Your+Inner+Fish+Homework+AG

Allie Gruber Human Bio Field Period 1 August 18, 2008

Regarding the Article: What people owe fish: A Lot

(1) Describe at least three important PHYSICAL traits in humans that were found in fish first. Head, ears/eyes/nostrils, biceps/triceps/opposable thumbs.

(2) Describe a SOCIAL trait in humans that was found in fish first. Mouth parts: jaw, teeth and tongue.

(3) What is an African cichlid and what behavior do they have that resembles social behavior in humans. Describe. The cichlids are like the fish form of a human’s family that lives in a group and takes care of each other as they grow in the same environment.

(4) Why is it interesting that female guppies may go through menopause? The menopause for the female guppies is similar to the menopause that human females go through; the life span is increased often being associated with their reproductive cycle.

(5) Which genes in humans shifted color during migration from one part of the world to another and also shift in color in fish? Sticklebacks migrated out of their natural habitat into new environments much like the humans that migrated out of Africa. Both genes adapted a new form of skin pigmentation from the new settings that sounded the skin and ultimately changed the skin color traits.

(6) What is the significance to human biology that fish are the oldest group of vertebrates? The evolution of the fish from millions of years ago has evolved and created the human traits that allow for survival and a successful reproduction process.

(7) Competition and predation among fish species led to the evolution of two important physical traits found in humans. What are these two traits and how did competition and predation spur their evolution? The teeth and jaw traits that were formed in fish evolved to make some teeth/mouths bigger than others, allowing for predation and competition between the same species occur. Also the shoulders and upper body muscles evolved from the fish into the human physical traits for upper body strength in both predation and competition as well.

Regarding the NPR interview with the author of Your Inner Fish, Neil Shubin

(8) What is unusual about the Tiktaalik? Tiktaalik is about 4-9” long, with scales and fin webbing features like fish but with a neck and shoulder-like physical traits. The Tiktaalik is a combination of human and fish that

(9) What bones in the "arm" of a Tiktaalik are also found in human arms? In the upper arm, the humorous, along with the elbow and 4 other bones that allow your arm to bend back and forth. Also in finger movement, the bones that correspond to that are in the Tiktaalik.

(10) Explain why a hiccup is a relic of our fish ancestors? It is an irritation of muscles in the abdomen and throat that the fish and tadpoles breathe with.