Vertebrate diversity - MB170P125

• Title: Vertebrate diversity
• Czech title: Diverzita obratlovců
• Guaranteed by: Department of Zoology (31-170)
• Faculty: Faculty of Science
• Actual: from 2022 to 2023
• Semester: winter
• E-Credits: 3
• Examination process: winter s.:written
• Hours per week, examination: winter s.:2/0, Ex [HT]
• Capacity: unlimited
• Min. number of students: 5
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Note: enabled for web enrollment
• Guarantor: doc. Mgr. Pavel Munclinger, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): prof. Mgr. Tomáš Albrecht, Ph.D.; doc. Mgr. Pavel Munclinger, Ph.D.; Mgr. Zuzana Musilová, Ph.D.; doc. Mgr. Pavel Němec, Ph.D.; Mgr. Jiří Šmíd, Ph.D.
• Incompatibility : MB170P13A
• Is co-requisite for: MB170C125

Annotation

Last update: doc. Mgr. Pavel Munclinger, Ph.D. (25.09.2023)

The lectures will start on Monday the 2nd of October (the first day of semester).

Vertebrates are without doubts the most popular and longest studied group of organisms. However, our
understanding of vertebrate biology and systematics has changed dramatically in recent decades with the advent
of new research techniques and new fossil discoveries. The goal of the course is to describe the major transitions
in vertebrate evolution and to introduce the fascinating diversity of vertebrates in space and time. Lectures will
focus on the present-day groups of vertebrates, their distribution on Earth, up-to-date systematic relationships, and
biological details ranging from genomes through anatomy, ecology, and behaviour to community level. Students
will be also briefly guided through the 500-million-year history of the vertebrates and familiarised with the
major vertebrate groups that have ruled the world in the past.

Moodle: https://dl2.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=4903

Literature

Last update: doc. Mgr. Pavel Munclinger, Ph.D. (09.01.2023)

Vertebrates:

Pough F. H., Bemis W. E., McGuire B. & Janis C. M. (2022) Vertebrate life.
Basic textbook, many editions, try to get the latest one.

Gaisler J. & Zima J. (2018) Zoologie obratlovců. Academia, Praha.
Excellent textbook, in Czech only.

Prothero D. R. (2022) Vertebrate evolution. From origins to dinosaurs and beyond. CRC Press.

Linzey D. W. (2020) Vertebrate Biology. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Fishes:

Facey D. E., Bowen B. W., Collette B. B. & Helfman G. (2022) Diversity of Fishes - Biology, Evolution and Ecology. John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

Amphibians:

AmphibiaWeb; https://amphibiaweb.org/

Amphibian Species of the World; https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/
Classification of amphibians

Reptiles:

Reptile Database; http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search
Exhaustive list of all species including details on their distribution, systematics and taxonomy

Vit & Caldwell (2014): Herpetology, An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. Academic Press

Lovich & Gibbons (2021): Turtles of the World: A Guide to Every Family. Princeton University Press

Gower & Zaher (2022). The Origin and Early Evolutionary History of Snakes. Cambridge University Press

Caldwell (2021). The Origin of Snakes. CRC Press

Crocodyles:

Grigg G. & Kirschner D. (2015) Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians. Csiro publishig.
Everything about crocodyles in detail.

Pterosaurs:

Witton M. P. (2013) Pterosaurs. Princeton University Press.
Evolution, biology, amazing illustrations.

Paul G. S. (2022) Princeton Field Guide to Pterosaurs.

Dinosaurs:

Fastowsky D. E. & Weishampel D. B. (2021) Dinosaurs. A Concise Natural History. Cambridge University Press.
Ecellent textbook

Benton M. J. (2021) Dinosaurs. New visions of a lost world. Thames & Hudson, London.
New facts and reconstructions. Also a few pterosaurs, ichthyosaurs, early birds and mammals.

Paul G. S. (2016) Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs.
Illustrated checklist, nice short introductory chapters.

Birds:

Elphick J. (2016) Birds. A complete guide to their biology and behaviour. Natural Hirtory Museum. London
Short, comprehensive.

Lovette I. J. & Fitzpatrick J. W. (2016) The Cornell Lab of Ornothology Handbook of Bird Biology.
Detailed

Mayr G. (2017) Avian Evolution. The fossil record of birds and its paleobiological significance. Wiley Blackwell.
Evolution, fossils...

Benito J. & Olivé R. (2022) Birds of Mesozoic. An illustrated field guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Illustrations of all known Mesozoic birds in the field guide style, nice short introductory chapters.

Elphick J. (2019) The Handbook of Bird Families. Natural Hirtory Museum. London.
Short, comprehensive.

Winkler D. W. (2015) Bird Families of the World. An Invitation to the Spectacular Diversity of Birds. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Rather detailed invitation.

Fjeldså J., Christidis L. & Ericson Per G. P. (2020) The Largest Avian Radiation. The Evolution of Perching Birds, or the Order of Passeriformes. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

del Hoyo, J. ed. (2020). All the birds of the World. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
All bird species illustrated in a single book.

ebird.org

Mammals:

Prothero D. R. (2017) The Princeton field guide to prehistoric mammals.

Kelt D. A. & Patton J. L. (2020) A manual of the Mammalia.

Zima J. & Macholán M. (2021) Systém a fylogeneze savců. (in Czech)

Brusatte S. (2022) The rise and reign of the mammals. A new history from the shadow of the dinosaurs to us.

Wilson D. E., Mittermeier R. A. & Lacher T. E. (eds.) Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volumes 1-9. Lynx.

Burgin C. J., Wilson D. E., Mittermeier R. E., Rylands A. B., Lacher T. E. & Sechrest W. (eds.) Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World. Lynx.

Prothero D. R. (2006) After the Dinosaurs: The Age of Mammals (Life of the Past). Indiana University Press.

Kemp T. S. (2005) The Origin and Evolution of Mammals. Oxford University Press.

Requirements to the exam

Last update: doc. Mgr. Pavel Munclinger, Ph.D. (12.12.2022)

Standard oral examination based on knowledge from lectures