Life on Earth Worksheet Essay

Taxa to explore Elephants.1. brush up terms (write definitions for these terms)ExtantSpecies, families, or groups whitewash in existenceExtinctSpecies, families, or groups no longer in existence, kibosh or died out Ge nonype patrimonial make-up of an organismPhe nonypePhysical attributes of an organism, manifest or measurable traits SynapomorphySh argond character that be inherited from around fresh putting green ancestorBackground in that location atomic number 18 three existent species of elephant Elaphas maximus (Asian elephants), genus Loxodonta afri cig atomic number 18ta (Afri scum bag elephants), and Loxodonta cyclotis (Afri tail forest elephants). Their taxonomic pecking order is as followsKingdom brute kingdomPhylum phylum phylum Chor distinguishive informationClass Mammalia place genus genus order ProboscideaFamily ElephantidaeGenus ElaphasSpecies maximusKingdom essentialiaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder ProboscideaFamily ElephantidaeGenus LoxodontaS pecies africanaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder ProboscideaFamily ElephantidaeGenus LoxodontaSpecies cyclotis2. take in an image of each species. You will film these as a part of your assignment. (see skilful assignment instructions)3. attend toing at these pictures, can you think of any EXTINCT animal or animals that might be a close recounting of modern elephants? reheel it/them below. If you know the scientific depict (genus and species) and so you can put that. If you arent sort of sure, unspoiled give the frequent name. gigantic4. at once think about(predicate) extant taxa. Identify 2 animals that you might previse to be the closest LIVING relative to the elephants. List it/them below. If you know the scientific name (genus and species) then you can put that. If you arent quite sure, just give the earthy name.potential Relative APossible Relative B joust rock rabbitManatees5. For the closest EXTANT relatives, what characteristic(s) of that anima l or its habitat led you choose it as probable closest relative? (consider geographical location, size, anatomy, behavior etc). Be specific.Characteristics of Animal ACharacteristics of Animal B-found across Africa and the middle(a) East-typic every last(predicate)y live in groups-has a prominent distich of long, pointed tusk-like hurrying incisors -In males, the testes are permanently abdominal-thick, wrinkled grate-Females have ii teats, one infra each flipper- teething growing at the rear are continuously replaced end-to-end lifeNow to the science keep abreast the link below to read about some of the extinct relatives of elephantshttp//palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/Palaeofiles/Elephants/firstelephants.html6. How were the phenotypes of ancient proboscideans divers(prenominal) from those of extant elephants?The ancient proboscideans differ from those of extant elephants because they have multiple pairs of molars and premolars, they do not possess tusks, and they retain canines on the upper jaw.7. ground on the information in the web-site, where did the early proboscideans evolve? The early proboscideans evolved from Africa.to a greater extent derived proboscideans (not ancient, but not extant either) in any case had a actually different geographic distribution than elephants todayhttp//palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/Palaeofiles/Elephants/extinct_taxa.html http//palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/Palaeofiles/Elephants/mammoths.html8. Which localities seem most surprising and why?North and south America because these locations were once abundant with these animals, such as mastodons, while having most of the animals formulate from the other side of the world.9. Identify 4 synapomorphies that are shared mingled with every last(predicate) of these extinct and extant taxa.1.Tusks2.Incisors and molar teeth3.Trunk4.Four column-like legsMolecular phylogenesisIn extant species, relationships can also be reconstructed establish on DNA Think back to your better(p) guesses of the closest EXTANT relatives of the modern elephants.Look at the .pdf named Afrotheria. The phylogeny described in this paper is based on molecular(a) data ( resemblingities in DNA sequences)10. Based on that phylogeny, write in the child taxon (taxon A) to Proboscidea. Give the dress name.taxonomic group A or Sirenia Proboscidea11. Write in the taxon (taxon B) that is child to the clade composed of (Proboscidea + Taxon A). Give formal nameTaxon B orTaxon A Proboscidea order Hyracoidea12. Perform an internet search for these two taxa and recover out their common names. What are their common names? Describe each. The common name for Sirenia is sea Cow. Sea cows are fully aquatic, anthophilous mammals that appear fat. They have forelimbs used for guide and a tail used for paddling. The common name for Hyracoidea are hyraxes. Hyraxes are well-furred animals with short tails and have unforesightful internal temperature regulation.What was your thought/reaction upon discove ring what these creatures are? My thought reaction was how can animals that hang nothing alike be similar to an elephant if they visually look different.Believe it or not, there are morphological (phenotypic) similarities as well as dietary and behavioral similarities in the midst of all of these taxa. BEFORE molecular data was available, scientists already suspected that these groups were fast related. The DNA evidence only helped to keep the relationships. Well do more on that in a moment.13. Search the web to find at least two non-molecular synapomorphies between each of your modern taxa and the elephants (be specific)Animal 1 nameRock HyraxesRock Hyraxes are furry and have the soles of the feet with large, fragile pads that are kept moist. Manatees have larrup like flippers and a automobile horn.Animal 2 nameManatees14. Which of the features you listed are more in all probability to stand up in the fossil establish? Explain why.Most presumable to survive in the fossi l record is the snout because it consists of the bones of the jaw which are very good for becoming fossils.15. Which are less(prenominal) likely? Explain why.Less likely are the fur, soft pads at the feet, and the paddle-like flippers because all are more prone to putrefy rapidly because of being soft structures. The flippers are also more prone to not preserving quickly therefore eaten or small down by aerobic microbes.Now for moleculesTo see the actual molecular data used to create the phylogeny you saw, select the .pdf named mammoth and sea cow.16. Go to page 409. Dots mean the base pair (A, C, T or G) is the same as is listed in the taxon thats at the top (this saves ink). Now canvass the sequences for the African elephant and the Asian elephant in just the top row of page 409.How numerous molecular differences do you see in the sequence shown?There are 8 molecular difference in the sequence.How numerous molecular differences do you count between the African elephant and th e hyrax?There are 11 molecular differences between the African elephant and the hyrax.17. Based on anatomy merely (without the molecular evidence), would you have guessed that the animals in photos in a higher place represented the closest living relatives of elephants? wherefore or why not?Honestly, based on the anatomy alone, I would not have guessed that the animals represent close relatives of the elephants because of the physical anatomical characteristic they have. Most animals can have similar anatomy with dainty differences that contribute to their survival in an environment. Initially, I thought that the animals had similar characteristics only because of natural selection and adaptation of their environment not because of their common ancestor. This shows how molecular evidence can really help in comprehend what animals belong in what lineages.