Endangered Species Project

7

th

Grade Science

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Project Requirements

Name and period on the back of your poster Rubric attached to back or handed in with project Name of species on the front of the poster Picture of species on the front of the poster Must be neat and organized All of the information must be organized with correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Sections must be clearly distinguished from each other This should be something you are proud of!

Careful, colorful, and detailed work is expected Information is correct Sentences must be hand written Project is interesting to look at Student has taken their time Shows knowledge of their species All sources must be cited. Information must be from the teacher suggested websites, or any .org, .gov

or .edu. No wikipedia!

Some computer printed pictures may be used, but there should be an equal number of student drawn pictures or more

Basic Information Section

         Scientific name of species Type of species  Reptile, mammal, angiosperm, gymnosperm, etc.

Ecosystem/Biome/Community that the species lives in What environmental adaptations does your species have?

Locations within Florida where the species can be found What are your species’ main predators?

 Is your species a predator of any other species? If so, what is their prey?

Do they have any parasitic, commensal, or mutualistic relationships with another species?

 If so, what other species do they have this relationship with? Explain the relationship.

Are they producers, consumers, or decomposers?

 If they are consumers, are they omnivores, carnivores, or herbivores?

What does their diet mostly consist of?

Food Web Section

   Must include at least 15 species in your food web Producers, consumers, and decomposers must be represented in your food web Every organism in the food web must be able to be traced back to a producer

Biotic Limiting Factors Section

  Which of the biotic limiting factors affects your species and how?

Biotic limiting factors:  Food  Disease  Parasitism   Predation Nesting sites  Other animals

Abiotic Limiting Factors Section

  Which of the abiotic limiting factors affects your species and how?

Abiotic limiting factors:  Shelter  Space  Water   Light Temperature  Atmosphere  Soil

Human Impact Section

      What have people done to the species or its ecosystem that has made it endangered?

What has happened to it since? What is its history?

How are people working to fix the problem now? What else can be done?

How might a decline in your species population affect other populations, and in turn, affect humans?

International impact – in what countries is your species considered endangered? What other countries are trying to help this species?

• • • • • • • • • Basic Information Scientific Name: Phascolarctos cinereus Type of species: Mammal (marsupial) Ecosystem: Eucalyptus forests, coastal islands, and low woodlands Biome: Woodland biome Community: Environmental adaptations: Extra thick fur to help protect from bad weather, opposable thumbs and toes for better grip, and rough pads on hands and feet for traction when climbing, cheek pouches store food while moving to safer locations, do not need to drink water because they get water from the leaves they eat Locations in Florida: Zoos Koalas have a commensal relationship with eucalyptus trees. They eat the tree’s leaves and the trees are neither harmed nor helped.

They are consumers (herbivores) whose diet consists of feeding on eucalyptus trees Food Web

KOALA

• • • • Human Impacts What have people done: cut down the woodlands these animals live in to build houses, farms, and roads(koalas are protected but their homes and food are not) What has happened since: decrease in population by 90% What is being done now to fix it: protection sanctuaries are being built and koalas are being relocated to these areas What else can be done: • • • • • Biotic Limiting Factors Food – loss of food due to urbanization. Also causes increased competition for food Disease – chlamydiaceae bacteria, koala retrovirus, and certain cancers Predation – humans for fur and meat. They have no other real predators Nesting sites – loss of habitat by urbanization and brush fires Other animals – no real predators, babies sometimes eaten by owls, eagles, snakes, etc.

• • • • • • • • Abiotic Limiting Factors Shelter – destroyed by urbanization agriculture, and brushfires Space Water – drought Light Temperature – intense heat from brushfires Atmosphere Soil Traffic death by motor vehicles

Rubric

0 Missing 1-2 There But Incorrect 3-7 Partially Done 8-10 Well Done My project was turned in on time. (This will either be 0 or 10 points!) I followed the directions given to me by my teacher on the project requirements slide. Basic information section meets all of the requirements set by teacher.

Food web section has at least 15 organisms and includes producers, consumers and decomposers Biotic limiting factors section complete with all limiting factors listed and explained if needed Abiotic limiting factors section complete with all limiting factors listed and explained if needed Human impact section complete with all questions answered.

My project is interesting to look at. I used creative materials. Neat. Organized. Creative. Colorful.

My project shows accurate knowledge of my animal.

I took my time, and this is a project I am proud of.

**A printable version of this rubric will be put on my website. It must be printed and turned in with your project or attached to the back of your project for me to grade it.**

Helpful Websites

          World Wildlife Foundation  https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/directory?direction=desc&sort=extinction_status USDA  For Plants http://plants.usda.gov/threat.html

Florida Museum of Natural History  http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/ichthyology/Education/bioprofile.htm

National Park Service  http://www.nps.gov/ever/naturescience/techecklist.htm

US Fish and Wildlife Service  http://www.fws.gov/endangered/map/state/fl.html

NOAA  http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/ Animal Planet  http://animal.discovery.com/animals/ BBC Nature Wildlife  http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/ National Geographic Kids  http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature Endangered Species International  Endangeredspeciesinternational.org

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Endangered Species List Choose one of the following to research:

Gulf sturgeon Honey bee Smalltooth sawfish Reticulated flatwood salamander Loggerhead sea turtle Sandplain gerardia Lange’s metalmark butterfly Mississippi gopher frog Bachman’s wood warbler Cape sable seaside sparrow Everglade snail kite Mexican Long nosed bat  Atlantic bluefin tuna  Polar bear  Florida panther  Gray wolf  White river spinedace  Key deer  West Indian manatee  San Joaquin kit fox  Quiver tree  Longleaf pine  Acropora cervicornis coral  North Atlantic cod  Schaus swallowtail