Environmental Science Report: Mammalian Evolution and Communication

This report delves into the evolutionary descent of mammals, tracing their lineage from earliest amniotic ancestors to modern examples, supported by fossil record evidence. It examines differentiation processes like size, shape, and form, providing examples of mammalian adaptability. The report evaluates domestication and intelligence strategies from evolutionary and current perspectives, and explores the relationship between physical structure and behavior. Furthermore, it discusses the diversity of mammalian populations, migratory preferences, and communication strategies. The report covers various aspects of mammalian evolution, including their interaction with the environment and the impact of environmental changes on their behavior and survival. The report provides an overview of the evolutionary history, adaptability, and communication of mammals.

Environmental Science

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
a) Explain the evolutionary descent of mammals from the earliest amniotic ancestors to
modern examples....................................................................................................................3
b) Evaluate an evidence relating to fossil records in relation to mammalian descent............4
d) Describe the differentiation processes such as size, shape, form and incorporate examples
of mammalian adaptability.....................................................................................................4
e) Evaluate the domestication and intelligence strategies from the evolutionary and current
perspectives............................................................................................................................5
f) Explain the relationship between the physical structure and behaviour.............................5
g) Discuss the diversity of mammalians populations and migratory preferences related to the
behaviour characteristics, models and theories......................................................................6
h) Evaluate mammalian interaction and communication strategies.......................................7
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................8
I) Describe how mammal's reproduce using the anatomy and physiology of different species
to draw comparison of the similarities and differences..........................................................8
j) Evaluate the evolution of reproductive strategies in the mammals related to changing
environments and habitats......................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
The environmental science has played the significant and important role in the
development of range of the species and breeds of mammals. This study of science has provided
the evolution of the mammals, their past generation and growth along with their future survivals
(Soldatov, 2015). This report will be carried on understanding the evolutionary descent mammals
from their earliest amniotic ancestors to the modern examples along with evaluating an
evidences related to the fossil records of the mammalian descent. This report will also discuss
about the differentiate on the basis of size, shape, form of the mammalian adaptability and also
the relationship between physical structure and behaviour. This report will calculate the
interaction and communication strategies of the different range of species. Along with this, this
report will also discuss about the diversity of the mammalian population and migratory
preferences related to behaviour, characteristics, models and theories.
TASK 1
a) Explain the evolutionary descent of mammals from the earliest amniotic ancestors to modern
examples
The complete story of mammalian evolution actually begins with the amniotes. Basically,
amniotes are the kind of animals that lay eggs with internal membranes. The internal membranes
keeps the water inside the eggs, so that they do not dry out eggs when exposed to air (Varotsos,
2016). This allows the amniotes to lay down their eggs on the dry land. Amniotes were the first
fully terrestrial, or land living, tetrapods. The other tetrapods, the amphibians, produce an eggs
without the internal membranes, in such a way that the eggs must be laid in the water to avoid
the drying out. The need to return to water to lay an eggs prevented amphibians from becoming
the complete terrestrial. From the ancient amniotic, mammals are converted into the modern
synapsids. These synapsids are commonly of two types namely such as hard carnivorous and
some important herbivorous which has evolved over the years (Cao and et. Al 2016). Some
mammals are carnivorous and some are herbivorous. Such evolution has come from their past
generation or the ancestors. Due to the change in the environmental factors and biological
reason, some generation and their breeds has develop and evolved into dangered and endangered

species. Mammals has come from the small fishes and small species which has been converted
because of non-protective species.
b) Evaluate an evidence relating to fossil records in relation to mammalian descent
Fossil records tells us when and where mammals lived as well as this records provides an
evidence for their progression and evolution of life on earth over the millions of years. Fossils
are preserved remain and traces of animals, plants and other organism from the past (Taylor,
2016). Generally, fossils are range from 10000 to 3.48 billion years old. The mammal fossils are
basically 10000 to 50000 years old. There are various techniques which shows an evidences in
support to fossil records for the mammalian descent. There are various fossils such as footprint
or bones of the mammals are considered as elements of the fossil records of the mammals. Such
evidences can be evaluated by per-mineralization, tracing the fossils etc. In context with
Mammals, evidence of fossils provides solid proofs and evidence that mammals from the past
generation are found today with new breeds. Fossils have shown the progression of an evolution.
Fossils, along with comparative anatomy of present day organism, constitute morphological or
anatomical records. The fossils evidence involves hard body parts, shells, bones or teeth etc.
Such evidence have been preserved from millions of years in the environmental protection. Such
fossil evidence are used to evaluated on the basis of their age of survival and prevention (Bright,
2016). The fossil record are very uneven and are mostly comprised of fossils of an organism with
the hard body parts, leaving most groups of soft bodied organism with little to no fossil record.
Groups considered have to effective fossil record, including transitional fossils between these
group are the vertebrates, the brachiopods and some groups of arthropods. Fossils provides an
evidence that organism from the past time which cannot be found today's. It is helpful in
demonstrating the progression of an evolution.
d) Describe the differentiation processes such as size, shape, form and incorporate examples of
mammalian adaptability
Mammals also includes the human being which has been diversified over the years and
years. Every human being and animals has been differentiated on the basis of their shape, size,
forms and other things etc. As any climatic and environmental change happens, it simply effects
the body size, shape such as nose shape, colour of the skin etc. to the human being. This cannot
be termed as the human or mammalian adaptability (Buckleton, 2014). Adaptability for the
mammals such as what they eat, prefer to do and also their daily basis activities also ascertain

and differentiates on the basis of size, shape, form etc. There are various reptiles such as lizards,
snakes etc. who change their body colour and size might be because of change in the
environment and other climate change. They generally do it to protect them in order to get self
protect.
e) Evaluate the domestication and intelligence strategies from the evolutionary and current
perspectives
Domestication is whether dealing with plants or animals, recognize that the domestication
involves the relationship between human and target plants or animal populations. In the plant,
there are new selective factors which introduced under domestication which tends to target genes
that control morphology and physiology (Harris, 2017). Whereas, in animals, the primary focus
of selection under the domestication tends to be on genes that control behaviour. Research on
domestication, whether grounded in archaeology, genetics or agricultural science, required the
reference to all of different sector that shape this process , on both the human sides of an
equation. Documenting the process of domestication, either in antiquity or today, involves
understanding how this process causes the various genetic, phenotypic, plastic and cultural
responses used to track its progress. It is also requires acknowledging that domestication is the
fluid and non-linear process that may start, stop, reverse course or go off on expected tangents.
The final pathway to domestication is a more deliberate and directed process – a process initiated
by the human with the goals of domesticating a free living animal to obtain a specific resource or
set of resource of interest. Animals domestication through this intention driven, directed process
are likely not to possess many of the key behavioural characteristics that pre-adapt certain
species to domestication. For an evolutionary process, strategies are required to be intelligently
used whether in case of plants and animals.
f) Explain the relationship between the physical structure and behaviour
The physical structure of the mammals body plays an important role in the behaviour of
an individual. The most necessary physical structure for the psychologists is the nervous system.
Actually, the nervous system carries an orders from the brain and spinal cord to various gland
and muscles, it also contains the signal from stimuli receptors to the spinal cord and brain. If on
wants to blink their eyes, a kind signal will be created in the brain, which is imported to the
neurons to the muscle controlling the yield (Dixon, 2017). In context with Structure, our goal is
to understand and analyse the relation of consciousness and nature: psychological, organic or

even the case of social. Behaviour is generally depends on one's attitude and personality which
could effect their mentality and positioning into the other person. In environmental science, it is
generally considered as most probative thing and perception which generally effect one's attitude
and behaviour. Neurons is the basic structure of the physical structure. It is considered as the
base of the nervous system. Apart from this, even neurons have various basic structure which
consists of: one cell body, one axon and one or more dendrites.
The cell body is the bulbous end of a neuron which contains the cell nucleus. The soma
makes the use of nutrients to supply the reflective energy for the neuronal activities. The axons
are organelles that carries an information away from the cell body. Axons is small as various
microns which is as long as several metres in giraffes and whales. The dendrites are the
organelles that sense the neurotransmitter secreted by the axon of another neuron. Most of the
neurons have more than one dendrite. On the other hand, dendrites and axons do not directly
touch each other.
g) Discuss the diversity of mammalians populations and migratory preferences related to the
behaviour characteristics, models and theories
The diversity of the mammalians population has increased over the years and time. Also,
their migration has been occurred time by time. Various mammals and animals are migrating
from one place to another to make themselves safe and protect from the human destruction and
man made effect. Both human and animals are diversified on the basis of an environment and
climatic effect (Ballard, 2012). Their migration is happening continuously because of their
personal, any man made or natural effect. Mammals are moving to other location because of
continuous destruction on them along with the environmental change. Mammals can respond to
the environmental change in 3 key ways: disperse, adjust and through phenotypic plasticity or
through the genetic changes. In context with anthropogenic change, plasticity is important
because of an opportunities for the dispersal and adaptation are often limited. The migratory
preference always comes when there is any negative environmental factors which has caused the
danger on living species and animals. The issue of an evolution and adaptation in the changing
environment has recently become the hotly topic which has been taken place because of climatic
change and also because of the extinction rate and alteration into the distribution of the species.
An evolution and diversity has been result from the interaction between the various organism and

related environments and their consequences of such interaction over the longer period of time.
Living organism and mammals are continuously adapting to their preferred environment along
with diversity of nature that exists promotes a diversity of an organism adapted to them
(McMullan, 2017).
h) Evaluate mammalian interaction and communication strategies
Communication and interaction strategies is important for both human and animals. This
is important to make them capable and potential for interacting with their other species members.
Human and animals both have aggressive and normal communication. When discuss about range
of species in mammals, lion and deer uses an aggressive strategies. They generally identify their
breeds group by smelling their urine (Teeguarden, 2016). Lion and deer generally communicates
through growling before hunting their food and other animals. There are range of species such as
elephant, dog, deer and fox who uses the loud calls and physical behaviour while communicating
with their other members. Many large mammals have loud calls that functions to attract an
individuals of the opposite sex and advertise the resource holding potential to competitors in the
vicinity (Joseph, 2015).
In context with male red deer, They uses the loud mating calls which involves the Cervus
elaphus roar at the high rates during the autumn breeding season or rut and these load
vocalization are know to affect not only the outcomes of contests between males but also to
influence the male attraction. There are several receivers to whom the male roars might be
relevant including other males, female and other potential mates within hearing range.
In context with elephant as the species, they uses the loud and hard complex song
produced by their humpback Megaptera and fin whale uses the Balaenoptera physalus noise to
calls and communicate with their other whales. In responding to the alarm call of the Campbell's
monkeys, Diana monkey's attend not only to the referent of an alarm call, responding with their
species specific alarm call for the same predator, but also appear sensitive to the detailed
composition of an alarm calling sequence (Wildgaard, 2015). Also, the brief study on roe deer
Capreolus revealed that the barks are identified as an “alarm calls”. In this communication
system, calls inform any predator that might present that it has been detected and simultaneously
reveals the caller's identity and status to any conspecific.

TASK 2
I) Describe how mammal's reproduce using the anatomy and physiology of different species to
draw comparison of the similarities and differences
Most of the mammals and viviparous giving birth to live young. However, five species of
monotreme, platypuses along with the echidnas lay eggs. The monotremes have the sex
determination system which is different from that of most other mammals. The mammary glands
of the mammals are specialized to produce the milk, a liquid used by newborn as their primary
source of nutrition (Lehmann, 2013). The monotremes branched early from the different
mammals and do not have source to fluid which is seen in most of the mammals. Along with
this, fertilizers is mostly found in mammals (Zoeteman, 2015). There are two different kinds of
mammals namely the echidnas and duck billed platypus, known as collectively as monotremes.
When discuss about the reproductive system of the mammals, Cow is suitable to discuss this this
system. For the purpose of reproduction, the main organ which is useful is the pituitary gland,
which sits on the base of the brain, which is all over about an half an inch in diameter and weigh
about 1 gram. The female reproductive organ includes ovary, cervix and vulva. The ovary
produces an egg by the process called as ogenesis. In contrast to spermatogenesis in the bull
which is continuous, ogenesis is the cyclic. This cycle of egg development in cattle is called as
estrous cycle and is typically 20 to 21 days in length. During the estrous cycle, two prominent
structures are present with the ovary, the follicle and corpora lutea.
j) Evaluate the evolution of reproductive strategies in the mammals related to changing
environments and habitats
Seasonal reproduction is common among all the mammals at every latitude. For several
mammals, the change in behaviour is very often to the first response to human altered conditions.
Not every behavioural responses are human altered, but some are the depends on the
environment and its consequences. Mammals reproduction has changed because of certain
change in an environment and habitants of the human being (Lubchenco, 2017). The purpose of
this assessment is to provide an insights into our understanding of how mammals adjust their
behaviour to human-induced environmental change and what are the certain impacts of these
behavioural changes and adjustment may be. There are various strategies which is important and
significant for specific environment and habitants such as hygienic and clean environment is

required to get better and suitable reproduction for the mammals and other animals.
Environmental and pollution measures is required to monitor for improving the reproduction of
the mammals and its related breeds and generations (Campbell, 2016). It was noticed that
continuous environmental change over the decades has effected the growing stage of the
mammals growth and increase in their breeds and generations.

CONCLUSION
From the above report, it is concluded that environmental science has become important
part of the globe and world in current time and scenario. Evolution of the decent mammals have
become important for an individual to get their growing stage and process. It is also concluded
that interaction and communication strategies of the mammals has become for the interacting
with their other breeds and generation to contact. Mammals generally contact using the loud call
voice which says which is considered as passing the message and contacting with their other
members. The relationship between the physical existence and behaviour is very unique and
important to know the generation and breeds of the mammals. Lastly, it is also concluded that the
specific and relevant strategies is required to protect the specific environments and natural
habitants.

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Online
Investigating the case of human nose shape and climate adaptation, 2018. [Online]. Available
through: <https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1006616>