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A Prospectus for BIOL228 Organismal Biology Basic Information A prospectus for BIOL228 Organismal Biology Basic information • BIOL228 and 229 succeed 208 (Animal Structure and Function) and 210 (Plant Structure and Function) • Both new units to be offered in S1 2017 • Prereqs are 114 and 115 • 208's enrolment in S1 2016 was > 150 Handbook description "This unit explores the biological diversity of plants and animals. Relationships between structure and function are emphasised. The unit also discusses how organisms have adapted to specific environments. There is a strong emphasis on evolutionary processes and how these have generated biological diversity. A comparative approach is taken, with adaptation discussed in the context of evolutionary trees and the fossil record. The unit is suitable for students interested in organismal biology, science education, and research." Handbook description "This unit explores the biological diversity of plants and animals. Relationships between structure and function are emphasised. The unit also discusses how organisms have adapted to specific environments. There is a strong emphasis on evolutionary processes and how these have generated biological diversity. A comparative approach is taken, with adaptation discussed in the context of evolutionary trees and the fossil record. The unit is suitable for students interested in organismal biology, science education, and research." Program-level learning outcomes 1. Explain the theory of evolution and why it can be regarded as the central unifying concept in biology 2. Compare and contrast form and function of key biological units at sub-cellular to ecosystem scales 3. Describe key features of the Australian biota and the processes that have given rise to these 4. Evaluate historical developments in biology, as well as current and contemporary research directions and challenges Unit-specific learning outcomes 1. Define the rules of naming species and naming groups of species at different taxonomic levels 2. Given examples of individual organisms that belong to the major animal and plant groups 3. Identify the key anatomical traits used to diagnose the major groups 4. Explain how these traits are linked to the success of different organisms in solving problems posed by diverse environments 5. Prepare experimental findings in the format of a scientific publication and read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature Assessments • Weekly online quizzes (30%) • 1000 word written assignment based on primary literature (25%) • 500 word practical report based on analysis of collected data (15%) • Final exam (30%) Organismal Biology textbook 1 Plant taxonomy 10 Sponges 18 Deuterostomes 2 Bacteria, Archaea, viruses 11 Cnidarians 19 Chordates 3 Protista 12/13 Minor lophotrochozoans 20 Fishes 4 Fungi 14 Molluscs 21 Amphibians 5 Bryophytes 15 Annelids 22 "Reptiles" 6 Ferns 16 Minor ecdysozoans 23 Birds 7 Gymnosperms 17 Arthropods 24 Mammals 8/9 Angiosperms Compilation coordinated with McGraw Hill Education Sources: 1 – 9 Bidlack et al. (2013), Stern's Introductory Plant Biology 10 – 24 Hickman et al. (2015), Animal Diversity Organismal Biology lectures 1 Introduction 10 Molluscs 19 Cartilaginous fishes 2 Evolution 11 Minor deuterostomes 20 Bony fishes 3 Microbes 12 Marine arthropods 21 Amphibians 4 Plant evolution 13 Ferns 22 "Reptiles" 5 Cyanobacteria 14 Gymnosperms 23 Birds 6 Algae 15 Angiosperms I 24 Mammals 7 Mosses and liverworts 16 Angiosperms II 25 Human evolution 8 Porifera and Cnidaria 17 Angiosperms III 26 Summary 9 Minor "worm" phyla 18 Terrestrial arthropods Nine lectures to be given by Brian Atwell 1 Introduction 10 Molluscs 19 Cartilaginous fishes 2 Evolution 11 Minor deuterostomes 20 Bony fishes 3 Microbes 12 Marine arthropods 21 Amphibians 4 Plant evolution 13 Ferns 22 "Reptiles" 5 Cyanobacteria 14 Gymnosperms 23 Birds 6 Algae 15 Angiosperms I 24 Mammals 7 Mosses and liverworts 16 Angiosperms II 25 Human evolution 8 Porifera and Cnidaria 17 Angiosperms III 26 Summary 9 Minor "worm" phyla 18 Terrestrial arthropods Six lectures salvaged in part from 208 1 Introduction 10 Molluscs 19 Cartilaginous fishes 2 Evolution 11 Minor deuterostomes 20 Bony fishes 3 Microbes 12 Marine arthropods 21 Amphibians 4 Plant evolution 13 Ferns 22 "Reptiles" 5 Cyanobacteria 14 Gymnosperms 23 Birds 6 Algae 15 Angiosperms I 24 Mammals 7 Mosses and liverworts 16 Angiosperms II 25 Human evolution 8 Porifera and Cnidaria 17 Angiosperms III 26 Summary 9 Minor "worm" phyla 18 Terrestrial arthropods Eight lectures related to my previous teaching 1 Introduction 10 Molluscs 19 Cartilaginous fishes 2 Evolution 11 Minor deuterostomes 20 Bony fishes 3 Microbes 12 Marine arthropods 21 Amphibians 4 Plant evolution 13 Ferns 22 "Reptiles" 5 Cyanobacteria 14 Gymnosperms 23 Birds 6 Algae 15 Angiosperms I 24 Mammals 7 Mosses and liverworts 16 Angiosperms II 25 Human evolution 8 Porifera and Cnidaria 17 Angiosperms III 26 Summary 9 Minor "worm" phyla 18 Terrestrial arthropods Nine practicals (same as 208) Three new plant pracs to be organised by Brian Atwell One entirely new prac (butterfly systematics) Salvageable in part from BIOL381: • One plant prac (leaf morphology) • One invert prac (body plans) • One vertebrate prac (skull allometry) Salvageable in part from BIOL208: • One invert prac (arthropod diversity) • One vertebrate prac (skulls and dentition) Lecture extract: Onychophora What is the phylum Onychophora? • Also called velvet worms • Belongs to the Ecdysozoa, and within that Panarthropoda • Resemblance to worms and centipedes superficial • Small radiation (2 families; 180 species + many undescribed) • Fossil record goes back to the Cambrian (Hallucinigenia) • Primarily tropical and Gondwanan distribution Australia and New Zealand are centers of onychophoran diversity! Reid (1996) Allwood et al. (2009) How Onychophora fits into the early panarthropod fossil record Smith and Ortega-Hernández (2014) Molecular data also place Onychophora within Panarthropoda Rota-Stabelli et al. (2011) Onychophoran biology • Segmented, but it's hard to tell • Simple eyes and antennae • Specialised slime gland • Appendages (lobopods) are unjointed and clawed • Moulted, hydrostatic skeleton with spiracles, tracheae • Often spectaculary coloured • Viviparous Onychophoran anatomy.
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  • Onychophora, Peripatidae) Feeding on a Theraphosid Spider (Araneae, Theraphosidae)
    2009. The Journal of Arachnology 37:116–117 SHORT COMMUNICATION First record of an onychophoran (Onychophora, Peripatidae) feeding on a theraphosid spider (Araneae, Theraphosidae) Sidclay C. Dias and Nancy F. Lo-Man-Hung: Museu Paraense Emı´lio Goeldi, Laborato´rio de Aracnologia, C.P. 399, 66017-970, Bele´m, Para´, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract. A velvet worm (Peripatus sp., Peripatidae) was observed and photographed while feeding on a theraphosid spider, Hapalopus butantan (Pe´rez-Miles, 1998). The present note is the first report of an onychophoran feeding on ‘‘giant’’ spider. Keywords: Prey behavior, velvet worm, spider Onychophorans, or velvet worms, are organisms whose behavior on the floor forests (pers. obs.). Onychophorans are capable of preying remains poorly understood due to their cryptic lifestyle (New 1995) on animals their own size, although the quantity of glue used in an attack and by the fact they are rare in the Neotropics (Mcglynn & Kelley increases up to about 80% of the total capacity for larger prey (Read & 1999). Consequently reports on hitherto unknown aspects of the Hughes 1987). It may be that encounters with larger prey items, such as biology and life history of onychophorans are urgently needed. that observed by us, are more common than previously supposed. Onychophorans are almost all carnivores that prey on small invertebrates such as snails, isopods, earth worms, termites, and other ACKNOWLEDGMENTS small insects (Hamer et al. 1997). They are widely distributed in Thanks to G. Machado (USP), T.A. Gardner (Universidade southern hemisphere temperate regions and in the tropics (Reinhard Federal de Lavras), and C.A.
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    The early amber caught the wormª A 100 million-year-old onychophoran reveals past migrations The split of the supercontinent Pangaea into southern Gondwana and northern Laurasia divided the fauna of these two regions. Therefore, the present-day occurrence of supposedly Gondwanan organisms in Laurasian-derived regions remains a puzzle of palaeobiogeographical history. We studied the oldest amber-embedded species of velvet worms (Onychophora) in order to illuminate the colonisation of Southeast Asia by Gondwanan lineages of these animals. Our results indicate that an early Eurogondwanan migration is the most likely scenario for Onychophora, while an ‘Out-of-India’ colonisation of Southeast Asia would instead be incompatible with the age of the amber fossil studied. This suggests a recent colonisation of India by onychophorans and refutes their Gondwanan relict status in this region. Burmese amber from Myanmar is known not only for its hypothesis recently named the Eurogondwana model [4]. physical beauty but also for preserving one of the richest Alternatively, since onychophorans are poor dispersers, it palaeobiota in the world, being arguably the most relevant was proposed that the Indian subcontinent acted as a raft fossil resin for studying terrestrial diversity during the mid- during its northward drift and brought Gondwanan species of Cretaceous period, approximately 100 million years ago [1]. Peripatidae to Southeast Asia after the so-called ‘India–Asia Among the most consequential organisms found in Burmese collision’, a biogeographical model commonly called ‘Out– amber is the oldest amber-embedded representative of of–India’ [5]. Accordingly, the only onychophoran species Onychophora — a small group of soft-bodied, terrestrial reported from India, Typhloperipatus williamsoni [6], is invertebrates pivotal for understanding animal evolution and putatively described as being a Gondwanan relict that survived biogeography.
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