Origin and Diversity of Armor in Girdled Lizards
Author(s): Jennifer Broo
Mariemont High School
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Broo_Origin-and-Diversity-of-Armor-in-Girdled-Lizards.pdfDescription
The girdled lizards (Cordylidae) are a family of distinctively armored lizards endemic to
Sub-Saharan Africa. Students examine lizards in this family to classify the lizards based on
morphological characteristics. Students graph data on the percentage of osteoderm
coverage in each lizard group and discover that natural selection due to predation has
resulted in lightly armored lizards living in large rocks and more heavily armored lizards
living in open areas. Students then compare their morphological classification to
phylogenetic trees created from DNA analysis and discover that convergent evolution is
responsible for differences in ostederm coverage within the Cordylidae family and in the
animal kingdom.
Subject, Grade, Level:
This activity is targeted for AP Biology.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this activity, students will be able to:
1. Explain why molecular data provide more accurate and reliable evidence than
morphological traits when constructing phylogentic trees.
2. Differentiate between convergent and divergent evolution.
Timeframe:
4 class periods (50-minute periods
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
- Broo, J. (2020). Origin and Diversity of Armor in Girdled Lizards. iDigBio, QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/RHVA-VZ96