COMPARATIVE ANATOMY OF VERTEBRATES

ZOOLOGY 611

Examines general physiological principles by comparing taxa from diverse evolutionary histories and ecological adaptations. Examples include adaptation to environments differing in salinity, temperature, altitude, pressure, or pollution, and examines how nervous and endocrine systems evolved to support the adaptations.

ZOOLOGY 301

Introduction to invertebrate diversity and biology, with emphasis on anatomy, development, and systematic relationships of the main animal phyla. Phyla are discussed in the context of major themes in animal evolution, such as the origin of tissue layers, the diversity of feeding mechanisms, the evolution of terrestrialization, patterns of diversification through time, and the conservation of transcriptional circuitry. Focus on animal diversity from a phylogenetic and developmental perspective.

ZOOLOGY 555

Developmental anatomy and laboratory manipulations of representative animal embryos used extensively for analysis of developmental phenomena (sea urchins, amphibia, annelids, molluscs, ascidians, insects, chicks, fish, mice).

ZOOLOGY 275

Biology, ecology and evolution of dinosaurs. Use anatomical correlates and phylogeny to understand physiology, adaptation, and evolutionary transitions. Examples include predator-prey interactions, the evolutionary transition to flight, and how late Mesozoic ecology gave rise to our modern world.

F&WECOL 306

Life history, ecology, distribution, and taxonomy of reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. Birds will receive less emphasis. Primary focus is on Wisconsin species, including conservation threats, but covers all major North American families, and surveys major groups of the world. Designed as a foundation for detailed study of vertebrates or to satisfy the need for a scientific introduction to Wisconsin vertebrates.