Life on Earth Worksheet Essay

Taxa to explore Elephants.1. Review terms ( lay aside definitions for these terms) survivingSpecies, families, or groups still in existenceExtinctSpecies, families, or groups no longer in existence, end or died out Genotype contagious make-up of an organismPhenotypePhysical attributes of an organism, observable or measurable traits Synapomorphy overlap characteristic that ar inherited from most recent cat valium forerunnerBackground at that place be three existing species of elephant Elaphas maximus (Asian elephants), genus genus Loxodonta africana (African elephants), and Loxodonta cyclotis (African forest elephants). Their taxonomic hierarchy is as followsKingdom animal kingdomPhylum phylum Chorselective informationClass MammaliaOrder genus ProboscideaFamily ElephantidaeGenus ElaphasSpecies maximusKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder ProboscideaFamily ElephantidaeGenus LoxodontaSpecies africanaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder ProboscideaFamil y ElephantidaeGenus LoxodontaSpecies cyclotis2. Collect an image of each species. You will hive away these as a part of your assignment. (see full assignment instructions)3. projecting at these pictures, can you think of any EXTINCT animal or animals that efficacy be a close relative of modern font elephants? List it/them below. If you chicane the scientific name (genus and species) thusly you can put that. If you arent quite an sure, just give the greenness name.Mammoth4. at once think closely EXTANT taxa. Identify 2 animals that you might expect to be the ambient 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 leafy vegetable name.Possible Relative APossible Relative B leaning HyraxManatees5. For the impendent EXTANT relatives, what characteristic(s) of that animal or its habitat lead you choose it as probable closest relative? (consider geographic lo cation, size, variant, bearing etc). Be specific.Characteristics of Animal ACharacteristics of Animal B-found across Africa and the midsection East-typically live in groups-has a prominent pair of long, pointed tusk-like amphetamine incisors -In males, the testes are permanently abdominal-thick, wrinkled skin-Females have ii teats, one under each flipper-teeth growing at the plagiarise are continuously replaced throughout lifeNow to the science draw 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 diverse from those of extant elephants?The ancient proboscideans differ from those of extant elephants because they have aggregate pairs of zeps and premolars, they do not possess tusks, and they retain canines on the upper jaw.7. base on the information in the sack up-site, where did the early proboscideans evolve? The early proboscidean s evolved from Africa. to a greater extent derived proboscideans (not ancient, but not extant either) also had a very 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 wherefore?North and South America because these locations were once abundant with these animals, such as mastodons, while having most of the animals originate fromthe other side of the world.9. Identify 4 synapomorphies that are shared between ALL 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 based on deoxyribonucleic acid Think back to your best 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 data ( sameities in DNA sequences)10. Based on that phylogeny, write in the babe taxon (taxon A) to Proboscidea. Give the formal name.Taxon A or Sirenia Proboscidea11. Write in the taxon (taxon B) that is sister to the clade composed of (Proboscidea + Taxon A). Give formal nameTaxon B orTaxon A Proboscidea order Hyracoidea12. Perform an lucre search for these two taxa and find out their common names. What are their common names? Describe each.The common name for Sirenia is ocean Cow. Sea cows are fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that appear fat. They have forelimbs utilise for steering and a tail used for paddling. The common name for Hyracoidea are hyraxes. Hyraxes are well-furred animals with short tails and have poor inhering temperature regulation.What was your thought/reaction upon discovering what these creatures are? My thought reaction was how can animals that bet nothing alike be similar to an elephant if they visually look different. recollect it or not, there are morphol ogical (phenotypic) similarities as well as dietary and behavioral similarities between all of these taxa. BEFORE molecular data was available, scientists already suspected that these groups were closely related. The DNA evidence only helped to affirm 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, soft pads that are kept moist. Manatees have seesaw like flippers and a snout.Animal 2 nameManatees14. Which of the features you listed are more likely to survive in the fossil record? Explain why. approximately likely to survive in the fossil record is the snout because it consists of the study 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-lik e flippers because all are more prone to decay rapidly because of creation soft structures. The flippers are also more prone to not preserving readily therefore eaten or broken 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 rapscallion 409. Dots soused 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 study the sequences for the African elephant and the Asian elephant in just the top row of page 409.How many molecular differences do you see in the sequence shown?There are 8 molecular difference in the sequence.How many molecular differences do you count between the African elephant and the hyrax?There are 11 molecular differences between the African elephant and the hyrax.17. Based on skeletal system alone (without the molecular evidence), would you have guessed that the animals in photos above represented the closest living relatives of elephants? Why 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 personal anatomical characteristic they have. Most animals can have similar anatomy with slight 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 becauseof their common ancestor. This shows how molecular evidence can really help in see what animals belong in what lineages.