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Not Necessarily on Purpose

Domestication and Speciation in the Canidae Family

By Thomas Horvath

Not Necessarily on Purpose


 

Abstract

In this “clicker case,” students learn about evolution, speciation, and natural selection as well as interpret phylogenies as they apply to the Canidae family. The case is based on the idea that the domestication of the dog was not likely an intentional event in human history. Rather, the dog as we know it was probably a result of natural selection events. Later intentional selective breeding events formed the many different breeds of dog. The case is designed for an introductory biology course in which personal response systems, or “clickers,” are used.  It consists of a series of PowerPoint slides (~2MB) punctuated by multiple-choice questions that students respond to using their clickers. It could be adapted for use without these technologies.

   

Date Posted

08/14/2009

Overview

Objectives

  • Interpret phylogenetic diagrams.
  • Understand how natural selection can act on a population to cause speciation.
  • Distinguish between natural and artificial selection events.

Keywords

Biological species concept; natural and artificial selection; speciation; evolution; dog; canids; Canidae; canine; phylogenetic; phylogeny; cladogram; co-evolution; coevolution

  

Subject Headings

Biology (General)
Evolutionary Biology
Zoology

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

High school, Undergraduate lower division

  

FORMAT

PDF, PowerPoint

   

TOPICAL AREAS

N/A

   

LANGUAGE

English

   

TYPE/METHODS

Clicker, Interrupted

 

 

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