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Keywords: systematics
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Journal Articles
Journal:
The American Biology Teacher
The American Biology Teacher (2018) 80 (4): 278–284.
Published: 01 April 2018
... reproduce article content through the University of California Press's Reprints and Permissions web page, www.ucpress.edu/journals.php?p=reprints . 2018 systematics morphology discussion pedagogy active learning Phylogenetics is the study of the evolutionary relationships of individual...
Abstract
Phylogenetics plays a central role in understanding the evolution of life on Earth, and as a consequence, several active teaching strategies have been employed to aid students in grasping basic phylogenetic principles. Although many of these strategies have been designed to actively engage undergraduate biology students at the freshman level, less attention is given to designing challenges for advanced students. Here, I present a project-based learning (PBL) activity that was developed to teach phylogenetics for junior and senior-level biology students. This approach reinforces the theories and concepts that students have learned in their freshman courses along with incorporating Bioinformatics, which is essential for teaching zoology in the 21st century.
Journal Articles
Journal:
The American Biology Teacher
The American Biology Teacher (2017) 79 (7): 544–551.
Published: 01 September 2017
...” of dragons make the taxa appropriate models for basic phylogenetic analysis in an undergraduate general biology or systematics class. The wyvern, an obviously more primitive, distant cousin of the “true” dragons, is also an appropriate outgroup for these estimations of shared evolutionary history...
Abstract
Dragons are a staple of fantasy literature, and various aspects of the creatures (most notably their anatomy) have been explored scientifically across different forms of media. Their distinct anatomical characteristics and the variations therein among the recognized “species” of dragons make the taxa appropriate models for basic phylogenetic analysis in an undergraduate general biology or systematics class. The wyvern, an obviously more primitive, distant cousin of the “true” dragons, is also an appropriate outgroup for these estimations of shared evolutionary history. Separating metallic from chromatic dragons, the generated tree shows relationships among the species that are consistent with their separation in the Dungeons & Dragons games according to alignment, scale color, and religion, three characters that are not used in the analysis. Manual construction of a character matrix and cladogram of dragons followed by repetition of this process via conventional computer software allows the students to track their progress not only in terms of understanding such concepts as choice of character states and parsimony but also in terms of the applicability of said software.
Journal Articles
Journal:
The American Biology Teacher
The American Biology Teacher (2016) 78 (5): 385–388.
Published: 01 May 2016
... education literature and national standards documents, whose primary goal is to help teachers assist introductory students in evaluating basic evolutionary datasets. In this short response to Brower's critique, we acknowledge that our activities, which address the complex field of systematics, contain...
Abstract
We respond to the preceding commentary ( Brower, 2016 ) regarding our “Inquiry & Investigation” articles ( Davenport et al., 2015a , b ) published recently in this journal. Our two articles describe a pair of activities, informed by biology education literature and national standards documents, whose primary goal is to help teachers assist introductory students in evaluating basic evolutionary datasets. In this short response to Brower's critique, we acknowledge that our activities, which address the complex field of systematics, contain simplifications and inaccuracies. At the same time, we hold that the activities are grounded in careful pedagogical decisions that allow students in general biology courses to readily understand major features of phylogenetic trees. We also argue that the design of the activities allows students to experience firsthand a vital component of the nature of science: prioritizing data when formulating a claim.
Journal Articles
Journal:
The American Biology Teacher
The American Biology Teacher (2015) 77 (8): 587–599.
Published: 01 October 2015
.../journals.php?p=reprints . 2015 Student engagement evolution systematics phylogeny Educating high school and undergraduate students in the processes of evolution and confronting their misconceptions is one of the greatest challenges in American science education. Students often enter biology...
Abstract
Understanding how to read and interpret phylogenetic trees is an essential skill for biology students. We tested an alternative approach in which students draw trees showing the evolution of familiar nonliving objects, such as cell phones and vehicles, rather than unfamiliar species. We surveyed students in a two-semester biology sequence for majors to determine whether this approach increased engagement, and we found that they preferred the alternative approach. Another group of students performing the activity with nonliving objects showed that performance on a content assessment was not changed before and after the activity. A final group showed that students who had drawn trees of nonliving objects beforehand were able to draw phylogenetic trees of living species more accurately than classmates who did not draw them previously. Although drawing trees of nonliving objects rather than living species did not affect students’ content-learning outcomes, it did improve their ability to draw phylogenetic trees accurately, and they preferred it. These pieces of evidence suggest that drawing trees showing the evolution of nonliving objects is an engaging and beneficial addition to evolution lesson plans.
Journal Articles
Journal:
The American Biology Teacher
The American Biology Teacher (2015) 77 (2): 141–144.
Published: 01 February 2015
..., determine polarity through outgroup comparison, and construct a parsimonious tree based on synapomorphies (shared derived characters). This activity efficiently demonstrates many systematics concepts, including homology, homoplasy (convergence and reversal), polarity, synapomorphy, symplesiomorphy...
Abstract
In this classroom activity, students build a phylogeny for woody plant species based on the morphology of their twigs. Using any available twigs, students can practice the process of cladistics to test evolutionary hypotheses for real organisms. They identify homologous characters, determine polarity through outgroup comparison, and construct a parsimonious tree based on synapomorphies (shared derived characters). This activity efficiently demonstrates many systematics concepts, including homology, homoplasy (convergence and reversal), polarity, synapomorphy, symplesiomorphy, autapomorphy, polytomy, and parsimony. It also engages students in inquiry, promotes student collaboration, raises awareness of plant structure, and exposes students to the diversity of common local trees.
Journal Articles
Journal:
The American Biology Teacher
The American Biology Teacher (2011) 73 (2): 100–104.
Published: 01 February 2011
.... © 2011 by National Association of Biology Teachers 2011 Variation inquiry taxonomy systematics student engagement The general intent of the introductory biology laboratory is to reinforce basic biological concepts while teaching skills that are necessary for conducting science. Traditional...
Abstract
Natural variation, including the continual selective pressures that lead to speciation, is one of the more dynamic aspects of biology. However, traditional instruction on the topic is often passive in nature, leaving little opportunity for scientific inquiry. In this laboratory exercise, we use a statistics-based, guided-inquiry approach to engage students in natural variation. Students are introduced to speciation and classification by using a dichotomous key to identify various common local trees on the basis of leaf characteristics. Once the students have learned characteristics useful for identification, they are given two leaf samples, a sugar maple and an “unknown.” They are asked to choose characteristics and collect quantitative data in order to determine whether the unknown is a sugar maple. Before data collection, students form hypotheses related to the identity of their unknown, followed by statistical comparison of means to support or refute their original hypotheses. In this way, students gain an appreciation for the activities undertaken by taxonomists that are related to natural variation and classification.