Course Description: Phylum Arthropoda is the most speciose (> 1 million spp.) group of animals on the planet. They are the only animals apart from vertebrates to have conquered the marine, freshwater, terrestrial and aereal landscapes and have done so for more than 500 million years. To gain some perspective on the history of arthropods and begin to explore some of their remarkable diversity, we will focus on the most recent primary literature and examine publications concerning proto-arthropod evolution and aspects of diversity, form, function and physiology in traditional arthropod taxa. We will begin our focus on hypotheses of arthropod evolution, commencing with 1) general concepts of homology, 2) the origins of segmentation, and 3) an analysis of proto-arthropod groups such as the velvet worms the water bears. Beyond this, we will explore a variety of evolutionary and biological phenomena such as silk production, envenomation, flight, chemical defense, and body plan innovation.

Offered: Alternate years

Lecture Syllabus: PDF
Laboratory Syllabus: PDF