How are different organisms related?
Using Phylogenic Trees (Cladistic Diagrams) to Predict the Evolutionary History of Similar Organisms Using Biology Workbench
Kathleen Gabric
(kgabric@hinsdale86.org)
(ready to use)
Coauthors
ASK
Partner Projects
| Biology Student Workbench |
Subject Areas
| Educational Technology, Science |
Grade Levels
Unit Keywords
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Biochemistry, Evolution and Natural Selection, Taxonomy, Uses of Databases, GK-12, webpage construction |
Rationale of the Unit
| This unit is designed to help student make the connection between evolution on a genetic level and an organismal level through the use of technology and web-based tools and data bases. |
Background and Resources
BACKGROUND
In order to understand how organisms are fundamentally related at an evolutionary level, biologists have relied on a variety of techniques, disciplines and methods to show the relatedness of species. Several areas of study in biology, such as homology, comparative embryology and comparative biochemistry are used to align groups of organisms into phylogenic taxa. These scientists study fossils, the ways organisms develop, animal behavior, protein and DNA structure to glean a better understanding of how species are related. The whole idea of how new species becomes reproductively isolated may be linked to the turn of a single amino acid in a protein. By using a tool like Biology Workbench biologists can look at the subtle changes in the biochemistry of a variety of organisms and see how related these organisms might be (or might not be). Construction of family trees has long been a way of visualizing the relatedness and time that has separated species. Branches can show ancestral relationships and distances from branch to branch can be used to represent time between the separation of those species.
WEBSITES
Project Page
http://www.district86.k12.il.us/central/faculty/k-gabric/evolutionProject.htm
Tree of Life web site: http://tolweb.org/tree/phylogeny.html
Comparing Primate Proteins Tutorial: http://glycine.ncsa.uiuc.edu/educwb/tutorials_current/Anthropology/
Biology Workbench
http://deltas.animal.uiuc.edu/sib/servlet/SIB
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Activities and Open-ended problems
CLASS ACTIVITIES
Students will work in groups in an attempt to identify the evolutionary history of a particular group of organisms based on the protein sequences of various molecular analyses. By utilizing various features of Biology Workbench (BW) the students will try to show how similar organisms are related using rooted and un-rooted phylogenic trees.
Procedure:
1. Form groups of 3 or 4 students to do the investigation.
2. Students will select a group of organisms and then get approval from the instructor. Organisms should be similar appearing or taxonomically related organisms. Its first come first served. You must have a minimum of 4 organisms that you will study.
Possible animal and plant groups for study (some may be similar in appearance though not necessarily related by analysis):
Canines (Dog, Wolves, Coyote, Dingo, Hyena, African Wild dog, Foxes, etc.)
Felines (House cat, Lynx, Tiger, African lion, Mt. Lion, Jaguar, Leopard, Panther, Cheetah, etc.)
Bears (Polar, Black, Kodiak, Grizzly, Panda, etc.)
Trees (Red oak, White oak, Sugar maple Norway maple, Am. elm, Ginkgo, Green spruce, etc.
Mollusks (Slugs, Snails, Squid, Octopus, Cuttlefish, Clams, Oysters, etc.)
Arthropods (Insects, Crabs, Spiders, Centipedes, etc)
Flowers (Roses, Tulip, Tiger lily, Daylily, Carnation, etc.)
Any other collections or subdivisions of plants or animals (Specific insects, specific members of a particular taxonomic genera, families or orders, types of ferns, etc)
3. Identify each of the organisms by their scientific name.
Note: It is some times easier to see which organisms are available from the lists obtained in the databases and look up the scientific names through the View Record(s) feature in BW (Biology Workbench). You may also search for information using scientific names at the Tree of Life.
4. Using at least 3 different protein compounds appropriate for their organisms (ex. Hemoglobin for higher animals, myoglobin in muscle, enolase is good for most organism comparisons, cytochrome c in all organisms, etc.), create and print (or save to disk) the BW evolutionary trees for those organisms and the respective proteins. Note: Some organisms of the group may not have a particular protein analysis and so other proteins will need to be used to gain insight into the evolutionary past. Also, some "trees" may be in conflict and an average picture may need to be created. If you have a group of 4, you must do at least 4 proteins.
5. Based on these trees create a composite tree on a web page with pictures obtained from websites.
Grading Rubric
http://www.district86.k12.il.us/central/faculty/k-gabric/EvolutionRubric.htm
Due Dates
http://www.district86.k12.il.us/central/faculty/k-gabric/EvoDates.htm |
Dialogues, Discussions, and Presentations
PRESENTATIONS
Your final project will consist of a web page containing:
The title of your project and the names of all your group members.
An introductory paragraph on the group of organisms you are studying. For example, info about the class, order, family, or genus you are studying.
An experimental area in which you show
*the common and scientific names of the organisms you are studying
*the proteins you used to compare the organisms
*the cladogram that you found during the analysis of each protein
An analysis area in which you show your final cladogram utilizing the other 3 or 4 cladograms. This will be complete with both names and pictures of the organisms you are studying. Pictures associated with the branching patterns can be useful in demonstrating the similarities or differences in their physical appearance. Possible questions as to the significance of the similarities and/or differences incurred might be proposed in the presentation as well as conflicts to current classification schemes.
A conclusion discussing the relatedness of the organisms you studied.
A list of the sources you used. Your bibliography must include at least 3 sources. |
Assessment, Related Questions, and Story of the Unit
RELATED QUESTIONS
Questions for thought.
1) Why use several molecules to show the phylogeny of organisms?
2) Did you encounter any unusual patterns or branches? What might be a possible explanation for these? What additional research might be done to resolve these conflicts?
3) What other organisms do you think might fit into these groups or trees that weren't used in the analysis?
4) What future studies would you propose based on your results?
5) Are there any ideas you have that might simplify the process of making the combined or composite tree to help others in the future? Other ways of displaying the information obtained so yourself or others more easily understand it?
The project went very well. In the series of 3 projects using bioinformatics, the students displayed a level of mastery that exceeded our expectations. Aside from the technical expertise, the level of creativity was impressive. See for yourself. Visit the students web pages at http://www.district86.k12.il.us/central/faculty/k-gabric/EvoBest.htm for the teacher's choices or
http://www.district86.k12.il.us/central/departments/science/Evolution/ for all projects |
Credits & Acknowledgements
| Thanks to Paul Lock for creating the original version. |
Uploaded Files:
evolutionProject.htm
EvolutionRubric.htm
EvoDates.htm
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