Taxonomic group to research – Elephants.
1. Reappraisal footings ( write definitions for these footings )
Extant
Speciess. households. or groups still in being
Extinct
Speciess. households. or groups no longer in being. terminal or died out Genotype
Familial makeup of an being
Phenotype
Physical properties of an being. discernible or mensurable traits Synapomorphy
Shared characteristic that are inherited from most recent common ascendant

Background: There are three extant species of elephant: Elaphas maximus ( Asiatic elephants ) . Loxodonta africana ( African elephants ) . and Loxodonta cyclotis ( African forest elephants ) . Their systematic hierarchy is as follows:

Kingdom: Animal kingdom
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidea
Family: Elephantidae
Genus: Elaphas
Speciess: maximus

Kingdom: Animal kingdom
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidea
Family: Elephantidae
Genus: Loxodonta
Speciess: africana

Kingdom: Animal kingdom
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidea
Family: Elephantidae
Genus: Loxodonta
Speciess: cyclotis

2. Roll up an image of each species. You will subject these as a portion of your assignment. ( see full assignment instructions )

3. Looking at these images. can you believe of any EXTINCT animate being or animate beings that might be a close relation of modern elephants? List it/them below. If you know the scientific name ( genus and species ) so you can set that. If you aren’t rather certain. merely give the common name.

Mammoth

4. Now think about EXTANT taxa. Identify 2 animate beings that you might anticipate to be the closest Life relation to the elephants. List it/them below. If you know the scientific name ( genus and species ) so you can set that. If you aren’t rather certain. merely give the common name.

Possible Relative Angstrom

Possible Relative B
Rock Hyrax

Manatees

5. For the closest Extant relations. what characteristic ( s ) of that animate being or its home ground led you choose it as “probable closest relative” ? ( see geographic location. size. anatomy. behavior etc ) . Be specific.

Features of Animal A

Features of Animal B
-found across Africa and the Middle East
-typically live in groups
-has a outstanding brace of long. pointed tusk-like upper incisors -In males. the testicles are for good abdominal

-thick. wrinkled tegument
-Females have two nipples. one under each fin
-teeth turning at the rear are continuously replaced throughout life

Now to the scientific discipline –

Follow the nexus below to read about some of the nonextant relations of elephants

hypertext transfer protocol: //palaeo. gly. Berith. Ac. uk/Palaeofiles/Elephants/firstelephants. hypertext markup language

6. How were the phenotypes of ancient proboscidians different from those of extant elephants?

The antediluvian proboscidians differ from those of extant elephants because they have multiple braces of grinders and bicuspids. they do non possess ivories. and they retain eyetooths on the upper jaw.

7. Based on the information in the web-site. where did the early proboscidians germinate? The early proboscidians evolved from Africa.

More derived proboscidians ( non antediluvian. but non extant either ) besides had a really different geographic distribution than elephants today:

hypertext transfer protocol: //palaeo. gly. Berith. Ac. uk/Palaeofiles/Elephants/extinct_taxa. html hypertext transfer protocol: //palaeo. gly. Berith. Ac. uk/Palaeofiles/Elephants/mammoths. hypertext markup language

8. Which localities seem most surprising and why?

North and South America because these locations were one time abundant with these animate beings. such as mastodons. while holding most of the animate beings originate from the other side of the universe.

9. Identify 4 synapomorphies that are shared between ALL of these extinct and extant taxa.

1.
Ivories
2.
Incisors and molar dentitions
3.
Trunk
4.
Four column-like legs

Molecular evolution
In extant species. relationships can besides be reconstructed based on DNA Think back to your best conjectures of the closest Extant relations of the modern elephants.

Expression at the. pdf named “Afrotheria” . The evolution described in this paper is based on molecular informations ( similarities in DNA sequences )

10. Based on that evolution. write in the sister taxon ( taxon A ) to Proboscidea. Give the formal name.

Taxon A or Sirenia Proboscidea

11. Write in the taxon ( taxon B ) that is sister to the clade composed of ( Proboscidea + Taxon A ) . Give formal name

Taxon B or
Taxon A Proboscidea Hyracoidea

12. Perform an cyberspace hunt for these two taxa and happen out their common names. What are their common names? Describe each. The common name for Sirenia is Sea Cow. Sea cattles are to the full aquatic. herbivorous mammals that appear fat. They have forelimbs used for maneuvering and a tail used for paddling. The common name for Hyracoidea are coneies. Hyraxs are well-furred animate beings with short dress suits and have hapless internal temperature ordinance.

What was your thought/reaction upon detecting what these animals are? My thought reaction was how can animals that expression nil likewise be similar to an elephant if they visually look different.

Believe it or non. there are morphological ( phenotypic ) similarities every bit good as dietetic and behavioural similarities between all of these taxa. BEFORE molecular information was available. scientists already suspected that these groups were closely related. The Deoxyribonucleic acid grounds merely helped to corroborate the relationships. We’ll do more on that in a minute.

13. Search the web to happen at least two non-molecular synapomorphies between each of your modern taxa and the elephants: ( be specific! )

Animal # 1 name

Rock Hyraxes

Rock Hyraxes are furred and have the colloidal suspensions of the pess with big. soft tablets that are unbroken moist. Manatees have paddle like fins and a neb.

Animal # 2 name
Manatees

14. Which of the characteristics you listed are more likely to last in the dodo record? Explain why.

Most likely to last in the dodo record is the neb because it consists of the castanetss of the jaw which are really good for going dodos.

15. Which are less likely? Explain why.
Less likely are the pelt. soft tablets at the pess. and the paddle-like fins because all are more prone to disintegrate quickly because of being soft constructions. The fins are besides more prone to non continuing rapidly hence eaten or broken down by aerophilic bugs.

Now for molecules:
To see the existent molecular informations used to make the evolution you saw. choose the. pdf named “mammoth and sea cow” .

16. Travel to page 409. Points mean the base brace ( A. C. T or G ) is the same as is listed in the taxon that’s at the top ( this saves ink! ) . Now compare the sequences for the African elephant and the Asiatic elephant in merely the top row of page 409.

How many molecular differences do you see in the sequence shown?

There are 8 molecular difference in the sequence.

How many molecular differences do you number between the African elephant and the coney?

There are 11 molecular differences between the African elephant and the coney.

17. Based on anatomy entirely ( without the molecular grounds ) . would you hold guessed that the animate beings in exposures above represented the closest life relations of elephants? Why or why non?

Honestly. based on the anatomy entirely. I would non hold guessed that the animate beings represent close relations of the elephants because of the physical anatomical feature they have. Most animate beings can hold similar anatomy with little differences that contribute to their endurance in an environment. Initially. I thought that the animate beings had similar features merely because of natural choice and version of their environment non because of their common ascendant. This shows how molecular grounds can truly assist in seeing what animate beings belong in what line of descents.