Burgess Shale Activity Feburary 2023

Lab 2 - Burgess Shale Activity Do you think the Burgess Shale specimens illustrated in Lesson 6 of the course notes represent a reasonable approximation of the actual relative abundance of species found in the Burgess Shale? Do they represent actual rela tive l ifestyles? Foodweb niches? You will address these questions in t hree steps. 1. Have a general look around the amazing website created by the Royal Ontario Museum shown here: https://burgess-shale.rom.on.ca/introduction/ . Figure out where you are in general and what the website has to offer in terms of fleshing out the Burgess Shale fossil deposit. 2. First record key characteristics for each specimen onto a copy of Table 1 (below) using information from the Burgess Shale website at https://burgess-shale.rom.on.ca/fossil-gallery/main-gallery/ . > AT THE SAME TIME, using that database, find the real samples shown in Table 2 and add the species name and other information to complete Table 2. 3. Then use results to address questions presented on Canvas about abundance, living habit and foodweb niche by referring to data in your tables. Guidelines 1. Read all these instructions first! 2. We expect this lab to take you between 1 and 2 hours. 3. Use paper versions of the tables (below) first, because you will be browsing the Burgess Shale specimen database to obtain your data. 4. Find the data webpage for each specific organism, including high resolution images of fossils, starting at https://burgess-shale.rom.on.ca/fossil-gallery/main-gallery/ . Here’s how … a. Click on the link above or paste it into your browser. Loading may take several seconds. b. Use your browser’s built-in find function (CTRL-f in Firefox) to find the specific organism. c. Artist impressions of specimens in your notes are impressive, but - what do the fossils look like from which these imagined illustrations were derived? Good question – so – complete Table 2 at the same time as Table 1 by finding the specific image of the fossil for each specimen, and matching it in Table 2’s second column to the numbered artist’s illustrations provided after Table 2. This should be easy for most but please note that in Table 2 some images are not oriented the same way as they are on the website. d. Finding the fossil images is important because detailed information needed for Table 1 is on the specimen pages associated those fossil images . If you can't find the exact image, use the information given in the other images to get your required data. Data are well organized on each specimen’s page, so you should be able to complete both tables quickly once you are familiar with how data are presented. 5. When Tables 1 and 2 are complete, you are ready to complete the question set on Canvas. This is not a test but a means of checking your data and addressing the questions which are the underlying purpose of this activity. 6. There is an OPEN discussion forum on the class discussion board accessible to everyone for discussions with your colleagues about this activity AND (of course) you can discuss anything you like (any time) in your small groups. There is NO formal group component for this activity. That’s it; have fun. These are amazing creatures & the Burgess Shale fossils tell a unique and fantastic story!

Questions you will see on Canvas: 1-2. Match illustrations to fossils. 3. Is there enough information on the data webpage for each organism to generate an age-range diagram showing the time spans during which each of the 10 organisms lived? 4. From your completed copy of Table 1, the fossil that is the largest OTHER than Anomalocaris is [***], the smallest is [***], the rarest arthropod (based on number of specimens) is [***], and the one fossil that is a mold rather than fossilized body parts or remains is [***]. Finally the one that may have eaten Ogygopsis is [***] . Finally the one organism NOT described in course notes is [***]. 5. Several observations or experiments have helped suggest that the relationship between Ogygopsis and its so-called predator is still rather uncertain. What are these lines of evidence? For each of the following, choose "True" if the observation DOES contribute to this uncertainty and "False" if the observation does NOT contribute to that uncertainty, or if the observation was not mentioned. Obtain answers by reading the following very short item (roughly 450 words): The Geological Society of America. "Earth's first great predator wasn't: Carnivorous 'shrimp' not so fierce, 3-D model shows." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101101083148.htm (accessed August 31, 2015). True false for each: a. Calculations that simulate Anomalocaris mouth action b. Fossil evidence of mouth action c. Calculations that simulate mouth hardness d. Fossil evidence of mouth hardness e. Calculations that simulate digestive processes f. Fossil evidence of gut contents or feces (or lack thereof) g. Fossil evidence that other things were being eaten 6. Which phylum is most abundant in OUR little sample of 10 species? 7. Is this consistent with information about relative abundance of SPECIES at the Walcott Quarry site provided on that page? Answer this by find ing the "Walcott Quarry Community" page. Keep this page open for subsequent questions! 8. Again from the “ Walcott Quarry Community ” pag e, the lifestyle that is most well-represented by all known Burgess Shale spec ies is [***], and the lifestyle most well-represented by our own small set of 10 organisms is [***]. The lifestyle that is NOT represented in our own small set is [***]. If there are technical terms you are unsure of, look them up by googling them. 9. Which food web niche is most well-represented by our own small set of 10 organisms? 10. Based on the (admittedly simplified) figure of the Burgess Shale food web, which food web niche would we EXPECT to be most abundant in a real Burgess Shale community?