Materials

Pough, F.H., J.B. Heiser and C.M. Janis. 2002. Vertebrate Life, 6th edition.  Prentice-Hall.
Fishbeck, D.W., and A. Sebastiani. 2001. Comparative Anatomy: A Vertebrate Dissection Guide. Morton Publishing Company. Englewood, Colorado.

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.  In the latter part of the semester, we will be examining some of these areas in detail.  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.  A tentative outline for the lecture section of this course will be provided with your printed syllabus on the first day of class.

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).   Two laboratory periods per week will be devoted to dissections of these animals with weekly quizzes used to gauge your mastery of vertebrate anatomy.  A tentative outline for the laboratory section of this course will be provided with your printed syllabus on the first day of class.

Evaluation

Four examinations are planned for the lecture section of the course.  Each will cover material since the preceding exam and is equally weighted.  They are tentatively scheduled for Friday 9 February (Vertebrate Origins and Fishes), Wednesday 14 March (Amphibians and Reptiles - happy Valentine's Day), Wednesday 11 April (Birds and Mammals), and during final exam week (Topics in Vertebrate Biology).  There will be twelve quizzes in laboratory (essentially, a quiz once per week).  You will be allowed to drop your two lowest scores on these quizzes in the determination of your laboratory grade.  Your course grade will be determined by your performance in lecture and lab.  The average of your lecture exam scores will account for 70% of your course grade with the remainder of your grade determined by the average of your lab quiz performance.

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.