Life Mode Characteristics

Steven J. Hageman

Appalachian State University

This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Activities collection and has been reviewed by 1 other review process

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This page first made public: Jun 4, 2009

Summary

This exercise provides a standardized format that can be used to describe the life mode and its characteristics for most any organism or group of organisms.

Paleoecology , Taxon-Specific Items | College Upper (15-16)

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Context

Audience

Upper-level undergraduate general paleontology course.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

General introduction to common fossils (e.g. introductory historical geology or biology).

How the activity is situated in the course

Stand alone, early in the sequence of lab exercises.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Context to describe and compare groups in a complex system.

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

This exercise does not involve higher order thinking. It sets a context in which higher order thinking can be accomplished later.

Other skills goals for this activity

Develops skills in observation. Makes connections between inert fossil specimens and the ecology of living organisms.

Description of the activity/assignment

This exercise provides a standardized format that can be used to describe the life mode and its characteristics for most any organism or group of organisms. This format is used (reinforced) in many other exercises as the context for comparing and contrasting clades within and among systematic groups. The classification also provides a context for discussing patterns and trends in evolution and ecology.