Lizard-Evolution-Virtual-Lab-Student-Worksheet copy

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Apr 3, 2024

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LIZARD EVOLUTION VIRTUAL LAB Answer the following questions as you finish each module of the virtual lab or as a final assessment after completing the entire virtual lab. Module 1: Ecomorphs • At the beginning of the virtual lab, you were asked to sort eight lizards into categories. What criteria did you initially use to make your groups? Did you revise your criteria later? Why?- I based my criteria on the size of the anoles’ legs. I did not revise my criteria later. I chose the size of the anoles legs because I believe that each of the different anoles had involved based on their habitat and I wanted to base my experiment on that • An adaptation is a structure or function that is common in a population because it enhances the ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment. Provide one example and an explanation of one adaptation in the Anolis lizards.- One adaption is the short legs on the sheplani Hispaniola anoles lizard. This is most likely due to the slim branch it lives on. The short legs make the lizard able to hold onto the branch/twig better and survive longer because it does not fall off • Provide one evolutionary explanation for why lizards living in the same part of the habitat (i.e., grass) would have similar characteristics in the same habitat

would have similar characteristics because there are many ways to do something. However, there is only one way that is the best of surviving. Basically, lizards in the same habitat have the characteristics that are most fit for survival, so most lizards in that habitat would exhibit those most fit characteristics • What is an ecomorph? Provide one example from the virtual lab.- Ecomorphs are species with similar body types and habitats. An example is how the sheplani Hispaniola and occult’s Puerto Rico lizards both have short legs • How is an ecomorph different from a species?- It only classifies the organisms that have similar body types and habitats but species can have other different characteristics such as color or look • Explain how a particular body feature of one of the lizard ecomorphs from the virtual lab is an adaptation to their particular niche.- The occult’s Puerto Rico anole has short legs because it needs to be able to stick/crawl on slim things in their habitat

Module 2: Phylogeny • In module 1, you identified which species of lizards were most similar to one another based on relative limb length and toe pad size. In this module, you determined which lizards are more similar to one another based on what type of information?- I determined which lizard are more similar based on DNA sequence analysis • Are the species of lizard that are more similar to one another according to body type also more closely related based on the results obtained in this module?- the species that are similar according to body type are not more closely related based on the results obtained from the DNA sequence analysis • The figures below show two phylogenetic trees similar to the one you constructed in the virtual lab but with more lizards. The trees below show the evolutionary relationships among species from four ecomorphs from the four largest Caribbean islands. Figure 1. Phylogeny of anole lizards on four of the major Caribbean islands color- ‐ coded according to geographical

distribution. Light dotted line, Puerto Rico; small dashed line, Cuba; large dashed line, Hispaniola; and solid line, Jamaica. Figure 2. Phylogeny of anole lizards in the four major Caribbean islands colored in according to ecomorph. Light dotted line, twig; small dashed line, trunk- ground; ‐ large dashed line, trunk- crown; ‐ solid line, grass- bus. ‐ What conclusion can you draw about the evolution of the Anolis lizards based on these figures?- I can draw about the evolution of the Anolis lizards is based on ecological niches on an island rather than the entire island itself. Two anoles on different islands can have similar traits as long as their ecological niches are similar. • What is convergent evolution? Use evidence from the trees to explain how the Anolis lizards are an example of this concept.- Convergent evolution is where organisms that aren't closely related independently evolve and have similar traits due to similar environments or ecological niches. The phylogenetic trees show this type of evolution because similar traits are based on environments, and not location/species type. For example, anolis cybotes and anolis sagrei both are trunk ground anoles, but live on different islands.

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