groups, and the associated textbook chapters dedicated to each, are provided below.  As we progress through this biological history, we will of course be speaking of a variety of issues in addition to simple taxonomy and systematics.   Manners of approaching the environment and solving environmental challenges, interacting with conspecifics and non-conspecifics, reproduction, feeding, and many other elements of the natural history of these animals will be woven throughout the semester's work.  By semester's end, you will have obtained a thorough grounding both in the diversity of vertebrate life, and in the life strategies with which evolution has equipped members of this group.

Laboratory

The laboratory section of this course will be dedicated to a systems analysis of representative vertebrates, the lamprey (Agnatha), dogfish (Chondrichthyes), mudpuppy (Amphibia), and cat (Mammalia).   Individual responsibilities for each student will be determined after an initial survey of students' dissection experiences with any of the animals, and after each student has completed a course evaluation contract.

Course Projects

Each student will complete two projects over the course of the semester.  Full descriptions of these projects may be found on the VZ Projects page.

1.    The first is an individual project in the form of a traditional term paper.  Each student will select one North American vertebrate with Endangered Species status and develop a case study analysis of this species.  You are especially encouraged to choose a species that has been designated as endangered or threatened in Iowa or Illinois.   Among the topics to be treated in this analysis are: a full description of the taxonomy of the selected species; a description of its historical distribution and a detailed account of its current distribution and status; a brief description of its general natural history with particular attention paid to those features of its ecology that may contribute to its endangerment; a concise statement of the factors that have affected the species' numbers and distribution; and recommendations.  Guidelines for this paper and specific assignments will be made at the beginning of the semester.

2.    The second project is also an individual project.  Each person will develop a class presentation exploring the range and expression of vertebrate biology with respect to one of the following: Echolocation, Vocalization, Parental Care, Social Behavior, Migration, Dormancy, Territorial Behavior, Predation, or some other agreed upon subject area.  These presentations are not expected to be exhaustive treatments of any of these subject areas but rather to be introductions to the phenomena and illustrations of the different ways in which vertebrate animals incorporate them into their life histories.

Evaluation

At present, four examinations are planned for this course.  Your grade will be determined by your performance on the two class projects, average performance on the four examinations, and laboratory performance.   You may determine how you wish these four contributors to weight in the determination of your overall grade.  You may choose a weight between 20% and 30% for each category when you complete the course grading contract.

Attendance Policy

I consider lecture/discussion periods to be an integral part of the course and I strongly encourage you to attend all scheduled periods. As this is an advanced majors course, and an elective one at that, I expect a very high level of motivation on the part of all registered students. However, attendance at regular lecture periods is at the discretion of each student and no penalty will be imposed for failure to attend these periods. You should recognize though, that non-attendance may affect your performance in this course.

Students with Disabilities

Please inform me if you will require any special accommodations for this course.  I will gladly work with you and the Office for Students with Disabilities should you require modification of any course requirement including note-taking, reading, exam-taking or other in order to enable you to learn as effectively as you might in this course.