CLASSIFICATION AND EVOLUTION

Robert P. Gendron
Biology Department
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA 15705
[email protected]

Caminalcules are imaginary animals invented by the evolutionary biologist Joseph Camin.
They make ideal organisms for introducing students to two related topics: taxonomic
classification and evolution. In this lab exercise the students first classify 14 "living"species
into genera, families, etc. Then they construct an evolutionary tree of the Caminalcules using
an additional 57 "fossil" species. This illustrates how modern classification schemes attempt
to reflect evolutionary history. In the process of doing this exercise the students are also
introduced to concepts such as convergent evolution and vestigial structures.

The pictures of the Caminalcules are copyrighted by the journal Systematic Biology and
Robert R. Sokal. They are made available here with permission.

You are free to use and modify this lab in your own courses with the following provisions:
1. I would appreciate it if you let me know if you use the lab and how it worked. (Any
comments and suggestions would be appreciated as well.).
2. Some mention is made of where the lab came from, even if it is modified.
3. If the lab is sold to students (e.g. as part of a lab manual) this be done at cost and not for
profit.

This document contains

1. The Classification and Evolution Lab handout
2. Pictures of the Caminalcules (in Word format)
3. Instructor Notes for both a two- and three-hour lab
4. A diagram of the correct phylogenetic tree

Note that in my lab I use only a subset of all the 77 Caminalcules. To use the entire set would
increase the time needed to complete the lab without appreciably increasing its educational
value. Thus, the phylogenetic tree that is reproduced here is a “pruned” version of the
original; I digitally removed those branches that are not represented by my subset of
Caminalcules. Some instructors have pruned the tree even further. If you do so I would
recommend eliminating species 58 and its descendents (the rightmost branches of the tree
shown on the last page of this document). If you want the entire set of Caminalcules and the
complete phylogenetic tree you can contact me or scan in the pictures from the original source
(Sokal, R.R. 1983. A phylogenetic analysis of the Caminalcules. I. The data base. Systematic
Zoology 323:159-184).
 2

CLASSIFICATION AND EVOLUTION

Robert P. Gendron
Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Humans classify almost everything, including each other. This habit can be quite useful. For
example, when talking about a car someone might describe it as a 4-door sedan with a fuel
injected V-8 engine. A knowledgeable listener who has not seen the car will still have a good
idea of what it is like because of certain characteristics it shares with other familiar cars.
Humans have been classifying plants and animals for a lot longer than they have been
classifying cars, but the principle is much the same. In fact, one of the central problems in
biology is the classification of organisms on the basis of shared characteristics. As an
example, biologists classify all organisms with a backbone as "vertebrates." In this case the
backbone is a characteristic that defines the group. If, in addition to a backbone, an organism
has gills and fins it is a fish, a subcategory of the vertebrates. This fish can be further
assigned to smaller and smaller categories down to the level of the species. The classification
of organisms in this way aids the biologist by bringing order to what would otherwise be a
bewildering diversity of species. (There are probably several million species - of which about
one million have been named and classified.) The field devoted to the classification of
organisms is called taxonomy [Gk. taxis, arrange, put in order + nomos, law].

The modern taxonomic system was devised by Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778). It is a

hierarchical system since organisms are grouped into ever more inclusive categories from
species up to kingdom. Figure 1 illustrates how four species are classified using this
taxonomic system. Note that it is standard practice to italicize the genus name and specific
epithet.

KINGDOM Animalia Plantae

PHYLUM Chordata Arthropoda Angiospermophyta
CLASS Mammalia Insecta Monocotyledoneae
ORDER Primate Carnivora Hymenoptera Liliales
FAMILY Hominidae Canidae Apidae Liliaceae
GENUS Homo Canis Apis Alium
SPECIES sapiens lupus mellifera sativum
(human) (wolf) (honeybee) (garlic)

Figure 1

In the 18th century most scientists believed that the Earth and all the organisms on it had been
created suddenly in their present form as recently as 4004 BC. According to this view,
Linnaeus' system of classification was simply a useful means of cataloging the diversity of
life. Some scientists went further, suggesting that taxonomy provided insight into the
Creator's mind ("Natural Theology").
 3

This view of taxonomy changed dramatically when Charles Darwin published On The
Origin of Species in 1859. In his book Darwin presented convincing evidence that life had
evolved through the process of natural selection. The evidence gathered by Darwin, and
thousands of other biologist since then, indicates that all organisms are descended from a
common ancestor. In the almost unimaginable span of time since the first organisms arose
(about 3.5 billion years) life has gradually diversified into the myriad forms we see today.

As a consequence of Darwin's work it is now recognized that taxonomic classifications are

actually reflections of evolutionary history. For example, Linnaeus put humans and wolves
in the class Mammalia within the phylum Chordata because they share certain characteristics
(e.g. backbone, hair, homeothermy, etc.). We now know that this similarity is not a
coincidence; both species inherited these traits from the same common ancestor. In general,
the greater the resemblance between two species, the more recently they diverged from a
common ancestor. Thus when we say that the human and wolf are more closely related to
each other than either is to the honeybee we mean that they share a common ancestor that is
not shared with the honeybee.

Another way of showing the evolutionary relationship between organisms is in the form of a
phylogenetic tree (Gk. phylon, stock, tribe + genus, birth, origin):

Wolf

Figure 2

The vertical axis in this figure represents time. The point at which two lines separate
indicates when a particular lineage split. For example, we see that mammals diverged from
reptiles about 150 million years ago. The most recent common ancestor shared by
mammals and reptiles is indicated by the point labeled A. The horizontal axis represents, in a
general way, the amount of divergence that has occurred between different groups; the greater
the distance, the more different their appearance. Note that because they share a fairly recent
 4

ancestor, species within the same taxonomic group (e.g. the class Mammalia) tend to be closer
to each other at the top of the tree than they are to members of other groups.

Several types of evidence can elucidate the evolutionary relationship between organisms,
whether in the form of a taxonomic classification (Fig. 1) or a phylogenetic tree (Fig. 2). One
approach, as already discussed, is to compare living species. The greater the differences
between them, the longer ago they presumably diverged. There are, however, pitfalls with
this approach. For example, some species resemble each other because they independently
evolved similar structures in response to similar environments or ways of life, not because
they share a recent common ancestor. This is called convergent evolution because distantly
related species seem to converge in appearance (become more similar). Examples of
convergent evolution include the wings of bats, birds and insects, or the streamlined shape of
whales and fish. At first glance it might appear that whales are a type of fish. Upon further
examination it becomes apparent that this resemblance is superficial, resulting from the fact
that whales and fish have adapted to the same environment. The presence of hair, the ability
to lactate and homeothermy clearly demonstrate that whales are mammals. Thus, the
taxonomist must take into account a whole suite of characteristics, not just a single one.

The fossil record can also be helpful for constructing phylogenetic trees. For example, bears
were once thought to be a distinct group within the order Carnivora. Recently discovered
fossils, however, show that they actually diverged from the Canidae (wolves, etc.) fairly
recently. The use of fossils is not without its problems, however. The most notable of these
is that the fossil record is incomplete. This is more of a problem for some organisms than
others. For example, organisms with shells or bony skeletons are more likely to be preserved
than those without hard body parts.

The Classification and Evolution of Artificial Organisms

In this lab you will develop a taxonomic classification and phylogenetic tree for a group of
imaginary organisms called Caminalcules after the taxonomist Joseph Camin who devised
them. At the back of this chapter are pictures of the 14 "living" and 58 "fossil" species that
you will use. Take a look at the pictures and note the variety of appendages, shell shape,
color pattern, etc. Each species is identified by a number rather than a name. For fossil
Caminalcules there is also a number in parentheses indicating the geological age of each
specimen in millions of years. Most of the fossil Caminalcules are extinct, but you will notice
that a few are still living (e.g. species #24 is found among the living forms but there is also a 2
million year old fossil of #24 in our collection).

The purpose of this lab is to illustrate the principles of classification and some of the
processes of evolution (e.g. convergent evolution). We do these exercises with artificial
organisms so that you will approach the task with no preconceived notion as to how they
should be classified. This means that you will have to deal with problems such as convergent
evolution just as a taxonomist would. With real organisms you would probably already have
a pretty good idea of how they should be classified and thus miss some of the benefit of the
exercise.
 5

Exercise 1: The Taxonomic Classification of Living Caminalcules

Carefully examine the fourteen living species and note the many similarities and differences
between them. On a sheet of notebook paper create a hierarchical classification of these
species, using the format in Figure 3. Instead of using letters (A, B, ...), as in this example,
use the number of each Caminalcule species. Keep in mind that Figure 3 is just a
hypothetical example. Your classification may look quite different than this one.

PHYLUM CAMINALCULA
CLASS 1 CLASS 2
ORDER 1 ORDER 2 ORDER 3
FAMILY 1 FAMILY 2 FAMILY 3 FAMILY 3
GENUS 1 GENUS 2 GENUS 3 GENUS 4 GENUS 5 GENUS 6
A G H D B J L E K C F I

Figure 3

The first step in this exercise is to decide which species belong in the same genus. Species
within the same genus share characteristics not found in any other genera (plural of genus).
The Caminalcules numbered 19 and 20 are a good example; they are clearly more similar to
each other than either is to any of the other living species so we would put them together in
their own genus. Use the same procedure to combine the genera into families. Again, the
different genera within a family should be more similar to each other than they are to genera
in other families. Families can then be combined into orders, orders into classes and so on.
Depending on how you organize the species, you may only get up to the level of order or
class. You do not necessarily have to get up to the level of Kingdom or Phylum.

Exercise 2. The Comparative Approach to Phylogenetic Analysis

Construct a phylogenetic tree based only on your examination of the 14 living A G

species. This tree should reflect your taxonomic classification. For example, let
us say you have put species A and G into the same genus because you think they
evolved from a common ancestor (x). Their part of the tree would look like the x
diagram on the right.

When there are three or more species in a genus you must decide which two of the E K C
species share a common ancestor not shared by the other(s). This diagram
indicates that species E and K are more closely related to each other than either is y
to C. We hypothesize that E and K have a common ancestor (y) that is not shared
by C. Similarly, two genera that more closely resemble each other than they do z
other genera presumably share a common ancestor. Thus, even in the absence of a fossil
record it is possible to develop a phylogenetic tree. We can even infer what a common
ancestor like y might have looked like.
 6

Exercise 3. The Phylogeny of Caminalcules

Using a large sheet of paper, construct a phylogenetic tree for the Caminalcules. Use a meter
stick to draw 20 equally spaced horizontal line on the paper. Each line will be used to
indicate an interval of one million years. Label each line so that the one at the bottom of the
paper represents an age of 19 million years and the top line represents the present (0 years).

Cut out all the Caminalcules (including the living species). Put them in piles according to
their age (the number in parentheses). Beginning with the oldest fossils, arrange the
Caminalcules according to their evolutionary relationship. Figure 4 shows how to get started.

17 ? ? ?
Millions of Years Ago

18 7 5
4 8

19 7
3

Figure 4

Hints, Suggestions and Warnings

a. Draw lines faintly in pencil to indicate the path of evolution. Only after your instructor
has checked your tree should you glue the figures in place and darken the lines.

b. Branching should involve only two lines at a time:

Like this Not this

c. Some living forms are also found in the fossil record.

 7

d. There are gaps in the fossil record for some lineages. Also, some species went extinct
without leaving any descendants (remember the dinosaurs, Fig. 1).

e. The Caminalcules were numbered at random; the numbers provide no clues to

evolutionary relationships.

f. There is only one correct phylogenetic tree in this exercise. This is because of the way
that Joseph Camin derived his imaginary animals. He started with the most primitive
form (#73) and gradually modified it using a process that mimics evolution in real
organisms. After you complete your phylogeny compare it with Camin's original.

Problems

1. You will notice that some lineages (e.g. the descendants of species 56) branched many
times and are represented by many living species. Discuss the ecological conditions that
you think might result in the rapid diversification of some lineages (A real world
example would be the diversification of the mammals at the beginning of the Cenozoic,
right after the dinosaurs went extinct.)

2. Some lineages (e.g. the descendants of species 58) changed very little over time. A good
example of this would be “living fossils” like the horseshoe crab or cockroach. Again,
discuss the ecological conditions that might result in this sort of long-term evolutionary
stasis.

3. Some Caminalcules went extinct without leaving descendents. In the real world, what
factors might increase or decrease the probability of a species going extinct?

4. Find two additional examples of convergent evolution among the Caminalcules. This
means finding cases where two or more species have a similar characteristic that evolved
independently in each lineage. The wings of bats, birds and bees is an example of
convergence since the three groups did not inherit the characteristic from their common
ancestor. Write your answers in complete sentences (e.g. “Species x and y both have
____ but their most recent common ancestor, z, did not”).

List two additional real-world examples of convergent evolution (ones that we have not
already talked about in class) and discuss what might have caused the convergence.

5. Describe two examples of vestigial structures that you can find among the
Caminalcules. These are structures that have been reduced to the point that they are
virtually useless. Ear muscles and the tail bones are examples of vestigial structures in
our own species.

Explain how vestigial structures provide clues about a species’ evolutionary past.
Illustrate your argument with vestigial structures found in humans or other real species.
 8

LIVING CAMINALCULES

FOSSIL CAMINALCULES
(numbers in parentheses indicate age in millions of years)
 9

FOSSILS (continued)
 Classification & Evolution Lab
Instructor notes for a three-hour majors lab

meter sticks 1 per group of 2-4 students

scissors 1 per student
white glue 1-2 per table
Paper 1 large sheet (approximately 2.25’ x 3’) per group. These sheets can be cut from
newspaper “end rolls” available from the local newspaper.

Every group of students needs a sheet of paper for constructing the phylogenetic tree. Cut the paper
into rectangles about 3 feet long. If large sheets are hard to come by the students can lay out their
phylogeny on a table and then reproduce it on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper using the species numbers
rather than pasting the pictures (like the answer sheet below).

With a three hour lab there should be time to complete the three exercises but you also have the
option of having the students do the first and second exercise on their own before they come to class
(see below). You could then go over the results at the beginning of the lab in some detail.

After completing Exercise 2 it students should better understand that,

a. the taxonomic classification reflects evolutionary history,
b. species within a taxonomic group (e.g. within a genus) share a common ancestor not shared
by other species, and
c. species should be grouped together on the basis of more than one shared characteristic.

With respect to this last point, many students conclude that, because they both have claws, species 3
and 12 must be more closely related to each other than to any other species. You may have to draw
their attention to other characteristics (body shape, elbows, hind feet, etc.)

A copy of the "correct" phylogenetic tree, as devised by Camin is available but should not be shown
to the students until after they have done there own. It is unlikely that many students will come up
with exactly the same tree. The important thing is that their tree is internally consistent and that
they understand the evolutionary concepts involved in the exercise.

Example Lab Assignment:

The lab next week on the classification and evolution of organisms involves three exercises. You
will do exercise 1and 2 before coming to lab. Make two copies of your work and turn in one copy
at the beginning of the lab. You will keep the second copy to use during the lab as you do the third
exercise.
 Classification & Evolution Lab
Instructor notes for a two-hour non-majors lab
meter sticks 1 per group of 2-4 students
scissors 1 per student
white glue 1-2 per table
Paper 1 large sheet (approximately 2.25’ x 3’) per group. We use sheets cut from
newspaper “end rolls” available from the local newspaper.

Every group of students needs a sheet of paper for constructing the phylogenetic tree. Cut the paper
into rectangles about 3 feet long. If large sheets are hard to come by the students can lay out their
phylogeny on a table and then reproduce it on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper using the species numbers
rather than pasting the pictures (like the answer sheet below).

The classification & evolution lab runs a bit long for a two hour class period. You might want to try
one of the following approaches.

1. Run through the first two exercises with the class as a whole, using using PowerPoint (Contact
me if you would like to see the one I use). You can ask the students questions and guide their
responses. This not only speeds up the lab, it also minimizes confusion because you can insure
that the students are starting the lab on the right foot.

2. Have the students do the first two exercises on their own before they come to class (see below)
then briefly go over the results at the beginning of the lab.

3. Prune some branches from the tree (for example, the lineages leading to species 13, 14 & 28).

After completing Exercise 2 students should better understand that,

a. the taxonomic classification reflects evolutionary history,
b. species within a taxonomic group (e.g. within a genus) share a common ancestor not shared
by other species, and
c. species should be grouped together on the basis of more than one shared characteristic.

With respect to this last point, many students conclude that, because they both have claws, species 3
and 12 must be more closely related to each other than to any other species. You may have to draw
their attention to other characteristics (body shape, elbows, hind feet, etc.)

A copy of the "correct" phylogenetic tree, as devised by Camin is available but should not be shown
to the students until after they have done there own. The important thing is that their tree is
internally consistent and that they understand the evolutionary concepts involved in the exercise.

Example Lab Assignment:

The lab next week on the classification and evolution of organisms involves three exercises. You
will do exercise 1and 2 before coming to lab. Make two copies of your work and turn in one copy
at the beginning of the lab. You will keep the second copy to use during the lab as you do the third
exercise.