Lab 6: Evolutionary Transitions

Learning objectives:

 Explore major transitions in the evolution of vertebrates.

 Predict how an organism would change if its lineage underwent a major evolutionary transition.

Materials

 Solid Internet connection to view high-definition 3D

models
 Paper and writing utensil

Introduction

The history of life is punctuated by major transitions. During the

Precambrian, the appearance of eukaryotic cells, the
development of photosynthesis, the evolution of multicellularity
right before the Cambrian Explosion were all major transitions
that completely revolutionized life on earth. In the Paleozoic, life
transitioned from a primarily oceanic affair to a full-scale
invasion of the land, from plants and fungi to invertebrate and
vertebrate animals alike. Many of the vertebrate evolutionary
transitions in the Paleozoic relate to adapting to life on land,
Figure 1. The Mesozoic era is from the development of two sets of paired limbs to the
divided into three periods: the evolution of the amniotic egg.
Triassic, the Jurassic, and the
Cretaceous. But as far as transitions go, the story gets really exciting in the
Mesozoic (Figure 1)! For the first time, tetrapods take to the sky.
Two separate lineages evolved the power of flight, both the
pterosaurs and the birds (and possibly bats as well). Flowering plants appear for the first time around
130 Ma during the early Cretaceous, opening up a whole host of new ecological niches. (Just imagine—
there were probably tiny pterosaurs species that ate nectar like the hummingbirds of today!) And after
diversifying and spreading throughout terrestrial environments during the Paleozoic, numerous
tetrapod lineages returned to the ocean, evolving secondarily aquatic lifestyles (click to see Figure 3).
(Primarily aquatic animals are those whose ancestors have always lived in the water, like fish or
barnacles or coral.)

In this activity, we are going to explore the terrestrial-to-aquatic transition and create a hypothetical
secondarily aquatic organism. Your TA will split you into groups of 3-4 students to complete this lab.
Record all student names and Duck IDs in the table below.

Name: Shiryu Kataoka Name: ID:

ID:951778811
Name: ID: Name: ID:
 From the Water to the Land and Back Again

Over the course of the Mesozoic, ten or more distinct lineages of terrestrial tetrapods independently
reentered the aquatic environment. These include the sea turtles we still know and love today as well as
extinct taxa like thalattosaurs, mosasaurs, and plesiosaurs. But an animal whose ancestors have lived on
the land for hundreds of millions of years isn’t just going to adjust right back to its ancient aquatic
lifestyle! A number of adaptations must evolve over time and provide reproductive advantage to that
lineage before a land-living organism can survive in the marine realm.

1. In your group, discuss what problems any terrestrial animal would have if it tried to live in the water.
List four or more potential difficulties below. Each group member should provide at least one
example—note the name of the member who volunteered that difficulty. (Hint: if you’re having
trouble, just ask yourself—if I were stuck in the middle of the ocean, what realities of my tetrapod
body make it hard for me to survive more than a few thrashing desperate minutes?)

Dyspnea due to differences in respiratory organs

Differences in movement in water due to differences in body (skeleton) structure

Terrestrial skin is not suitable for living in water.

The terrestrial body does not have a structure that can withstand the seabed

One of the most

successful clades of
Mesozoic marine reptiles
was the mosasaurs (Figure
4). Field work collecting
fossils, careful
examination of those
fossils, and phylogenetic
analysis of the described Figure 4. A paleoartist’s reconstruction of Tylosaurus, a mosasaur from
the late Cretaceous period.
species led to the
discovery that mosasaurs
were closely related to monitor lizards. (Monitor lizards are still around today and include the well-
known Komodo dragon.) But what changes did this clade have to undergo in order to live in the marine
environment?

2. Follow these hyperlinks to 3D models of the hypothetical terrestrial ancestor of mosasaurs (we’re
using a Komodo dragon as stand-in) and Tylosaurus, a mosasaur that lived right up to the end of the
Mesozoic. List 4 or more changes in morphology (i.e., body shape) between the hypothetical
ancestor and Tylosaurus. Each group member should provide at least one change—note the name of
the member who volunteered that difference. (Hint: you can compare individual regions of their
bodies as well as overall size and shape!)

Mouth shape (teeth) and tail developed by Tylosaurus compared to Komodo dragon. After that, limbs,
and skin (not scales) suitable for water.

3. Choose two of the differences you listed above. How would these adaptations have helped
mosasaurs to solve one or more of the problems you listed in Question 1? (If you’ve now thought of
new problems, go back and add them to Question 1.) Write 2-3 complete sentences answering this
question.

The limbs and tail, because they move smoothly in the water, which is advantageous when preying or
escaping. The role of the tail is to increase the swing speed from side to side, and in the case of limbs,
you can change the movement up and down.

However, just as mosasaurs weren’t the only clade of secondarily aquatic marine reptiles, their
particular set of adaptations aren’t the only way to solve the problems of the life aquatic. Just look at all
the diversity in Figure 3! Many different morphological forms can serve the same function. Let’s further
explore this concept below.

4. Take a look at this ichthyosaur, another kind of Mesozoic marine reptile, and compare it to the
Tylosaurus from the previous question. List at least four ways that the ichthyosaur is
morphologically adapted to the marine environment. Note whether each of these adaptations is
different or similar to Tylosaurus. Use complete sentences.
The shape of the mouth (teeth), tail, limbs, and skin that I mentioned earlier. These are very similar and
both are suitable for the ocean in modern dolphins.

Today we are going to focus on the evolution of secondary aquaticism. Primarily aquaticism refers to
those organisms who live in the water and whose ancestors have always lived in the water. For example,
a tuna fish is primarily aquatic because it and all of its ancestors have always lived in the ocean.
Secondarily aquatic organisms, on the other hand, have ancestors that once lived on land. Numerous
separate reptile lineages actually returned to the marine environment. These include the sea turtles we
still know and love today as well as extinct taxa like mosasaurs and plesiosaurs.

5. In your group, follow the instructions below:

a. Choose one of the modern tetrapods shown below. I choose Binturong.

Red worm lizard,Binturong, a carnivorous

an insectivorous mammal from
amphisbaenian
South
(legless lizard) from and America.
South SoutheastPhoto
Asia. by Diogo B.
Provete.

Borneo pygmy elephant, a subspecies of the

Red and white giant “flying” squirrel,
herbivorous Asian elephant living on the Southeast
an omnivorous mammal from China.
Asian island of Borneo. Photo by Bernard Dupont.
Photo by Joel Sartore for the
National Geographic Photo Ark.
 b. D
i s
c u
s s

Hoatzin, a species of herbivorous bird from Numbat, a species of insectivorous marsupial

South America. Photo by Kate on Flickr.
mammal from Australia. (Note: remember that
marsupials carry their immature offspring in
pouches! If you choose this organism, this is a
problem that will need to be solved so they
don’t just drown in the water.)

what kinds of changes this animal would need to evolve for a secondarily aquatic lifestyle.
These changes can be morphological (e.g., flying animals developing wings) or physiological
(e.g., flying animals developing a faster metabolic rate to keep up with the energy demands
of flight).
For Binturong to evolve into an aquatic animal, the skin must first be smoothed, because hair sucks
water and makes the body heavier and immobile, then makes the skeleton like a snake and water in
the water. Reduce resistance as much as possible In addition, limbs can be moved easily by making
them look like fish fins. The mouth is long and has many teeth, and it is necessary to catch the prey
picture easily. If you do not, you will not be able to breathe in the water and you will not be able to
live.
c. Design a potential descendant of this organism with at least five adaptations to its new
environment. The only constraint is that this organism must still breathe air! (Unfortunately,
re-evolving gills seems to be evolutionarily impossible.) Provide a drawing of this organism
with labels detailing at least five morphological changes. Note: the drawing doesn’t need to
be beautiful, just representative! Each group member should provide at least one change—
 note the name of the member who volunteered that change

d. Choose a new species name for your organism. It should consist of a genus and species
name (i.e., Homo sapiens, Rattus rattus, Canis familiaris). Puns are encouraged.
scrutantem delphina uident maiorum (Dolphin ancestors in Latin)

e. Write 4-5 sentences explaining how those changes would enhance its ability to survive and
thrive in the water.
It is easier to move in water than the structure of the body, and when hunting for prey, it moves
quickly and catches the prey with its developed mouth (teeth), and when it is attacked, it is useful
for quickly escaping, so it is less likely to die, and it will not starve to death. is. When you give birth
to a child, it is in shallow water.