This course is a comparative survey of the anatomy of the phylum Chordata. Lectures cover morphological variation and adaptive radiation in various anatomical and organ systems among living and fossil groups of vertebrates. The laboratory emphasizes comparative anatomy through student dissections and drawings of the lamprey, shark, and cat with additional demonstration material from a variety of other vertebrate groups. The large amount of material that will be presented for your comprehension forms the foundation for a sound understanding of vertebrate evolution and diversity.

REQUIRED ITEMS

Preserved specimens and notes are to be purchased from the Department. In the laboratory, students will dissect a lamprey, a shark, and a cat in two person teams. Thus, each pair of students will share the cost of the specimens (one lamprey + one shark + one cat). Lecture outlines and handouts are available for purchase as well and can be picked up at Irvine 108 (with paid receipt).

All specimens will remain in the laboratories and all specimens and parts thereof will be removed by Animal Holding personnel for disposal at the end of the quarter. Specimens may be checked out for at-home study under the following conditions. Removal of specimens is agreed upon by all members of the lab group (this is a shared resource). Disputes or disagreements will be resolved by the lab instructor. Specimens should be transported in an opaque plastic bag and returned the next lab period. They are not for public display or a source for pranks or any other misuse. Any reported instance of misuse will result in loss of these privileges for everyone in the course. All specimens will be returned for use in each midterm (usually by 7:00PM the day before the midterm).

Attendance of the lectures is strongly urged, but ultimately is at the discretion of the student. Missing lectures will hurt your course grade, not by direct penalization, but by compromising your comprehension of the extensive material covered in class. Laboratory attendance is mandatory.

Final course grades will be based on the following percentages:

Midterm lecture exam 20%

Midterm lab practical 20%

Lab sketch book (5 unannounced spot checks) 5%

5 announced lab quizzes (best of 6 or 7) 15%

Final lab practical 20%

Final lecture exam 20%

Lecture exams will cover material from the text (as assigned only), lecture, handouts and lab material using primarily a multiple choice and true/false format. The final lecture exam will not be cumulative. Lab practical exams will consist of identification of tagged structures and questions on dissected specimens of chordates, models or skeletons. The final laboratory practical exam will be cumulative although no structures will be labeled on animals from the first midterm. Students must keep a "lab sketch book" by drawing and labeling anatomical material assigned during each lab period. Fifteen percent of the course grade will be determined by 5 (of 6 or 7) announced quizzes in laboratory. An additional five percent of the course grade will be determined by 5 unannounced "spot checks" of the sketch books when they will be collected at the end of lab period and scored as 0, 0.5 or 1 for coverage and terminology. Letter grades for the course will be A = 90%, B = 80%, C = 70%, D = 60%, F = below 60% of total possible points. Remember that your performance in the course is what determines your grade, so get serious, get to work, get in study groups with classmates, and get on the stick immediately!

In the event of illness or other legitimate absence, lecture exams will be made up at a time convenient to the instructor and the student. Conflicts with the final lecture exam will be resolved in accordance with the guidelines in the Winter Course Schedule (page 28). There will be no make-ups for the laboratory practicals or the spot checks of the lab sketch book.

The OU Student Code of Conduct prohibits all forms of academic dishonesty including "cheating and plagiarism". Academic misconduct (cheating or permitting another student to cheat) during exams will result in an F in the course and/or referral of the case to the Director of University Judiciaries with the possible penalty of dismissal from the University.

The following schedule is flexible. Topics may be truncated, expanded, added, or eliminated due to a variety of factors. Required reading assignments from the text are indicated as chapter numbers in parentheses and will provide background for the lectures.

Jan. 4: Intro., terminology, concepts & survey of vertebrates I. (Ch. 1-3)

Jan. 6: Survey of vertebrates II. (Ch. 4)

Jan. 11: Vertebrate development. (Ch. 5)

Jan. 13: The integumentary system. (Ch. 6)

Jan. 18: Mineralized tissues & introduction to the skeleton (Ch. 7)

Jan. 20: Skull and visceral skeleton. (Ch. 9)

Jan. 25: Vertebrae and axial skeleton. (Ch. 8)

Jan. 27: Appendicular skeleton & intro. to muscles. (Ch. 10, 11)

Feb. 1: Muscles. (Ch. 11)

Feb. 3: Dr. Cartmill, "The Evolution of Bipedality in Humans"

Feb. 3 cont: Digestive system. (Ch. 12, NOT INCLUDED ON FIRST MIDTERM)

Feb. 8: MIDTERM LECTURE EXAM: 20% of final grade (Bentley 236)

Feb. 10: Urogenital system (Ch. 15)

Feb. 15: Respiratory & circulatory systems I. (Ch. 13, 14)

Feb. 17: Respiratory & circulatory systems II. (Ch. 13, 14)

Feb. 22: Respiratory & circulatory systems III. (Ch. 13, 14)

Feb. 24: Nervous systems (Ch. 16)

Feb. 29: Nervous systems & endocrine systems (Ch. 16, 18)

Mar. 2: Sensory (Ch. 17)

Mar. 7: Vertebrate segmentation

Mar. 9: Review

The following schedule is flexible. Topics may be truncated, expanded, added, or eliminated due to a variety of factors. Laboratory exercises to be covered in each lab are indicated in parentheses. Students are required to read the assigned exercises PRIOR to lab to provide sufficient time for the dissection and sketching of structures during the lab period. Sketch book assignments will be posted during each lab. Various additional dissections of other vertebrate species (perch, frog, salamander metamorphosis, snake, turtle, lizard, bird, & rabbit) also may be presented in lab.

Week 1

Jan. 5: W: Hemichordates & Protochordates (Chapter 1) and Lamprey (Chapter 2).

F: External anatomy: lamprey, shark, cat (Chapter 3). Start skull lab.

Week 2

Jan. 12: W: Head skeleton: Amia, turtle, alligator, cat (Chapter 4).

F: Trunk skeleton: shark, Necturus, cat (Chapter 5).

Week 3

Jan. 19: W: Muscles: shark & cat (Chapter 6).

Week 4

Jan. 26: W: Muscles continued.

F: Muscles continued.

Week 5

Feb. 2: W: Review.

Week 6

Feb. 9: W: Digestive & respiratory systems: shark & cat (Chapter 10).

F: Excretory and reproductive systems (Chapter 12).

Week 7

Feb. 16: W: Circulation: shark, cat, sheep heart: shark & cat (Chapter 11)

F: Circulation continued.

Week 8

Feb. 23: W: Circulation continued.

F: Circulation continued.

Week 9

Mar. 1: W: Sense organs (Chapter 8)and nervous system (Chapter 9): shark & cat.

F: Sense organs and nervous system continued.

Week 10

Mar. 8: W: Review.