Paleozoic+era+(Moving+onto+land)

Unit 5 Overview of Lecture and Discussion Topics:

 * The evolution of life on the planet hits high gear as students learn about the Cambrian explosion and the appearance of representatives of most major animal phyla. The movement of life onto land is discussed first by looking at how plants colonized land. The evolution of the Plant Kingdom from its multicellular algal ancestors is discussed as well as the challenges plants faced as they moved onto land and specific adaptations that allowed for the successful colonization of land. With producers in place, students then learn how animals evolved to adapt to terrestrial conditions. The unit wraps with a discussion of the Permian mass extinction event.

Activities and Laboratories:

 * Transpiration Lab
 * Students will use a Pasco barometric pressure sensor as a potometer to measure the rate of water uptake in plants due to transpiration. This activity will demonstrate the concept of "transpiration pull". Students will then design an experiment to determine the effects of environmental factors (wind, humidity, and light) on the rate of transpiration. In addition, the investigation will analyze the structure of the plant stem and relate it to its various functions (SP 2, 3, 4 and 5).
 * [|Water potential]
 * [|NOVA; PBS Video: Evolution - Great Transformations]
 * This video illustrates the diversity of life on Earth. It details the journey of animals from water to land, the return of land mammals to the sea, and the emergence of humans all suggest that creatures past and present are members of a single tree of life.
 * Students will learn how to analyze cladograms and understand evolutionary relationships using the Basic Local Alignment Sequencing Tool. Students will analyze morphological details about a newly discovered fossil, hypothesize as to the position of the fossil in a pre-constructed cladogram, then test the hypothesis using BLAST. Once students become comfortable, they will use the tool to answer questions of their choice regarding gene sequences (SP 1, 3, 4 and 5).
 * [|BioRad Comparative Proteonomics I] [|and II:] Protein Profiler and Western Blot
 * Students make predictions using Internet databases and published phylogenetic information. They then employ protein electrophoresis, the most widely used technique in life science research, to study protein structure and function, generating protein profiles from the muscles of both distantly and closely related species of fish. From their results, they compare the different species' profiles, construct cladograms (phylogenetic trees), and assign each organism a branch. Students can decide whether their results support their predictions. Students apply western blotting techniques to their polyacrylamide gel results to specifically identify myosin light chain from the hundreds of proteins that comprise the muscle cell extracts of closely and distantly related species of fish (SP 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7).
 * [|NOVA; PBS Video: Evolution Exctinction!]
 * The video details the five mass extinctions that have occurred on Earth. It also poses the question of whether humans are responsible for the next mass extinction.

Chapters from Campbell and Power Points:

 * 25. The History of Life on Earth || [[file:Earth before life.ppt]] ||
 * 29. Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land || [[file:Chapters 29-30 Diversity of Plants.ppt]] ||
 * 35. Plant Structure, Growth and Development || [[file:Chapters 35-39 Plant Morphology, Growth, Transport and Control Systems.ppt]] ||
 * 36. Resource Acquisition and Transport in Vascular Plants ||  ||
 * 26. Phylogeny and the Tree of Life ||  ||
 * 27. Introduction to Animal Diversity ||  ||
 * 33. Invertebrates || [[file:Chapters 32-34 Animals.ppt]] ||
 * 34. Vertebrates ||  ||
 * 44. Osmoregulation and Excretion ||  ||