Learning from the Fossil Record

Learning from the Fossil Record

Learning from the Fossil Record

Grade 8 Science

Name: Colette Gilbert

Date: May 11, 2011

Related Organisms Web Quest

  1. Click on link
  2. Click on Student Start
  3. Follow the directions to go through the web quest.
  4. During or when finished with the web quest complete Parts A , B, and C below.

PART A

  1. What is a cladogram?

A cladogram is a diagram used to organize how scientists thought species of living things were/are related.

  1. Draw a cladogram with a frog, cow and horse correctly placed.

3. Please circle the answer that best completes this statement: A "common ancestor" is:

  1. One that is very commonly seen in the fossil record.
  2. One that is shared by two or more organisms.
  3. One that has no distinguishing features and is therefore very "common."

4. Read the following statements then answer the question below.

  1. All organisms inherit their features from their ancestors.
  2. Organisms resemble their most recent ancestors more closely than distant ancestors.
  3. Over time evolution occurs and new features appear.

Which of these statements are accurate?

  1. A and C.
  2. B and C.
  3. All of the above.
  4. None of the above.

5. Examine the following diagram and the statements that follow.

Statements:

  1. Crocodiles are more closely related to squirrels than to frippities.
  2. Frippities share a more recent ancestor with Triceratops than with Pigeons.
  3. Frippities probably laid eggs.
  4. All of these animals share the same ancestor.

Which of the statements are accurate?

  1. A and C.
  2. B and D.
  3. C and D.
  4. A, B, C, and D.

PART B

Examine the questions below. For at least two of the questions:

  1. Decide if it is possible to answer the question with the data provided (the cladogram and data tables).
  2. If it is not possible, what information is needed to be able to answer the question?
  3. If it is possible, what kind of hypothesis would you make? What is the evidence for your statement? In your justification, make sure that you include information about common ancestors and shared inherited features. What other evidence would you look for that would support or refute your hypothesis?

Questions:

  • Did T. Rex have an amniotic egg?
  • Was T. Rex warm-blooded or cold-blooded?
  • Could T. Rex have had feathers?
  • Did T. Rex have color vision?
  • How many chambers were there in T. Rex's heart?
  • Did T. Rex Sing to its offspring?

The information below will assist with this assignment.

Cladogram

Below is a simple cladogram indicating the proposed relationship among the caiman, parrot, and T. Rex.

Additional data

This data table indicates the presence or absence of eleven additional features for the caiman and the parrot. Notice that the information about the T. Rex has not been filled in. You will need to make that determination based upon what you have learned.

I think it is possible to determine If the T. rex was cold-blooded because of its ancestors/relatives. My hypothesis would be that the T. rex would be warm-blooded because the relative to it is a bird, which are warm-blooded creatures. Since the T. rex and the parrot have the same amount of fingers on each hand, vertebrae, body skeleton, opening in front of the eyes on the skull, no heel bone, and bipedal, it probably also has the same type of blood, warm-blooded.

I think it is also possible to answer whether or not the T. rex have feathers. I also think since the T. rex is like the parrot, it would be the same. Since birds have feathers, I would also think the Tyrannosaurs Rex would have feathers, even if it were too big to fly. Since the T. rex and the parrot have the same amount of fingers on each hand, vertebrae, body skeleton, opening in front of the eyes on the skull, no heel bone, and bipedal, it probably also has the same skin, which has feathers on top of it.

PART C

Answer this question in RASE format.

How can we use fossils to understand if two or more organisms are related?

We can use fossils to understand how/if two or more organisms are related by their physical characteristics. If two mammals like the parrot and Tyrannosaurus Rex were found, you can see how both have the same amount of fingers on each hand, vertebrae, body skeleton, opening in front of the eyes on the skull, no heel bone, and bipedal, you can infer that these two mammals are related to some extent. If they have similar characteristics, could be related. If they have nothing in common, than they can’t possibly be related.

  • Similarities in traits“reason why we did this”
  • Fossil layers
  • Common ancestor“reason why we did this”

Location doesn’t indicate how close animals are related to each other

1

Top View