For example, all slender body, very long tail lizards live in grasses and bushes. The film focuses on a closely related group of lizards called anoles. The film is part of the biointeractive series of resources for science teachers and students. This activity supports the film the origin of species. A combination of wild caught and museum specimens was used to estimate horizontal body center of mass bcom hori among lizard species. Pdf the molecular evolutionary tree of lizards, snakes.
Phylostrat tutorial do the traits of organisms provide. Lizards in an evolutionary tree cara larracas, stacy lopez, takara yaegashi period 4. During the remainder of his life charles darwin continued his research, publishing three additional books on explicitly evolutionary topics, and other books on topics including climbing plants. Pdf charles darwins origin of species, directional. Lizards in an evolutionary tree, featuring jonathan losos.
In module 1, you identified which species of lizards were most similar to one another based on relative limb length and toe pad size. Size varies greatly, from geckos of a few inches or cm to the komodo dragon of 3 meters 9 feet. Ecology and adaptive radiation of anolesis the tenth volume in the university of california presss series on organisms and environments, whose unifying themes are the diversity of plants and animals, the ways they interact with each other and with their surroundings, and the implications of those relationships for science and society. On the origin of species darwin manuscripts project.
Millions of species adapted to all kinds of habitats. The origin of the reptiles lies about 320310 million years ago, in the swamps of the late carboniferous period, when the first reptiles evolved from advanced reptiliomorph labyrinthodonts. Natural selection and adaptation the making of the fittest. The oldest known animal that may have been an amniote, a reptile rather than an amphibian, is casineria though it has also been argued to be a temnospondyl amphibian. The twoscale method for determining the horizontal body center of mass. Clustalx displays these sequences as shown in the illustration on the right pc version shown. Differences in limb length, body shape, and toepad size reflect adaptations to life on the ground, on thin branches, or high in the canopy. Research on these lizards is enriching our understanding of evolutionary processes, such as adaptation by natural selection, convergent evolution, and the. Most of the evolutionary links have been made and many of the mysteries and mistakes of the past have been solved and corrected with the large reptile tree.
Losos also makes the case for how critical speciesspecific natural history in formation is for understanding evolutionary processes. A phylogeny and revised classification of squamata. Losos is monique and philip lehner professor for the study of latin america in the department of organismic and evolutionary biology, and curator in herpetology at the museum of comparative zoology at harvard university. We find no history of the acceptance of such schemes in the herpetological. They build and interpret phylogenetic trees to infer how certain adaptations evolved among the anole lizard populations of the caribbean. Losos is recognized for his novel and penetrating evolutionary studies of adaptive radiation in vertebrates, notably his comprehensive study of anolis lizards in tropical america, as summarized in his recent book, lizards in an evolutionary tree. The origin of species revised march 2018 page 1 of 14 the origin of species. Lizards in an evolutionary tree, including adaptation by natural selection, convergent evolution, and the formation of new species this film describes how the more than 700 islands of the caribbean are home to about 150 species of anoles, a closely related group of lizards. Shot on location in the caribbean, losos demonstrates the traits that enable dozens of anole species to adapt to different vertical niches in the forest. Welcome to the study of reptile evolution here youll be able to trace the lineage of major clades, including the line that ultimately led to humans. On the origin of species by charles darwin but with regard to the material world, we can at least go so far as this we can perceive that events are brought about not by insulated interpositions of divine power, exerted in each particular case, but by the establishment of general laws.
Students are guided to sort the lizard species by appearance, then generate a phylogenetic tree using the lizards dna sequences to evaluate whether species that appear similar are closely related to each other. Lizards in an evolutionary tree educator materials published march 2014 updated april 2015 page 3 of 3 load these sequences into clustalx by choosing from the menu, file load sequences, and then selecting test. What could happen to a treedwelling species of lizard if all trees in an area died. On the evolutionary tree, label the vertical lines to the right, and annotate the key feature that marks each group. The short film lizards in an evolutionary tree introduces students to how new species arise.
Squamate reptiles lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians worm lizards are among the most diverse radiations of terrestrial vertebrates. Together with snakes, they make up the order squamata there are about 6,000 species, which live all over the world, except in cold climates. Therefore any set of species can eventually be traced back to a single common ancestor. Youll see where and when body parts traits became added, substracted and modified.
If you picked a body feature, speculate about the advantages or disadvantages of such a body feature in the environment. The earliest turtles known date to the late permian epoch the permian period lasted from 298. Lizards in an evolutionary tree by jonathan losos paperback. Based on the trees you colored, develop a claim whether the species that belong to the same ecomorphs or the species that live on the same islands are more closely related to each other. He is the author of lizards in an evolutionary tree. Lizards in an evolutionary tree published march 2014 updated april 2015, may 2017 page 1 of 10 educator materials using dna to explore lizard phylogeny overview this lesson serves as a supplement to the film lizards in an evolutionary tree. Natural selection and adaptation teacher materials the origin of species lizards in an evolutionary tree updated october 2014 page 1 of 17 in depth film guide description the more than 700 islands of the caribbean are home to about 150 species of anoles, a closely related group of lizards genus anolis that.
Working in the islands of the caribbean, biologist jonathan losos discovered traits that enable dozens of anole species to live in different vertical niches in the forest. J ustify your claim with several pieces of evidence from the colored phylogenetic trees. For example, jamaica only has four species of lizard, where as cuba has all six species. High up in the canopy theres a large green lizard with.
Research on these lizards is enriching our understanding of. The origin of species lizards in an evolutionary tree 4. Many of the oldest and most primitive forms not only lacked a shell but also lacked a plastron and a carapace. Origin of species lizards in an evolutionary tree film. This activity explores the concepts and research on the anole lizards discussed in the short film the origin of species. Evolutionary lineages are shown as branches on a tree diagram with the living taxa as leaves at the tips of the branches. Background information throughout the caribbean islands there is a species of anole lizards that throughout time have evolved into different sub species. Published march 2014 updated april 2015, may 2017 page 1 of 10 educator materials using dna to explore lizard phylogeny. Working in the islands of the caribbean, biologist jonathan losos has discovered the traits that enable dozens of anole species to adapt to different vertical. Recent molecular phylogenies based on proteincoding nuclear genes have challenged the classical, morphologybased concept of squamate relationships, requiring new. Based on this evolutionary tree, crocodiles are more closely related to birds than to lizards because they share a more common ancestor with the birds than with lizards.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The evolution of bipedal running w 1 w 2 l x bcom hori figure 1. One of the beststudied examples involves caribbean anolis lizards. Lizards in an evolutionary tree bob kuhn describes how he uses biointeractive resources to teach speciation to his students. Squamate reptiles lizards, snakes, amphisbaenians number approximately 8200 living species and are a major component of the worlds terrestrial vertebrate diversity. The origin of species quiz lizards in an evolutionary. Whereas living turtles are toothless, many ancestral forms possessed teeth. Page 6 of 9 teacher materials the origin of species lizards in an evolutionary tree 8. Lizards in an evolutionary tree is one of three films in hhmis origin of species collection. Explain how you grouped the lizards and your rationale for the various groupings.
In this module, you determined which lizards are more similar to one another based on what type of information. The rate of new species descriptions shows no signs of slowing, with a record 168 new species described in 2012 1, greater. An indepth look at how the work started by charles darwin is being continued and expanded upon by brilliant scientists all over the world. They range across all continents except antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. With about 400 species, anolis has played an important role in the. Lizards in an evolutionary tree handson activity student handout published march 2014 updated april 2015 page 2 of 6 2. In total 362 lizards from 124 species were measured. The origin of species, lizards in an evolutionary tree on. Lizards with similar body shape live in similar habitats. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Evolutionary history of lizards and snakes reconstructed. Prior to bcom hori measurements snout to vent length svl and the distance from the vent to the center of the pelvis, between the hip joints, was recorded. Natural selection and adaptation using dna to explore lizard phylogen updated april 2015. Select which tree in the figure illustrates the most likely hypothesis for how the different species of anole lizards evolved on the caribbean islands according to the film.
Lizards in an evolutionary tree follows harvard university evolutionary biologist jonathan losos and his colleagues as. In this activity, students explore the phenomenon of convergent evolution presented in the short film the origin of species. This film describes how the more than 700 islands of the caribbean are home to about 150 species of anoles, a closely related group of lizards genus anolis that occupy diverse habitats and niches. Would a biologist study homologous or analogous features to determine the evolutionary relationship between two species. The origin of species lizards in an evolutionary tree using dna to explore lizard phylogeny introduction the more than 700 islands of the caribbean are home to about 150 species of anoles, a closely related group of lizards genus anolis that occupy diverse habitats and niches. Lizards in an evolutionary tree film guide educator materials overview lizards in an evolutionary tree is one of three films in hhmis origin of species collection. Ecology and adaptive radiation of anoles university of california press, may 2009. Lizards in an evolutionary tree short film from hhmis biointeractive stay safe and healthy. On the origin of species by sympatric speciation nature.
In fact, another way to solve the challenge would be to use the evolving lizards window to recreate the evolutionary history of. A phylogenetic tree or evolutionary tree is a branching diagram or tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological species or other entitiestheir phylogeny f a. Two organisms are considered to belong to different species if they a. Request pdf on jan 1, 2009, jb losos published lizards in an evolutionary tree. This film describes how the more than 700 islands of the caribbean are home to about 150 species of anoles, a closely related group of lizards genus. Lizard simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Ever since darwin, understanding how so many species evolved has been a major quest of biology, and biologists like jonathan losos. Page 1 of 14 different types of habitats and niches. The film focuses on a closely related group of lizards called anoles genus anolis that live in the caribbean islands. The diversity of animals on our planet is breathtaking. Lizards in an evolutionary tree request pdf researchgate. The molecular evolutionary tree of lizards, snakes, and. This book was just awarded the daniel giraud elliot medal by the national academy of sciences. Adaptive radiation, which results when a single ancestral species gives rise to many descendants, each adapted to a different part of the environment.
645 983 156 50 936 1208 1112 214 1110 613 1104 306 1146 1414 1128 772 197 1477 497 1024 957 867 137 921 338 1390 628 947 1368 289 937 1328 356 561 929 249 936 1115 646 919