Tracing the Cladogram
Introduction
My name is Jessica Lyons and I am a senior biology major at Winston-Salem state University. This spring 2017 semester, I was allowed the opportunity to enroll into a Zoology course, here at WSSU. This page will highlight all of the assignments and things that I have done in this course. Following these assignments will also be my thoughts and what I've learned with that particular assignment. I hope you get something from my page, and maybe decide to enroll in a Zoology course yourself. Thanks for reading!
Personal Reflection
I have always had a love and curiosity for animals. It was this love that prompted me to enroll in Zoology.Why not use the last semester of my senior year to learn more about one of my favorite things? I was super excited to begin my first day. But following that first day, I was convinced that I would not enjoy this class due to a number of presentations that would have to be done. I was sure I had made a mistake by enrolling in the course. I was never the type of person who enjoyed being the center of attention, and presentations required the presenter to be just that. For that reason, I was very apprehensive.
Animal Characterization Assignment 1
This was the first project I received in this class. Each student was given a phylum, family, subclass, order, or etc. to research and present on. I was given Oligochaeta.
This powerpoint includes ancestral taxon, shared derived characteristics, etc.
What is Oligochaeta
•This class consists of water-dwelling and terrestrial worms (including various earthworms)
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•There are over 3,000 known species of Oligochaeta, and they make up about half of the Annelida phylum.
In the simplest terms, Oligochaeta is a class that consists of worms. Earthworms being the most common.
"I was very disappointed when I learned I'd be researching worms. Just for the record...I hate worms! However I learned a lot about them, and that kept me interested. I still hate them though."
E-Bird!
For this assignment, we were asked to go out and watch birds for atleast 30 minutes. We would record where we saw them, how many of them were there, and how long they were there. We were then to record our sightings on E-Bird; which is a website that tells it's users areas where they can find specific species of birds. We then presented our findings.
•Date: Feb 20, 2017 Monday
•Location: WSSU, Java City
•Time Started: 1:00pm
•Duration: 53 minutes
•Bird Description: Small Brown striped bird.
•Bird Type: Later discovered to be a Field Sparrow.
•Comments: The bird seemed to have a nest in the bush on which it was perched. It kept going back and forth into and out of the bush. And disappeared inside for about 15 minutes.
Birding Adventure #1
"My initial thoughts on this assignment was much like that of my fellow students. I had never been bird-watching and it wasn't something I was interested in trying. I gained an appreciation for this assignment after it's completion. I found myself stopping to watch birds and whistling at them long after it had been completed and turned it. It was weird."
Animal Characterization Assignment 2
This project had the same set of guidelines as the original Animal Characterization Assignment. This time I was assigned Hominidae.
This powerpoint includes ancestral taxon, shared derived characteristics, etc.
What is Hominidae?
A taxonomic family containing members known as Great Apes or Hominids.
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Humans are also apart of this family
"To be completely honest, I don't like monkeys either. At this point, you're probably wondering what it is I actually do like, and that is everything but worms and monkeys. But after learning everything I did while researching them, I actually started to like them a lot more than I did originally. Go figure right?"
E-Mammal!
For the E-Mammal assignment, we were asked to visit the E-mammal website, on which were many photos of animals captured in their natural habitats. We would then use photos from the website to compose a story and present your our stories to the class. Students were given free creative licence.
WHEN YOUR DOG STARES AT SOMETHING YOU CAN'T SEE
"This was no doubt my favorite assignment yet! It allowed me to be creative and bring a bit of my personality into the assignment. I also enjoyed seeing the candid shots of the animals. It really showed how curious they all were. It definitely was a great experience!"
Conclusion
Upon beginning this class, I was doubtful that I'd have a good experience. Since then I have been proven wrong. I've become more comfortable in presentations and I have enjoyed my time in Zoology. I've learned about different animals and how to appreciate them all as the unique creatures they are. I've learned how they are classified, and how they ancestrally relate to one another (as displayed in both Animal Characterization assignments) Last and certainly not least I've learned how to navigate and use new websites such as Ebird and Emammal. Overall this has been an experience that I would not trade.
I'd like to thank Dr. Stephanie Dance-Barnes (the course instructor) for making Zoology fun this semester! I've really enjoyed my time in this class.