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Friday, March 8, 2024

FOSSIL LAB

 We will go over these slides on GEOLOGICAL TIME

And this is some background info on how fossils are formed. please do this worksheet    using the link here for finding the answers

HERE IS A SECOND LINK

This is 10 marks

Geological Time Lab

USE THE DRAWING PAPER AND MAKE COLOUR AND INK DRAWINGS OF SPECIMENS



Station 1 . ROW 1 THREE drawings  

Draw TWO samples of SANDSTONE 
DRAW ONE SAMPLE OF SHALE

  Answer the following questions
1.  How is sandstone formed?  Explain how a fossil might be formed in Sandstone
2.  How is shale  formed?  Explain how a fossil can form in shale

Station 2.  Known Fossils  THREE DRAWINGS 
A.  COMPARATIVE TEACHING COLLECTION ROW 2
Photograph all  fossils summarize their descriptions 

MAKE ONE DRAWING which includes  one fossil and one modern day equivalent.   Label the drawings with the descriptions shown

B.  FOSSIL BOX and fossil bucket.  ROW 3   Identify 7 and MAKE TWO DRAWINGS
1. photograph  7 fossils from this box and identify them.
2. Make two drawings consisting of: 
a.  a careful drawing of ONE FOSSIL from the box.
b. a drawing of the actual organism that  it came from using an internet search.  
c.   Tell me what era it came from as well as its environmental conditions.  for example, if your fossil is a SHARK TOOTH, then the organism it comes from is a SHARK and it's environment is marine. So your drawing in section 2B b is a drawing of a shark in its marine environment.

Station 3. ROW 4  UNKNOWN FOSSILS. 3 DRAWINGS 
 Choose 3 to draw
CHOOSE 3 fossils to identify.  photograph them and give evidence that you can identify the fossil using the known fossils. 


EVALUATION.   60 marks total



lab portion total 60 marks 
50-60 marks - you photograph all the fossils and you make drawings 
 3 drawings for station 1
3 drawings for station 2 and 
3 drawings for station 3. 
 You complete all your observations.    

30-45 - you completed all the drawings and it is not in colour .  Your drawings look great.  Or, you have beautiful drawings but did not complete all the drawings for each station.  

10-30 - This looks great and you need to complete the work
0-9 - this work is incomplete. 

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

How Evolutionary Change Occurs

  review these intro notes on evolution,   If time, look at the notes on


Watch the videos below on speciation





ASSIGNMENT

DO TWO TASKS
1. WRITE A SUMMARY OF HOW SPECIATION OCCURS, WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.
Review THE BIRD video on the steps of speciation and take notes on this, outlining the steps. Also read "How evolutionary change occurs" as a reference
2.  NEXT, write a summary of the human evolution video
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/video/human-origin-101/







Here's the crash course discribing Darwin's journey on the Beagle


Evaluation out of 20 
 18-20    Your summary is brilliant, creative and in a visual format. It is complete and shows that you understand the concepts

14-16.   Your summary is very well done and is complete. You show that you understand the concepts

10-12.  Your work is good so far and needs to be completed

Friday, March 1, 2024

Evolution introduction

  Take a look at the Evolution power point and do the lab exercise at the end:

Evolution powerpoint

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Group Trip Safety Plan

 Create a trip safety plan 

1.  Names of group members, including cell phone numbers and Emergency contact and their numbers
  Ensure consent forms are handed in 
2.  Name of group leader
3.  Draw a map of the destination 
4.  Make a detailed trip plan including the itinerary 
  a. how will you meet your group
  b. where will you meet
  c. timing 
  
5.  On your map of the destination colour code our route
6.  What hazards are to be found ?  how do we mitigate those hazards?
7.  What if a group member goes missing during our trip, what is your group response?

20 marks for a completed safety plan

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Examine and Identify Vertebrate Skulls

   

  

Next we will. introduce the idea of  Using Dichotomous Keys to help identify things. 

We will use this key to do a lab on identifying mammalian skulls.  Be careful with these skulls!  They are very fragile.  We will take two periods to complete this lab.

CLASS NOTES: 
STUDY QUESTIONS TODAY:


1.  What is meant by the word "Adaptation"?
2.  Skull adaptations for predators/prey include the placement of the eyes.  Explain why eye socket anatomy is different in predator vs prey.  Give examples
3.  What teeth do predators have compared to prey?
4.  How are the skulls HOMOLOGOUS TRAITS?  What is a homologous trait?


IDENTIFICATION LAB:

Purpose:
1.  To identify a set of mammalian skulls and determine whether the animal is a predator or prey
2.  Demonstrate an ability to use a dichotomous key
3.  Draw each specimen and demonstrate your ability to observe using the skill of drawing.
4. Make conclusions about what animal this might be.  note that one of the specimens does not clearly fit the key exactly. Just try your best to identify it. 

For each specimen: 10 marks per specimen:
1.  Make a half page drawing where you measure and label parts     
5 marks - your color drawing is in ink, and  half a page and every part is labeled, and you have measured it in cm
3-4 marks, drawing is not in colour, it is in pencil, or less than half a page or some parts not labeled.  or you did not measure, or it is a rushed drawing
1-2 marks - it is incomplete

2.  observe the eye sockets and the teeth and conclude whether the skull belongs to a predator or prey
3 marks - you explain yourself very clearly and give your reasons and they seem logical
2 marks - your reasons are logical
1 - you are correct and need to provide more evidence for your point of view

3.  Take your best shot at identifying this specimen, give reasons for your conclusion.
2 marks - you are spot on!  or, if it is inconclusive, you give your best evidence for what it might be
1 mark- you are making a pretty good guess and you provide some evidence



Some useful information:
Dichotomous key for rodents
 Dichotomous Key for Mammals in the USA
Mammals of Alaska
The following quote is from
https://www.earthlife.net/mammals/teeth.html















"Teeth in mammals come in four different sorts: Incisors, Canines, Premolars and Molars. Not all mammals have all, or even any of them and the roles any particular sort of teeth play in an animal's life can be quite diverse. The arrangement of teeth in any given mammals mouth can be expressed as a 'dental formula'. This formula gives the arrangement of one side of an animal's jaw such that incisors are always written first then canines then premolars and then molars.
For humans 2123-2123 is upper and lower jaws respectively signifying 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars and 3 molars on each side in both the upper and lower jaw.


In total this adds up to 8 incisors, 4 canines, 8 premolars and 12 molars = 32 teeth in humans. Other mammals have different numbers of each sort of teeth in their upper and lower jaws. Hence Smoky Bats (family Furipteridae) have the dental formula 2123-3133 whilst Hyenas have 3141-3131 normally.



Incisors = Cutting teeth - these are the front most teeth in the jaw primarily used for the initial biting of food. They have a straight, sharp cutting edge and one root. In many Rodents they grow continually throughout the animals life, this is because they get warn down gnawing through things.
Canines = Stabbing teeth - normally only 2 pairs (one each side) per jaw. They have a sharp, pointed edge and are used with the incisors to bite into food and or to kill prey. Like incisors they have one root. The tusks of many animals such as elephants are modified canines. They are missing in rodents and most large herbivores (Perissodactyls and Artiodactyls). The gap where the canines would have been is often enlarged and is called a 'diastema'.
Premolars = Next back from the canines. They are generally similar to molars in form and function in both herbivores and omnivores, but in carnivores some of them at least are slimmer and are used to cut flesh. When they (the first lower premolar and last upper premolar) are modified like this they are called the carnassials. Otherwise premolars are teeth we use to crush and grind our food. Their upper surfaces have a broad, lumpy top instead of a sharp biting edge. These small irregular lumps are called cusps. Premolars are called bicuspids in some books, this is because, in most cases, they have two cusps. The prefix bi meaning two. The first upper premolars normally have two roots. The other premolars have one root.
Molars = These are larger than premolars and extremely variable depending on the animal's diet. Like premolars they are used for crushing and grinding food, and like premolars their upper surfaces have ridges called cusps on them. Molars normally have three to five cusps and two or three roots. In humans we call the third molars, those closest to the back of the mouth 'Wisdom Teeth'. If the jaw bone is not large enough to accommodate all the teeth in it, as sometimes happens with humans, these wisdom teeth can become painfully wedged between the back of the jaw bone and the 2nd molars. This condition is known as 'impacted wisdom teeth'."

Example:  Domestic Cat


a rabbit skull has a rostrom a rostral fenestra is a window or hole(s) in that area of the skull

this picture is from the following website 
https://www.backyardnature.net/yucatan/rabbit.htm

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Classification Exercise





 1.  Read 196-199 in the Biology Textbook

and make point form notes on these pages, copying fig 7.2 an 7.3. Write all the definitions of words in bold: binomial nomenclature, species, dichotomous key, Taxa, phylogeny.

2.  Examine all the specimens in class

a. draw the specimen using a half page per drawing

b. Identify the Kingdom or phylum

c. What are the adaptations?

d. What is your evidence for your answer for b?

Thursday, February 8, 2024

KERATIN ADAPTATIONS

 Open the windows for ventilation during this lab. 

Note: these feathers were collected prior to 2018

DNA forms the recipes for many adaptations in kingdom Animalia.  One example of a common recipe used for different purposes is keratin.  Keratin is a protein formed by a sequence of amino acids dictated by DNA.  

Keratin forms the hair of primates, canines, felines, all mammals.  Keratin also forms the scales of a fish, the feathers on a bird.  The soft keratin in birds and mammals is called alpha keratin. The harder keratin on a fish or a reptile is called beta keratin. 

This website explains the difference

The Science of Birds

Examine the variety of forms in the feather samples in the lab.  Look at these under the dissecting microscope.  Wash your hands after handling these feathers and note that all feathers are part of a collection that was assembled prior to 2018 and thus unexposed to current avian flu outbreaks in the lower mainland

Draw 3 samples of feather and answer the following questions: Each drawing ought to be half a page.

1.  Which  feathers look like they are good for insulation? These areas would be soft and fine, with the ability to trap air pockets

2.  Which feathers look like they might be good for catching wind for gliding or flying?  These feathers can zip together and come apart alike a zipper.  

3.  What are the differences that you can observe on these feathers? How are the feathers different in shape, texture, colour?  What is the purpose of colour for a bird? How can colour on a bird feather help a bird survive in the wild?

Examine the Fish Scale under the microscope:  Draw two views. Each drawing ought to be half a page.

1.  What is the purpose of the fish scale? How can this scale protect the fish? 

2.  Some scales are iridescent or they catch light in different ways.  Adjust the light levels under the microscope  and see what  you can find for interesting perspectives on this piece of fish anatomy.