Download Caminalcule Analysis Name: Date: ______ Period: ____ Group

Caminalcule Analysis
Name: _____________________________
Date: ________ Period: ____ Group: ____
PLEASE USE COMPLETE SENTENCES!
Congratulations! You have successfully created a phylogenetic tree for 66 species of fossilized
caminalicules. A phylogenetic tree is a branching diagram that shows the inferred evolutionary
relationships among different species based upon similarities seen between the species.
Phylogenetic trees may be based upon comparisons between DNA evidence, morphology, and/or
embryology.
1. Compare your phylogenetic tree to that of two other groups.
a. What is similar? What is different?
b. Is one of the trees more correct than the others? Why or why not?
c. Aside from comparing the anatomy of the caminalcules, what other type(s) of
evidence would have been helpful to make your tree as accurate as possible?
2. Find the common ancestor of all of the caminalcules located on your phylogenetic tree.
a. Where is this caminalcule located on the tree?
b. How do you know that this caminalcule is the ancestor of all of the others? Explain.
3. A lineage is a line of descent from an ancestor.
a. How many lineages of caminalcules went extinct?
b. Suggest reasons for the extinction of some of the lineages of caminalcules.
c. One could argue that some lineages are more successful than others. Give examples
of two successful lineages and explain how you know that they were successful.
d. Is a successful lineage one that has branched many times and is represented by many
species, or is it one that has changed least through time? Explain.
4. What might some of the next generation of species of caminalcules be like? Describe and
then draw two of them.
Future Caminalcule #1:
Future Caminalcule #2:
5. Speculate about the function of the various structures found among the caminalcules. What
do you think caminalcules might use their ___________ for? Infer.
a. appendages?
b. spots?
c. tails?
Sometimes in the evolution of organisms, unused structures
become reduced to the point where they are virtually useless,
such as the hip bones of whales. Examples of such vestigial
structures in humans are the ear muscles (can you wiggle
your ears?), tailbone, appendix, and wisdom teeth. Compare
the structures of the living caminalcules with their ancestors
and find any examples of vestigial structures you can
identify in the living caminalcules. These are structures that
appear to be getting smaller and eventually disappear.
6. Which caminalcules show vestigial structures and what are the
vestigial structures that you see?
If evolution occurs quickly with few transitional
forms between species, evolution is said to be rapid.
If evolution occurs slowly with many transitional
forms between species, it is said to be slow or
steady. We observe examples of both slow, steady
change and rapid, periodic change in the fossil
record. Both happen and scientists are trying to
determine which pace is more typical.
7. Examine the tree for evidence about the pace
of caminalcule evolution.
a. What evidence in caminalcule evolution
indicates that evolution of these organisms
was relatively gradual?
b. What evidence in caminalcule evolution indicates that evolution of these organisms
was relatively rapid?
8. Based on the structures of the living caminalcules, infer the habitat different species occupy
and the niche they occupy in that habitat. Describe the habitat and niche (“way of life”) for
three of the species of living caminalcules that are shown below.
Living Caminalcules: Quaternary, 0 MYA