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Video Worksheet Great Trans
Video Worksheet Great Trans
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Focus on 3 great transformations: A. Evolution of whales B. Evolution of Tetrapods C. Evolution of Animal Body plans
One early, important fossil nd (in Pakistan in the 1980s) was the wolf-like skull of a terrestrial organism. Why was this fossil important to the study of whale evolution?
Seeking transitional forms What transition was Gingerich seeking to document in the Sahara?
Organic Evolution!
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Why did Gingerich seek transitional forms in a particular part of the Sahara Desert? (The geologic history of this area is the key)
What did Gingerich discover about Basilosaurus which was not previously known?
What were the 3 major changes in body plan in the transition series leading to whales?
B. Evolution of Tetrapods Life evolved in the sea. This section concerns how, where and when the transition to land began. The focus is on tetrapod evolution. Tetrapods are animals with 4 limbs (e.g., amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals). The presence of 4 limbs in all of these organisms suggests an early common ancestor with 4 limbs. Why did the fossil of an aquatic animal with a tetrapod shoulder contradict old hypotheses about tetrapod evolution?
Organic Evolution!
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Clack discovered the most complete tetrapod skeleton found to date. What key features of this skeleton supported her new hypothesis?
C. Evolution of Animal Body plans What was the Cambrian explosion (570 mya)?
Genetic basis of body plan evolution Fossils record changes in animal body plans over time. This section focuses on how these changes may have occurred. Organisms show pattern of repeating segments, and there are sometimes errors or repetition of segments. Batesons early studies of body plans focused on developmental errors where body parts developed in the wrong place. What did these developmental errors suggest?
Levine & McGinnis tested Lewis hypothesis using the Antennapedia gene in Drosophila. What did their new technique demonstrate?
Organic Evolution!
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