Journey Through Vertebrate Evolution 10th Grade Living Environment WebQuest Heather Flaxman EDU 505 March 25, 2011

Introduction Evolution is a core concept to understanding biology, it allows us to better understand the relationships and connections among all disciples of biology. The Theory of Evolution was best described by Charles Darwin, the Father of Evolution. Evolution works on the basis of four postulates (assumptions) Postulate 1 - Individual members of a population differ from one another in many respects. Postulate 2 - At least some of the differences among members of a population are due to characteristics that may be passed from parent to offspring. That is, they are heritable or genetic. Postulate 3 - In each generation, some individuals in a population survive and reproduce successfully but others do not. Postulate 4 - The fate of individuals is not determined by luck. Instead, an individual's likelihood of survival and reproduction depends on its characteristics. Individuals with advantageous traits survive longest and leave the most offspring, a process known as Natural Selection.

Although it is hard to imagine, even the vertebrate body plan (anything with a backbone including us) went under many changes before mammals, which humans are a part of, came to be. In this WebQuest you will go on your own journey through time to explore how far the we vertebrates have come in the last 500 million years since the first vertebrate fish swam the oceans.

Your Task You are a reporter who was commissioned to be the first person, ever, to travel back in time and report on the physical advances made as vertebrates evolved. Travel back from early jawless fish, through mammal-like reptile, dinosaurs, early mammals, birds, the first homonids, and back to present. Take note of each evolved adaptations; save pictures and information for your favorite prehistoric vertebrates at each level of advance to report back to the class in your own Power Point slide show.

Include information about The new Classes of animals with an example of your favorite species in each: what made them different from the simpler body plan and how might this have helped them survive When these animals lived, why they might have died out and if any are still alive I will provide websites that you will explore to find the information you need, don’t forget to click through all the links on each page, have fun and do not be afraid to look further if you find something that really interests you!

Time Machine Malfunction Oops, it looks like we found went a little far to the “Cambrian Explosion” 540 Million Years ago What is the Burgess Shale, and what did animals look like before the first Vertebrates? Burgess Shale http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Paleobiology/CambrianExplosion.htm Oceans 540 Million Years Ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTYjLFIhQDM&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e23yrMHOzho&feature=related Anomalocaris http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoL_142abXU&feature=related Hallucigenia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Io0Z_q91kE

485-350 Million Years Ago Jawless Fish (Class Agnatha) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83jiKoKECR4 http://seapics.com/feature-subject/fish/lamprey-pictures.html Armored Fish (Class Placodermi) http://petrifiedwoodmuseum.org/SOPlacodermi.htm http://www.palaeos.org/Placodermi http://animal.discovery.com/videos/animal-armageddon-bothriopelis.html http://animal.discovery.com/videos/animal-armageddon-dunkleosteus.html http://animal.discovery.com/videos/animal-armageddon-acanthodian.html Cartilaginous Fish (Class Chondrichthyes)