Describing a New Species of Life

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Purpose

To apply many learned ideas and concepts of ecology, classification, and biological diagrams in a creative manner.

Material

paper
pen
pencil
color pencils
unlined paper

Introduction

You are a famous ecologist, working with your equally esteemed and famous partner, returning from some far and remote location. During your travels, you both co-discovered a new species of life. Upon your return, you both prepare a scientific report on the newly discovered life form to present to your research peers.

Procedure

Discuss with your partner the characteristics of your newly discovered organism. You should take notes of your ideas. You may want to review your homework readings: Biotic Relationships, Population Growth, Characteristics of Living Things and Analyzing Predator/Prey Relationships. After you and your partner have agreed on the general characteristics of your organism, you will need to write up your report.

Your report will include each of the following sections:

NAME OF SCIENTISTS: Your two names.
TITLE OF SCIENTISTS: Your academic credentials and area(s) of research. Make it up!
PROPOSED SCIENTIFIC NAME OF ORGANISM: Scientific name of your organism using proper binomial nomenclature (underlined, etc.).
CLASSIFICATION OF YOUR ORGANISM: Classify the organism down to species including its Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION/CHARACTERISTICS AND BEHAVIORS OF ORGANISM: Make a list and describe 10 physical and 5 behavioral characteristics of the organism. The physical ones will match your biological diagram. Include its size, shape and notable characteristics. Examples of behavioral characteristics may include: feeding, mating, territorial defense, seasonal behaviors (such as hibernation, migration, estivation, etc.), rearing of young, etc.
Describe the behaviors objectively and not subjectively.
ADAPTATIONS: An adaptation is a behavior or characteristic that helps an organism to survive in its environment. Taking five (5) of the characteristics described in the previous section, make a list of the characteristics and describe how they most help your organism to survive in its environment. Explain why each trait helps the organism to survive within its environment.
MEANS OF ENERGY INTAKE/FEEDING STRATEGIES: What does your organism do to get its energy? Does it eat? Does it absorb energy from the sun by means of photosynthesis? Is it chemosynthetic (obtaining energy from chemicals in the environment like some species of bacteria)? Also, in your description, define whether the organism is HETEROTROPHIC or AUTOTROPHIC.
REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGIES: How does the organism reproduce at the cellular level? With sperm and egg? By other means? The teacher is not looking for any obscene descriptions here but just a description of what is happening at the cellular level. If sexual reproduction, you can include whether fertilization (sperm finding egg) is internal (like in humans and other mammals) or external (like in fish, amphibians, etc.). In internal fertilization, the sperm fertilizes the egg within the females body. In external reproduction, the fertilization occurs outside the female's body. Does your organism reproduce asexually? Can it make clones of itself?
DESCRIPTION/CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANISM'S HABITAT AND ENVIRONMENT: List the characteristics of the environment/habitat where the organism lives. What is average temperature? What is average amount of rainfall? What type of biome is it: tropical rain forest, tidal pool, desert, etc.
DESCRIPTION(S) OF INTERRELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER ORGANISMS: What sort of relationship does the organism have with other organisms in its environment? Does there seem to be any competitive relationships with other organisms? Does your organism have any predators? Is the organism a predator? Your organism must be in a symbiotic relationship (mutualistic, parasitic, or commensalistic) with at least one other organism. Describe the type of relationship and include a small diagram with each organism labeled.

Your report will also include:

BIOLOGICAL DIAGRAM OR ORGANISM: On a separate sheet of paper, draw, color and label, according to the rules of a biological diagram, a diagram of your organism with the 5 adaptations you described earlier labeled.
DIAGRAM OF ORGANISM INTERACTING IN ITS FOOD WEB: On a separate sheet of paper, draw, color and label a diagram (does not have to be a biological diagram but it must be neat.) Be sure to show the arrows in the food web, indicating flow of energy. Your food web diagram must include pictures/diagrams of at least five (5) other organisms.