8977 (v.7) Vertebrate Animals 202

Area:

Department of Environmental Biology

Credits:

25.0

Contact Hours:

5.0

Lecture:

2 x 1 Hours Weekly

Laboratory:

1 x 3 Hours Weekly

Fieldwork:

2 x 1 Days Quarterly

Prerequisite(s):

1762 (v.4) Animal Biology 102 or any previous version

Syllabus:

Lower Chordates. Gondwana Land. Jawless fish, Cartilaginous fish, seas under Capricorn, spermatozoa, bony fish. The making of the bush. Birds and flight. Kookaburras. Desert adaptation. Animal behaviour. Birds and Flight. Monsooned ecosystems. Pigeon dissection. European impacts. Biogeography. Australia's vertebrate fauna. Amphibians. Reptiles. radiation and adaptation. Adaptive radiation. Monotremes and marsupials. Eutherians. Migration. Instinctive behaviour. Mating systems - mammals, birds, mammals. Emu game, dove behaviour.

Unit Outcomes:

On successful completion of this unit students will have gained an introduction to the biogeography, taxonomy, evolution, distribution and behavioural patterns of vertebrates and will have undergone a comparative examination of the various chordate groups considering radiation and adaptation. Although there will be an overview of all members of the groups the emphasis will be on Australian examples which will be utilised whenever appropriate.

Text and references listed above are for your information only and current as of September 30, 2003. Please check with the unit coordinator for up-to-date information.

Unit References:

No prescribed references.

Unit Texts:

Augee, M. and Fox, M., 2000, 'Biology of Australia and New Zealand', Benjamin Cummings. Pearson Education Australia. Berra, T.M., 1998, 'A Natural History of Australia', Academic Press. San Diego.

Unit Assessment Breakdown:

Poster 20%. Poster Presentation 5%. Laboratory Exercises 10%. Field Trip Report 5%. Test 20%. Final Examination 40%.

Year	Location	Period	Internal	Area External	Central External
2004	Bentley Campus	Semester 2	Y