Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy

The University of Toledo

College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
BIOL 3510 – 001(53408)

Instructor: Guofa Liu, Ph.D. Class Location: BO 1005

Lab Assistant: Mr. John Arnold Class Day/Time: TR, 1-1:50PM
Email: [email protected] Lab Location: WO 1214
Office Hours: TR, 9:45-11:30AM Lab Day/Time: TR, 2-3:40 PM
or by appointmnent Credit Hours: 4 credit hours
Office Location: WO4268B Term: Fall 2015
Office Phone: 419-530-2869 Teaching Assistant: Paul Williams

Course/Catalog Description:
A comparative treatment of the evolutionary and developmental history of the major
vertebrate organ systems.

Course Overview:
BIOL 3510, a laboratory based course, is designed to introduce the comparative
vertebrate morphology and give you an opportunity to focus on anatomy and its
significance. Because vertebrate morphology is an integrative discipline, it will bring
together physiology, embryology, behavior, and ecology as well as modern methods of
systematics and new finds in paleontology. The discipline of vertebrate biology is diverse
and inclusive, covering basic themes from molecular biology, evolution, embryology,
biomechanics and experimental physiology. This course will include Origin of Chordates,
The Vertebrate Story, Biological Design, Life History, Integument, and Skeletal System:
the Axial Skeleton, the Appendicular Skeleton and the Skull, The Muscular System, The
Digestive Systems, The Circulatory System, The Respiratory System, The Urogenital
System, The Endocrine System, The Nervous System and The Sense Organs.
Customarily, this course will prepare you headed into professional fields such as human
medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, or scientific research.

Prerequisites and Corequisites:

None

Required Texts and Ancillary Materials:

I. Required TEXTS and Lab Manual:

A. Kenneth V. Kardong (K/K), Vertebrates Comparative Anatomy, Function,

Evolution, 6th ed.
 B. Kenneth V. Kardong and Edward J. Zalisko (K/E), Comparative Vertebrate
Anatomy: A Laboratory Dissection Guide.

II. Selected Readings:

A. George C Kent & Robert K. Carr, Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates, 9th ed.
B. Karel F. Liem, William E. Bemis, Warren F. Walker, Jr., Lance Grande, Functional
Anatomy of the Vertebrates, An Evolutionary Perspective, 3rd ed.
C. Alan Feduccia & Edward McCrady, Torrey’s Morphogenesis of the Vertebrates, 5th
ed.
D. Dale W. Fishbeck & Aurora Sebastiani, Comparative Anatomy: A Vertebrate
Dissection Guide.

Lecture handouts will be posted on the course Blackboard site prior to the lecture.
Protective goggles are not required, but it is advisable to wear a lab coat during the lab
sessions.

Expectations:
Preparation- Proper preparation prior to each lecture and lab section is essential for the
success of this course. You should read over the referred to pages in the text and the
laboratory manual material before coming to lab. The lecture text is helpful in your
understanding of the laboratory material and provides useful diagrams or pictures.
Knowing what to do before you get to the laboratory bench will maximize your time and
help you better understand the structures. The teaching assistants are present to help you
with any problems you may encounter during the lab session, but they are not there to tell
you what to do at each step of the experiment.

Participation- All students are required to not only attend all of the lectures, but actively
participate in each lab session. The exercises in an anatomy laboratory are fairly
straightforward: find and identify particular structures, note their relationships to other
structures, and remember the location and relationships you have identified. Students also
need to understand meaning and significance of these form-and-function relationships.
The drawback is the amount of time it often takes to find and clearly identify a structure,
especially since you are exploring unknown or unfamiliar territories. You will pick up some
tricks along the way to make your quest easier, but there is no secret to what is necessary
to do well in an anatomy lab—time, and lots of it! It is quite possible that you will need to
spend two or three times the scheduled amount of lab time on your own in order to do
well. The lab will be available to you; whether you choose to take advantage of this extra
time is up to you. If you are having difficulty understanding the lecture or lab material, see
me or Mr. Arnold to get things straightened out.

University Policies:
Policy Statement on Non-Discrimination on the basis of Disability (ADA):
The University is an equal opportunity educational institution. Please read The University’s
Policy Statement on Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability Americans with Disability
Act Compliance.
Academic Accommodations:
The University of Toledo is committed to providing equal access to education for all
students. If you have a documented disability or you believe you have a disability and
would like information regarding academic accommodations/adjustments in this course
please contact the Student Disability Services Office.

Dates of Importance:
September 24 Lecture Test 1
October 5-6 Fall Break
October 15 Laboratory Test 1
October 29 Lecture Test 2
November 26-27 Thanksgiving
December 10 Lecture Test 3
December 16 Laboratory Test 2

Course Policy on Absences:

Students are expected to attend all of the lectures and lab sessions. In the event of an
unanticipated absence due to illness or emergency it is the students’ responsibility to
provide written documentation in the form of a doctor’s letter or equivalent. Whether an
excuse for missing a session is acceptable or not will be at the discretion of the instructor.
If you must miss an exam because of an illness or other legitimate reasons, you need to
contact me before the exam. If an emergency makes this impossible, you must inform me
within 24 hours after the exam. In any case, be prepared with official documentation of the
reason that forced you to miss the exam and we will work things out. Without proper
notification and documentation, you will receive a zero on the exam.

Student Evaluation (Grading):

There will be a total of 100 points available. The breakdown is as follows:

Lecture Test 1 15
Lecture Test 2 15
Laboratory Test 1 20
Laboratory Test 2 25
Lecture Test 3 (Final Exam) 20
Attendance/Participation 5

Final grades will be decided on your total points earned in each test and assigned as
below.
Grading Scale

Grade % Correct Grade % Correct

A 90-100 C 70-67

A- 87-89 C- 66-63

B+ 83-86 D+ 62-59

B 79-82 D 58-55

B- 75-78 D- 54-51

C+ 71-74 F 50-0

Course Policy on Cheating:

Although you will be working with a partner during the lab session, it is your individual
responsibility to prepare for each lab as if you were performing the experiment on your
own. Cheating on exams will not be tolerated. Students caught cheating will be given a
zero for that test, may be given an F for the course, and all information pertaining to the
incident will be forwarded to departmental, college, and university disciplinary committees.
Students are responsible for reviewing the University Policy Statement on
Academic Dishonesty which is found on
http://www.utoledo.edu/dl/students/dishonesty.html. The official Departmental Policy
on Academic Dishonesty is attached at the end of the syllabus.
Tentative Lecture Schedule
Topic Reading Assignments
A. Origin of Chordates K/K, Ch. 1-2

B. The Vertebrate Story K/K, Ch. 3

C. Biological Design K/K, Ch. 4.

D. Life History K/K, Ch. 5

E. Integument K/K, Ch. 6

F. Skeletal System: the Axial Skeleton K/K, Ch. 8

G. Skeletal System:
the Appendicular Skeleton K/K, Ch. 9

H. Skeletal System: the Skull K/K, Ch. 7

I. The Muscular System K/K, Ch. 10

J. The Digestive Systems K/K, Ch. 13

K. The Circulatory System K/K, Ch. 12

L. The Respiratory System K/K, Ch. 11

M. The Urogenital System K/K, Ch. 14

N. The Endocrine System K/K, Ch. 15

O. The Nervous System K/K, Ch. 16

P. The Sense Organs K/K, Ch. 17

Laboratory Schedule
Lab Assistant: Mr. John Arnold
WO 1214

Date Topic Reference

T 8/25 Introduction and Survey of Protochordates K/E, Ch. 1-2; K/K, ch. 1-2
R 8/27 Survey of Protochordates K/E, Ch. 2; K/K, ch. 2-5.
T 9/1 Agnathans---Examination of a Primitive Vertebrate: K/E, Ch. 3 ; K/K, ch. 2-5
The Lamprey
R 9/3 Agnathans---Examination of a Primitive Vertebrate: K/E, Ch. 3; K/K, ch. 2-5
The Lamprey
T 9/8 The Vertebrate Integuments K/E, Ch. 4; K/K, ch. 6
R 9/10 The Skeletal Systems: Axial Skeleton K/E, Ch. 5; K/K, ch. 8.
T 9/15 The Skeletal Systems: Appendicular Skeleton K/E, Ch. 5; K/K, ch. 9.
R 9/17 The Skeletal Systems: Cranial Skeleton K/E, Ch. 5; K/K, ch. 7.
T 9/22 The Skeletal Systems: Cranial Skeleton K/E, Ch. 5; K/K, ch. 7.
R 9/24 Review and Lecture Test 1 (Covered 8/25 -- 9/22)
T 9/29 Muscular Systems and External Anatomy (1) K/E, Ch. 6; K/K, ch. 10.
R 10/1 Muscular Systems and External Anatomy (2) K/E, Ch. 6; F/C, ch. 10
T 10/6 Fall Break
R 10/8 Muscular Systems and External Anatomy (3) K/E, Ch. 6; F/C, ch. 10
T 10/13 Muscular Systems and External Anatomy (4) K/E, Ch. 6; F/C, ch. 10
R 10/15 LABORATORY TEST 1 (MATERIAL COVERED 8/25 -- 10/13)
T 10/20 Digestive System (1) K/E, Ch. 7; K/K, ch. 13
R 10/22 Digestive System (2) K/E, Ch. 7; K/K, ch. 13
T 10/27 Digestive System (3) K/E, Ch. 7; K/K, ch. 13
R 10/29 Review and Lecture Test 2 (Covered 9/29 -- 10/27)
T 11/3 Circulatory and Respiratory Systems (1) K/E, Ch. 8; K/K, ch. 11-12
R 11/5 Circulatory and Respiratory Systems (2) K/E, Ch. 8; K/K, ch. 11-12
T 11/10 Circulatory and Respiratory Systems (3) K/E, Ch. 8; K/K, ch. 11-12
R 11/12 Urogenital System (1) K/E, Ch. 9; K/K, ch. 14
T 11/17 Urogenital System (2) K/E, Ch. 9; K/K, ch. 14.
R 11/19 Urogenital System (3) K/E, Ch. 9; K/K, ch. 14
T 11/24 Nervous System (1) K/E, Ch. 10; K/K, ch.16.
R 11/26 Thanksgiving
T 12/1 Nervous System (2) K/E, Ch. 10; K/K, ch. 16.
R 12/3 Nervous System (3) K/E, Ch. 10; K/K, ch. 16.
T 12/8 Review
R 12/10 Lecture Test 3 (Covered 11/3-- 12/3)
W 12/16 LABORATORY TEST 2 (MATERIAL COVERED 10/20 – 12/3)

Laboratory Notes
1. There will be OPEN LABORATORIES every day except Wednesday from 9:00AM to
4:00PM if possible.

2. The listed topics are only a tentative schedule. Although some materials may not be
available on days other than those listed, most will be and you may proceed at a
faster or slower pace than suggested. However, you must be thorough, complete,
and ready to take the laboratory tests on the specified dates. Finally, rather than
rushing ahead to the next section, you are strongly advised to use all extra time to
review recently studied material.

3. Immediately report any damaged material to your TA. You will not be charged or
punished, but we must replace it if the damage is severe.
 STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Department of Biological Sciences

Academic dishonesty by students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses

and programs offered by the Department of Biological Sciences will not be tolerated.
Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to:

1. Obtaining assistance from another individual during an examination.

2. Giving assistance to another individual during an examination.

3. The unauthorized use of study material or textbooks during an examination.

4. Changing answers on an examination after it has been returned and then submitting it
for regarding.

5. Plagiarizing written assignments. Plagiarizing includes but is not limited to: a) Copying
laboratory reports from previous years, b) copying or paraphrasing reports, term papers, or
these prepared by other students, c) unauthorized collaboration in the preparation of
reports, term papers, or theses, and d) use of another author’s materials without
appropriate acknowledgement through quotation and citation.

6. Attempting to bribe or otherwise induce an instructor to alter either a grade or

examination score.

7. Obtaining or attempting to obtain a copy of an examination prior to its administration.

In accordance with policies presented in The Student Handbook and The University
Catalog, Instructors have the responsibility and right to report cases of alleged dishonesty
to departmental, college, and university administrative units. Students involved in
academic dishonesty may expect to receive a grade of F on specific assignments as well
as in the course where the assignment was made. In addition, disciplinary action may be
recommended through appropriate college and university disciplinary committees. Please
consult your instructor for instructions on the implementation of this policy.