Phylum Chordata: Amphibians

The following questions will help you to review the material from the lecture, the laboratory, as well as the text.

1. What does one study as a herpetologist?
2. Briefly describe the major characteristics of the class Amphibia.
3. What does the word Amphibia refer to? Is that an appropriate choice for this class of animals? Explain.
4. How many species of amphibians are currently known to the field of biology?
5. Which new characteristics evolved in this class (distinguishing them from previously existing vertebrates)?
6. In what kind of habitats would you expect to find amphibians?
7. Why is Eusthenopteron so important for our understanding of amphibians?
8. What is the importance of the fossil specimen referred to as Tiktaalik?
   
9. Describe the transition from water to land as exemplified by the early amphibians.
10. What is Ichthyostega?
11. What were the driving forces behind the transition in terms of natural selection?
12. How does the modern view of the transition differ from the "dogma" of the past?
13. Were the early amphibians successful?
14. How do the early amphibians differ from the extant ones (the ones that currently exist)?
15. Briefly describe extent of the success/presence of amphibians in the following periods: Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic and Jurassic.
16. Is there a strong link between modern amphibians and their ancestors? Explain.
17. What kind of terrestrial challenges had to be dealt with in the evolution of amphibians (eight examples from lecture)?
18. How did the skeleton and muscles of an ancient amphibian differ from the bony fishes?
19. How does a salamander move? Compare the movement to that of a bony fish?
20. What kind of adaptation have occurred in the skin of an amphibian? How do they serve them in their existence on land?
21. What is the role of the mucous glands in an amphibian?
22. Do amphibians have scales and/or claws? Are there any exceptions?
23. Why is the skin of most amphibians so highly vascularized?
24. How do amphibians perform gas exchange?
25. How does the circulatory system in an amphibian differ from a typical bony fish?
26. What do most amphibians feed on?
27. What kind of "tools" do amphibians use to capture (or ingest) food?
28. Briefly describe the digestive tract of an amphibian.
29. Can the digestive tract differ between larvae/juveniles and adults? Explain.
30. Did the eyes of amphibians have to change as a consequence of a terrestrial existence? Explain why. If so, mention several adaptations found in the eyes of amphibians that serve such a purpose.
31. Can all amphibians hear? Describe the sense of hearing in amphibians.
32. Describe the auditory structures of a frog.
33. How do frogs "sing"?
34. Why do frogs sing?
35. What other kinds of senses can one encounter in an amphibian?
36. What is ectothermy?
37. Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of ectothermy in amphibians.
38. How do amphibians reproduce? Describe the life cycle of a typical frog to illustrate the process.
39. Are all amphibians aquatic? Explain?
40. Describe four different methods of reproduction that makes it possible for an amphibian to reproduce even if the animals are far away from any large body of water (or running water) [the film].
41. What types of amphibians exist today? What are the names of the orders they represent?
42. Which is today the most common type of amphibian?
43. There is a very high biodiversity of salamanders in North America. Explain why.
44. What is the difference between salamanders and newts?
45. What are caecilians? How do they differ from a salamander? Where can one expect to find them?
46. What are the differences between a large earthworm and a caecilian?
47. In class it was mentioned that the skeleton of a frog is highly modified. Explain the statement.
48. Outline the external and internal anatomy of a bullfrog (lab dissection). Know the anatomy of the bullfrog.
    
49. Summarize the evolutionary history of amphibians.

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