Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Biology- EcoEvolution project

We have started our next science project which should be due around senior exhibitions- i.e. march 18th or so.  Students are researching an ancient and modern species  and will then create an "evolved" form of their modern organisms and justify and describe it using evolutional and ecological concepts.  Research worksheets will be due T/W 3/8-9/2011

Ecology/Evolution Project  v.4  2011

Project Description:  Students will pick an ancestral organism and a modern organism group from the provided list.  Students will then conduct research on the ancestral organism and its ancient ecology.  Students will also need to conduct research on a modern descendent (unique from the other modern organism chosen in this class) of the ancestral organism and its ecology.  Then students that share a common ancestor will research and predict a worst case scenario of the selective pressures exerted by Humans on the modern organism’s future biome and the evolutionary pressures that a future descendent of the modern organism will have to respond to for survival.  All throughout the project you will use the basic principles of evolution and ecology to show how organisms on Earth might have evolved into modern species and ultimately predict how Humans may be the driving selective evolutionary force for future life on Earth. 

Objectives:
1.       Identify Taxonomy of organism (past, present, and future) use complete taxonomic information you research for the modern species and its ancestor.  The species name will be chosen by the student for the future species.  Teacher will provide you with guidelines for giving a scientific name to your future species you may use the modern organism’s taxonomy for the rest.
2.       Identify the organism’s ecology for past, present, and future including:
a.      biome, habitat, niche, predator/prey relations, trophism, food chain and any important interactions with other organisms
b.      members of the same species (mates, solo/herds and offspring)
3.       Identify the major environmental pressures to which your creature has responded to in the past-modern & modern-future examples. 
4.       Describe changes (adaptations) in your organism’s morphology and behavior for the species to be successful at each age?
5.       Description of why your organism evolved using principles of evolution and natural selection.  
a.      Gradualism vs. Punctuated Equilibrium, method of speciation, convergence/divergence, coevolution…
6.       Student produced illustrations of organism (past, present, and future)
7.       Present your research and predictions

Final Product:
Poster, models, technology, …?  What ever suits you best; we have a limited time and computer access for completion of this project, so make choices that suit the amount of time you can devote outside of class in addition to the time given in class!  You will present with other students sharing the same common ancestor and may determine similar future conditions.  All grades will be individual.

Things to consider for the future:
-Future biomes: will be greatly altered by a worst case scenario: global warming, habitat
destruction (cities, roads…), pollution, war, bioterrorism, ozone depletion, etc…
-Morphology: size, color, patterns, appendages, trophism, defense mechanisms…
-Behavior: migration, mating practices, raising young, loner, herding, nocturnalism…
-Relationships: prey, predators, reproduction, competition, shelter/nest materials…
List of ancient species/group of modern organisms (each member of a group must have a different modern species): 

ie I choose Pseudaelurus-cougar, another student chooses Pseudaelurus-house cat and another student Pseudaelurus-lynx.  We may share the ancestral species research, but our modern and future species research is completely independent. We would then present our information as a group akin to the dino. project presentations.

Eryops (or Temnospondyli(- ls) or Paleobatrachus)/amphibians
Eurypterus/arachnids
Pseudaelurus/felines
Coytylosaurs/lizards
Archaeopteryx or Oviraptor/birds of prey
Primelephas/elephants (no more than 2 students may select this option) Asian, & African,
Hyracotherium/horses (no more than 3 students may select this option) donkey, zebra & horse
Hybodus/sharks
Cynodictis /canines
Archaeocetes/cetaceans
Cheirolepis/ray finned fish
Ancient Nautiloids/ Cephalopods (octopi, squid etc…)
Parictis/ Bears
Sphenicidea /Aquatic Birds ( penguins)
Australopithecus/human (this is a solo option)

Other?????

(Worksheet)
Species:                                                                         Name:

Eco/Evolution Project:  Research Notes for Ancestral Organism
Geologic time(s) this organism lived:

Environment: What type of biome does your ancestral organism live in? Describe the climatic and geographic range for your organism.  Maps could be useful visual aids.







Ecology:  What is your organism’s niche? What significant relationships did the organism have with other organisms and their environment?  Try to establish a food chain for your organism; if information is lacking identify your organism’s trophic level.  This information may be spotty; try to find the dominant plants and dominant animals for your organism’s geologic time. 









Morphology: What are the basic structures that make up the organisms body and appearance?










Survival traits: What adaptations were necessary for this organism to be successful in its environment?





Why the adaptations occur?  What evolutionary concepts?




Species:                                                                         Name:

Eco/Evolution Project:  Research Notes for Modern Organism
Environment: What type of biome does your modern organism live in? Describe the climatic and geographic range for your organism.  Maps could be useful visual aids.







Ecology:  What is your organism’s niche? What significant relationships did the organism have with other organisms and their environment?  Establish a food chain for your organism.  What are the dominant plants and dominant animals for your organism’s biome? 











Morphology: What are the basic structures that make up the organisms body and appearance?










Survival traits: What adaptations were necessary for this organism to be successful in its environment?  How are Human activities influencing this species?




Why the adaptations occur?  What evolutionary concepts?




Species:                                                                         Name:

Eco/Evolution Project:  Research Notes for Future Organism
Millions of years from now (consider the evolutionary trends your organism has been following from ancestral to modern; predict what selective pressures and adaptations will occur for the future descendent sp.)
Environment: What type of biome does your future organism live in? Research how Human activities are expected to alter the environment in a worst case scenario.  Teacher will provide some basic suggestion on how biomes might be changed and maps.







Ecology:  What is your organism’s niche? What significant relationships did the organism have with other organisms and their environment?  Establish a food chain for your organism.  What are the dominant plants and dominant animals for your organism’s biome?  Assume mass extinctions wiped out most modern plants and animals; you do not need to predict the specific biology/ecology of future plants& animals.  With your group just make generalizations about future  plants or animals that fill the niches of the extinct modern organisms.









Morphology: What are the basic structures that make up the organisms body and appearance?









Survival traits: What adaptations were necessary for this organism to be successful in its environment?
(refer to the Intro hand out has some details, I have more detailed information once you have determined your biome)  For this project we are assuming mass extinctions




Why the adaptations occur?  What evolutionary concepts?






TASK:  By the end of today’s period you will complete and turn in the following for your organism.  In a group of three each person must complete this task; in a group of two do this for the ancient and modern organism (one per student) and work together to complete the task for your future organism.  In a group of one you only need to complete the task for one of your organisms to earn credit today, but you will need to include this information for all ages.

1.  What is the trophic level for your organism?
  • This is a good time to think/research what other organism are involved in the trophic process (relations with other species:  predator/prey, symbiosis, competition for resources, shared habitat…)





2.   Make a food chain representing the position of your organism. 
  • research this if modern or ancient
  • for future organisms you will need to predict what other organisms are a part of your organism’s food chain
  • extra credit for making food webs for all ages
























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