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BIO113 Studying Mammals Unit 8: Life In The Trees - OPEN University

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Open University

S182_8
10 Hours 

Level
Introductory


Course Home (Click Here)

Course Description

This unit will introduce you to the wide-ranging types of mammals that live in the trees. You will learn how they thrive in this demanding environment, with the help of a range of intriguing adaptations related to their unusual life-styles.

This is the eighth in a series of units about studying mammals. To get the most from these units, you will need access to a copy of The Life of Mammals (2002) by David Attenborough, BBC Books (ISBN 0563534230), and The Life of Mammals (2002) on DVD, which contains the associated series of ten BBC TV programmes. This unit contains samples from the DVD set. You should begin each unit by watching the relevant TV programme on the DVD and reading the corresponding chapter in The Life of Mammals. You will be asked to rewatch specific sequences from the programme as you work through the unit.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit you should be able to:

  • identify the common features shown by tree-dwelling mammals from different groups;
  • show an awareness of the difficulties of classifying primates, especially in relation to the position of the prosimians;
  • give an account of opportunities and challenges encountered by tree-dwelling mammals and of evolved adaptations linked with arboreal life;
  • provide examples of the closeness (and sometimes interdependence) of the relationship between tree dwellers and their habitat;
  • be aware of differences in lifestyle and forms of locomotion amongst a wide range of prosimians;
  • give examples of adaptive radiation amongst the Madagascan lemurs;
  • describe differences in lifestyle (e.g. feeding habits) amongst lemurs, including features linked with their arboreal life.


 

Introduction

  • Introduction Resource
  • This unit will introduce you to the wide-ranging types of mammals that live in the trees. You will learn how they thrive in this demanding environment, with the help of a range of intriguing adaptations...

 

1 Life in the trees: an introduction

  • 1 Life in the trees: an introduction Resource
  • As you work through this unit you will come across boxes, like this one, which give you advice about the study skills that you will be developing as you progress through the unit. To avoid breaking up...

 

2 Problems of life in the trees

  • The consequences of living in the trees Resource
  • This unit contains a lot of detailed information about particular tree-dwelling mammals. You will need to take care not to get too absorbed in the fine details but to ensure that you take away the important...
  • 2.1 The kinkajou Resource
  • LoM describes this tree dweller as a relative of the raccoon. It belongs to the order Carnivora and is one member of a family generally referred to as procyonids [p. 170], or more commonly the raccoon...
  • 2.2 The colugo Resource
  • In LoM, DA vividly describes one particular evolutionary development associated with tree dwelling – taking to the air [pp. 221–227]. The gliding habit evolved independently in different mammalian lineages...
  • 2.3 Fruit bats and flying foxes Resource
  • In this section and the next, you will be asked to write answers to activities in particular numbers of words – Activity 3 asks for about 200 words and Activity 5 requires 150 words – you might like to...
  • 2.4 Tree squirrels Resource
  • Coevolution also underpins the relationship between many tree squirrels and the trees that house them. The creation of food caches as a ‘winter-larder’ is mutually beneficial, partly because squirrels...

 

3 Introducing the primates

  • 3 Introducing the primates Resource
  • One group of accomplished tree dwellers are the primates – a term you perhaps think of as synonymous with monkeys and apes. Monkeys and some apes display some of the most striking adaptations to tree-living....

 

4 Galagos, lorises and pottos

  • 4 Galagos, lorises and pottos Resource
  • Activity 6 is divided into several parts, on successive pages, and asks you to answer a number of questions. Look ahead to this activity now and highlight, or list, the different ‘process’ words, which...

 

5 Lemurs and their origin

  • 5.1 Introduction Resource
  • The island of Madagascar is relatively small compared to the enormous landmasses of Africa, Asia and South America inhabited by the primates I've mentioned up to now. Yet of the 250 or so living primate...
  • 5.2 Madagascan diversity Resource
  • Watch the video sequence below, which focuses on just three lemur species – the ring-tailed (in a very brief sequence, leaping from one tree to another), the golden bamboo lemur, already mentioned, and...

 

6 Reflection

  • 6 Reflection Resource
  • Most of the activities that you have done so far are based on your understanding of single sections that you have just read. Activity 8 which follows, is different. It requires you to assemble and integrate...

 

References and Acknowledgements

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Copyright 2007, by the Contributing Authors. Cite/attribute Resource. administrator. (2010, January 30). BIO113 Studying Mammals Unit 8: Life In The Trees - OPEN University. Retrieved September 04, 2010, from Free University Courses OCW Courses OpenCourseWare Freeversity Foundation Web site: http://www.freeversity.org/science-and-mathematics/biology/bio113-studying-mammals-unit-8-life-in-the-trees-open-university. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons License