| Geology 105 - Paleontology | ||||||
| Course Syllabus | Course Schedule | Journal Assignments | Course Handouts | Critter Charts | Department Home Page | Kusnick Home Page |
| lophophore | beak |
| pedicle | fold |
| articulate | sulcus |
| inarticulate | zooid |
1. Fill out separate Critter Charts for brachiopods and bryozoans.
2. How are the shells of brachiopods and clams different?
3. How do brachiopods attach themselves to the sea floor?
4. Brachiopods are usually found with both valves (shells) still joined, unlike clams, which disarticulate (the valves separate) after death. Why?
5. How has cladistic analysis upset the traditional taxonomy of brachiopods? Look carefully at Figure 13.9B. Why is the grouping of the orthids unacceptable to cladists? How about the spirifers?
6. Describe the typical mode of life of articulate brachiopods. Where did they live? What environments did they prefer?
7. How do we explain the common phenomenon in brachiopods of very similar external morphologies in groups with very different internal structures?
8. How are brachiopods and bryozoans similar? How are they different?
9. How could you tell a bryozoan from a coral?
10. In what environments are bryozoans the most abundant?
11. How has the ecological importance of bryozoans changed through geologic time?