This is a Mollusc, the only Phylum of animals in which there are groups which have sub-divided tubes (chambers). It is a straight Nautilus (ammonite would have been counted correct). It is fully recrystallized and the chamber spaces are filled with clear calcite crystals (permineralized). It might have been seen as an Arthropod (being segmented, rather than having chambers), but the most common arthropod fossils are trilobites, and this fossil does not have the 'three lobes'; there is no sign of legs of attachment places for legs (which have an exoskeleton in arthropods).

#2. What is this? How is it fossilized? 10 points

These are fossil leaves (Glossopteris); you see a carbonized film, but impregnated with iron oxides (hence the red color). Soft parts (leaf) preserved in carbon film.

# 3. What is the phylum to which this organism belongs? How do you know that (i.e., which character of the fossil did you use)? How is it fossilized? 5 points

This is a sponge; all specimens were oval-roundish with no particular symmetry. In all specimens a relatively large outflow-opening (osculum) could be seen; smaller openings in the main body were also visible. This is a calcareous sponge; preservation could be original or recrystallized, with some dissolution; not permineralized since openings still visible. Replacement was counted as correct; it could have been a Desmosponge.

#4. There are 6 small objects in this tray. What is the Phylum? If applicable, group within phylum? 20 points

1. Flat grey object, segmented: trilobite (Phylum, Arthropoda)
2. Spiral screw-like object, brown: Bryozoa (as seen in lab 1; genus Archimedes)
3. Reddish-brown small object, part of long, thin stem, with 5-sided marking: part of crinoid stem, Phylum Echinodermata
4. White irregular object with rounded 'craters' with radial markings: colonial coral (Phylum Cnidaria; Scleractinia)
5. Small snail, Phylum Mollusca
6. Irregular object with knobs: sea urchin spine, Phylum Echinodermata (as seen in Attenborough movie)

# 5. There are 7 Pokemon cards in this envelop. Build a cladogram for them, after deciding which one represents the outgroup. Please include your matrix of characters used to derive the cladogram, and label the nodes of the cladogram. 10 points

By far the easiest would have been to not be sidetracked by the creatures' morphology (analogy), but stick to the cards themselves (homology). I gave points for many possible classification schemes; I subtracted points for internal inconsistencies, and for a lack of simplicity, such as evolution of the same feature several times.

One card was a human Pokemon trainer, and did not have hit points, not attacks or weaknesses, nor a little round mark in the right upper corner. These marks indicate the type of Pokemon, in combination with the background color of the card. There are 3 types of Pokemon in this set: leaf Pokemon (leaf sign; green, Zubat and Golbat), colorless Pokemon (star sign, grey-ish, Meowth); and water Pokemon (drop sign, blue; Staryu, Poliwag, Poliwhirl). In addition to a trainer, every set contained 1 volorless Pokemon, 2 leaf Pokemon, and 3 water Pokemon. Pokemon are either basic or evolved type; Golbat evolved from Zubat, Poliwhirl from Poliwag. Evolved forms have higher hit points and more modes of attack than basic pokemons of the same type, as well as differences in morphology.

name	round sign	drop	leaf	star	basic	evolved	HP	whirl	5-sided	cat shape
Trainer
Zubat	x		x		x		40
Golbat	x		x			x	50
Meowth	x			x	x		50			x
Staryu	x	x			x		40		x
Poliwag	x	x			x		40	x
Poliwhirl	x	x				x	60	x

BUT there are several ways in which to classify them as organisms, as well. I subtracted points for everyone who did not end up classufying Poliwhirl and Poliwag as sister species, as well as Zubat and Golbat; these two sets share many charcaters and not grouping them leads to a less parsimonious cladogram. See for an example:

#6. Divide the bivalves in this tray into morphological groups. How many groups do you get? Subdivided on which characteristics? 10 points

There are 6 (and possibly 7) different types of bivalves, subdivided by shape of shell (length/width), thickness of shell shape of hinge, symmetry or lack thereof of valves; presence/absence of spines and ridges; color.

• A group of 3 or 4 different species had height>width, curved hingeline; 'teeth' visible; they are the group of cockles:
  • Van Hyning's cockle (Dinocardium robustum vanhyningi): ridges, but smooth (no spines); brownish-reddish color; brown spots on outside of shell
  • Prickly cockle (Trachycardium egmontianum): spines; reddish interior
  • Common Egg (Laevicardium laevigatum): smooth, no ridges; note that this group had to be classified as different from the Lucine group below.
  • Possible 4th group: some of the cockles which could have been classified as prickly cockles with relatively small spines have a bright yellow inside of the shell; these are sometimes classified as the yellow cockle Trachycardium muricatum.
• Calico Scallops (Argopecten irradians): in contrast to 'normal' mollucs, each shell is close to being symmetrical; note the two triangular 'flaps' on the outside of the hinge area; straight hingeline; no teeth; height-width about equal.
• Lucina group: Buttercup (Anodontia alba): heigth-width about equal; very thin shell, no ribs or spines; curved hinge line; strongly concave; yellow inside; almost no 'teeth' on hinge
• Spiny Jewelbox (Arcinella cornuta): almost triangular shell, width>length; very much thickened shell, usually with spiny knobs; pinkish color inside.

# 7. There are 10 objects in this tray. For each, what is the Phylum? If applicable, group within phylum? (e.g., Mollusca, snail). Give a short description so that I know which objects you are classifying how. 20 points

1. Angular rock with fine meshwork: Bryozoan colony; Phylum Bryozoa
2. Cone-shaped object with radial strips in top: coral (individual); Cnidaria (as many of you noticed, it belongs to the group Rugosa, Paleozoic corals)
3. Yellowish flat, rounded object, 5-sided marking on top: Echinodermata (sea urchin)
4. Flat, yellowish evolute spiral with ribs: Ammonite; Mollusca
5. Irregular fragment with dark brown, knobby objects: Chordates; piece of mammalian jaw with teeth (mammal teeth; Hyracotherium, oldest horse ancestor)
6. Black shale with lighter markings: Phylum Hemichordata or sub phlyum Hemichordata within Phylum Chordata: Graptolites
7. Colored sigar-shaped object: Mollusca (snail, gastropod; it is a lettered olive, Oliva sayana)
8. Oval, rounded, brownish object: Phylum Brachiopoda; Terebratula (the lamp-shell brachiopod)
9. Grey, ribbed object, with sulcus: Phylum Brachiopoda; Spirifer group
10. Grey, rounded, flat object: Phylum Mollusca (Bivalve, clam)

# 8. What is this object? Which Phylum? Look at the cladogram (next page).: does this animal have a braincase among its skull bones, an upper as well as lower jaw, a bony skeleton. 4 legs?

This is a shark's tooth; belonging to the Phylum Chordata, within the group Gnathostomata in the cladogram, and thus has brain case and lower/upper jaw; no boney skeleton, no legs.

# 9. There are 5 foraminifera in this slide. What mode of chamber arrangement does each have (e.g., trochospiral)? Are they hyaline, porcellaneous or agglutinated? If any are planispiral, is it evolute or involute? 10 points

1. Porcellaneous, calcareous, milioline
2. Hyaline, calcareous, trochospiral
3. Hyaline, calcareous, planispiral involute
4. Hyaline, calcareous triserial (with ridges)
5. Agglutinated, trochospiral

# 10. There are 3 objects in this slide (two are roundish, one is a bunch of stick-like things). What are they? 5 points

1. (Planktonic) foraminifer
2. Radiolarian
3. Sponge spicules.