OnlineHS: A > Final Project

This is your demonstration of learning for the Ecology unit.

Scenario: You are an ecologist working for a committee that reports to the United Nations, called Think. Your job is to study various on Earth to ensure that all and are preserved. As you are studying the ecosystems of Earth, you find that a specific species and that ’s is in danger!

You will need to notify the United Nations Committee of the problem occurring in the ecosystem of your organism! Help them to see how this organism population is an important part of the ecosystem, and without it, the ecosystem will collapse!

Your goal: Create a presentation (use PowerPoint or make a video--your choice) whose purpose is to convince a committee to preserve a species in a specific ecosystem.

In this presentation: 1. You will describe the ecosystem.

With 3-5 sentence descriptions. Identify the abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem. 2. Identify your species in the levels of species.--  .

3. Draw or create a diagram of a web containing your species.

must contain at least 3 food chains (each chain has 3 or more ) .

Identify the producers, (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary) Consumers and

Use arrows showing the flow of .

4. Describe interactions between your organism species and abiotic & biotic components of one cycle studied in . Explain how your organism is part of a cycle.

5. Explain how in your ecosystem will support the preservation of your species population.

6. Give one example of how carrying capacity can be exceeded to decrease the population of your species.

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7. Offer to ensure the preservation of your population.

● List 2 or more solutions.

8. Include a labeled graph to help explain one component of your presentation. This could be population comparisons, populations over , graphs to show carrying capacity,

9. At the end of your presentation, list your or websites used in the presentation. You MUST have external sources of information. Use the Internet, books, or magazines, etc. Cite them correctly using: http://www.easybib.com

Start here! Review the “Ecology Final Project Rubric” (at to bottom of this page) to see how your presentation will be graded and the components you will want to include to earn the grade you want for demonstrating your understanding.

Get ready: You may want to base your project off of a population of organism that has been interesting to you in the past.

If you have no preferences, Ideas and potential ecosystems could be found at the following websites:

● : http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Life-in-the-Sea/Sci- Media/Animations-and-Interactives/Marine-ecosystem ● food web http://sonic.net/~birdman/arctic/foodweb.htm ● Food web http://cbc.amnh.org/crisis/foodweb.html ● Food web http://digital-desert.com/wildlife/food-chains/

Grading: • Your presentation can be a PowerPoint, video, or paper. Ask your teacher if you have another suggestion. • See the rubric below--Your presentation will be graded on the 10 items listed in left column w/ pts from top row. • Grading - 100 pts Possible. 0-60= F, 61-69= D, 70-79= C, 80-89= B, 90-100= A • Should you have any questions regarding this assignment, contact your instructor

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ECOLOGY FINAL PROJECT RUBRIC item 0 points 5 points 7 points 10 points

3-5 descriptive No description or one 3 or more sentences 1. Description of 3-5 descriptive sentences that paint a that is less then 3 about ecosystem that ecosystem sentences. vivid picture of the sentences contain little description ecosystem

Identifies at least 3 Identifies at least 3 Identifies at least 5 2. Identifies factors each, that are factors each, that are factors each, that are abiotic & biotic No of biotic and abiotic. No biotic and abiotic. biotic and abiotic. factors and factors nor interactions interactions given Details interactions Details interactions interactions between factors & between factors & between factors & species. species. species.

3. Identification Describes the species Describes the species of species level No identification of level Gives a level. No place in the level of organizational level and of organization of organization description organization relationship to others. in biosphere

The web given is both The food web is The food web is graphical and graphical OR descriptive graphical and descriptive with 3 No graphical or and contains at least 3 descriptive and contains distinctly different food 4. Food web descriptive web or the food chains that are at least 3 food chains chains of 3 or more web given is inaccurate. connected at at least that are connected at organisms that one organism. least one organism. interconnect to make a complex web. 5. Understands Gives at least 1 Gives more then 1 the relationship example of how carrying example and describes between Does not relate carrying Wrongly explains the capacity can be in detail the relationship Carrying capacity to population relationship exceeded to decrease between carrying Capacity and the population of your capacity and population. population. species. Included a meticulous graph that was Included a graph that Include an accurate & 6. Data accurate, labeled, and No graph was not accurate or did labeled graph to help Presentation was visually clear in not explain a component explain one component explaining a component

An argument is present 7. Argument for An argument is Presents a compelling No argument or, simply but is weak and/or preserving your presented for preserving argument for preserving a presentation of facts. includes no rationale for chosen species the chosen species. their species. preservation.

At least 1 reference At least 3 references At least 1 reference 8. References No references cited. cited correctly or 3 given AND cited given. references given. correctly

Too many , Presentation is Near perfect. No misspellings, & mistakes Many errors that detract organized with few 9. Mechanics spelling or convention to be considered from the presentation. errors that detract from errors. serious. the presentation

10. Not turned-in on or Received by teacher on <- -> Presentation before deadline. or before deadline

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