Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item The evolution of facial keratin and tooth distribution: implications for the coevolution of traits in dinosaurs(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Aguilar-Pedrayes, Isaura; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: David VarricchioResearch on birds indicates that the occurrence of beak keratin and teeth are mutually exclusive, and both traits are widely distributed across Dinosauria. The macroevolution of the antagonistic relationship between keratinous beaks and teeth has only recently been explored, and these studies focus on Aves and non-avian Coelurosauria. Currently, many hypotheses posit an adaptive advantage for the trade-off of these two traits but have not been tested on a macroevolutionary scale. Examples in non-coelurosaurian dinosaurs and non-adaptive alternatives, such as trait evolution correlation and phylogenetic history, have yet to be explored thoroughly-. This study assesses the current evolutionary assumptions of beak-like keratin and tooth distribution across dinosaurs using recently-developed variable rate phylogenetic comparative methods. The diagnostic bone surface used as a proxy for the keratin cover in fossil jaws is smooth grooved textures with foramina at the jaw tips. The effect of a keratin cover on the tooth distribution within individuals is tested with Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) multinomial regression models. Coevolutionary rates for these structures are evaluated with Bayesian RJ-MCMC algorithms. The best-fit model is determined using Bayes Factors. The taxonomic breadth increased the evolutionary sample size and thus analytical power but forced a simplified coding scheme for beak and tooth traits. My analysis shows that the presence of a keratin cover influences the evolution of partial toothrow reduction but not complete tooth loss. Another factor could have driven the evolution of toothless beaks in some dinosaurs. In addition, the evolution of a reduced toothrow only precedes the presence of a keratin cover in the Theropoda lineage. Furthermore, the evolutionary rate of toothrow distribution was higher and more diverse when a keratin cover was absent; this suggests that the keratin cover imposes a functional constraint on tooth diversity at macroevolutionary scales.Item Evolutionary units in wildlife : a case study of the bald eagle(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1999) Raven, CatherineItem The effects of using metacognitive strategies on student understanding of evolutionary concepts(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2013) Robbins, Andrea Kathleen; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.The purpose of this action research project was to observe the effects metacognitive strategies had on student learning, long-term memory, motivation, and teacher enthusiasm in a high school Biology classroom during a unit on Evolution. A three-week unit including the history of evolution, steps of natural selection, and evidence supporting the theory was used as the nontreatment unit and taught using regular teaching strategies. This was followed by a three-week treatment unit covering genetic variation, distribution, and speciation, and included metacognitive strategies like reflection journaling, QUAD notes, and peer justification. Data was collected using preunit and postunit assessments, student reflection journals, surveys, interviews, and teacher reflections. While the intervention seemed to have little or no effect on student understanding, student attitude, and teacher enthusiasm, it did improve student retention of concepts over time. It would seem that the use of metacognitive strategies led to a longer, more durable learning experience.Item A matter of life and death : rethinking evolution and the nature of science on television(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2006) Bard, Susanne Clara; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: David ScheererIn a world where antibiotic resistance can make bacterial infections deadly and the HIV virus constantly mutates inside the human body, an understanding of evolution and its mechanisms is increasingly important. Yet much of the public is still either hostile to or misunderstands evolution and its mechanisms. Television provides the bulk of the general public's exposure to science once formal education has ended. The rhetorical strategies employed by much of science and evolution programming, along with an emphasis on content over process, delivers the message that science is a search for absolute truths rather than a dynamic process relying on falsification and tentative knowledge. The way in which science and evolution is presented parallels failures in the educational system to teach science as more than just a collection of absolute truths and unassailable facts. In both science teaching and science television, critical thinking often loses out.Item Teaching evolution in a Christian school(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2012) Kalf, Alan W.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.My research question started with, "How does a college-preparatory education teach evolution, in the context of a complete commitment to the historic Christian faith?" The answer was with great science, great faith, and great teaching. This was developed into my focus statement: "How effective will a scientifically rigorous, religiously sensitive, inquiry-based evolution unit be in a Christian school?" The success of the unit will be measured in terms of student understandings of evolution and student acceptance of scientific understandings.