ZO 315 -- COMPARATIVE ANATOMY

LRC READING OBJECTIVES #1

THE PANDA'S THUMB
From: Gould, S.J. The Panda's Thumb. W. W. Norton. 1980.

1. Why is self-fertilization a poor evolutionary strategy for a species?

2. How does Gould use orchids to argue against divine design/creation?

3. Why are examples of ideal design poor arguements for evolution?

4. Why is the panda's thumb good evidence in support of the theory of evolution?

5. How do the panda's thumb and the marsh Epipactus (orchid) illustrate Francis Jacob's idea that "nature is an excellent tinkerer, not a divine artificer."

THE TELLTALE WISHBONE
From: Gould, S.J. The Panda's Thumb. W. W. Norton. 1980.

1. Gould discusses a radical proposal based on the united ancestry of birds and dinosaurs. What is this radical proposal?

2. Why is it that complex structures, once totally lost in evolution, don't appear again in new organisms in the same form?

3. What bits of evidence support the descent of birds directly from dinosaurs?

4. Despite the similarities between birds and some dinosaurs, the whole issue of classification of birds with respect to dinosaurs comes down to one critical question, according to Gould. What is the deciding question?