Biology 3315 Assignment 1

For this assignment, read these two articles:

The Origin of Animal Body Plans by Erwin et al. (1997). You will find a copy of this article at:http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Sciences/Paleontology/Paleozoology/OriginofAnimal/OriginofAnimal.htm.

In Search of Vertebrate Origins: Beyond Brain and Bone (2000) found at: http://www.carlzimmer.com/articles/2000/articles_2000_6.html

 

By reading these article and referring to your textbook, answer the following questions. Your answers should be in two, typewritten pages. This assignment is due at the beginning of LAB on Wednesday, 08 September 2004 (10 pts).

 

1) What is meant by the term "Cambrian Explosion". At what sites (geographical locations) are fossils of the Cambrian explosion found?

 

2) What are homeobox and Hox genes and why are they important?

 

3) Which invertebrate taxa are most closely related to the vertebrates? What data support this hypothesis of relationships?

 

4) What major concepts/ideas were new to you? What did you learn about the nature of science by reading these papers? How do biologists test hypotheses about the evolution of the vertebrates?