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The Tree of Life
In the video for Session 6 (Evolution
and the Tree of Life), a tree
of life was introduced as a model for illustrating how scientists believe
life on Earth evolved. Trees of life portray the evolution of modern
species from common ancestors starting with the hypothetical “first
species.” In “The Tree of Life,” you’ll have
an opportunity to see into which broad groups within a tree of life
the species in your EcoColumn fit. You’ll find it helpful to do
this activity at the end of your study period using baseline data recorded
in “Taking Inventory.”
Materials Needed
Instructions
- Make a list of the organisms inhabiting
your EcoColumn. If you use the information in your “Taking Inventory” Data
Sheet to help, be sure to add any “newcomers” in your EcoColumn
to the list.
- Use your “Tree of Life” Data Sheet to place
the organisms on your list in a tree of life.
Activity Questions
- How many domains are represented in your
EcoColumn? How many kingdoms?
- How many divisions are represented in
the plant kingdom? How many classes?
- How many phyla are represented
in the animal kingdom? How many classes?
- Pick three branches (lineages)
of the tree. Describe what the tree hypothesizes about the evolutionary
relationships between
modern species
on these branches.
- Pick one “node” (branch
point) on the tree that branches into two groups. Describe a hypothetical
common ancestor
that this
node might represent.
- Use what you know about natural selection
to hypothesize how these two branches diverged from a common ancestor.
- How would you describe your EcoColumn in terms of representing diversity
within different lineages?
SHARE YOUR RESULTS: The Tree of Life
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taking inventory