Endangered Species Project

1. Endangered Species Project 7th Grade Science

2. Project Requirements • Name and period on the back of your poster • Rubric attached to back or handed in with project • Must create 3 fill-in –the-blank/listing questions that will be turned in early for students to do while you are presenting • 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 my information is 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 • Some computer printed pictures may be used, but there should be an equal number of student drawn pictures or more • All sources must be cited. Information must be from the teacher suggested websites, or any .org, .gov or .edu. No wikipedia!

3. 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 • Are they predatory, parasitic, commensal, or mutualistic? • If so, what other species do they have this relationship with? Explain the relationship. • What are the predators of your species? • Are they producers, consumers, or decomposers? • If they are consumers, are they omnivores, carnivores, or herbivores? • What does their diet mostly consist of?

4. Food Web Section • Must include at least 10 animals in your food web • Producers, consumers, and decomposers must be represented in your food web • Every organism in your food web must be traced back to a producer

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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?

8. 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. • Basic Information • Scientific Name: Phascolarctoscinereus • Type of species: Mammal (marsupial) • Ecosystem:Eucalyptus forests, coastal islands, and low woodlands • Biome: Woodland (forest) biome • Community: Relatively solitary life, no real interactions with other populations • 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 KOALA • Abiotic Limiting Factors • Shelter – destroyed by urbanization agriculture, and brushfires • Water – drought • Temperature – intense heat from brushfires • Atmosphere – becoming polluted • Traffic death by motor vehicles Food Web • 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: reduce urbanization and ban hunting. Make koalas protected

9. Questions • Koalas live in _____eucalyptus forests_____, _____coastal islands_____, and _____low woodland_____ types of ecosystems. • 2 environmental adaptations that koalas have are _____extra thick_____ and _____cheek pouches_____. Opposable thumbs and toes, rough pads on hands and feet, and lack of need for water • Koalas have a _____commensal_____ relationship with eucalyptus trees. • In order to save the koalas, _____protective sanctuaries_____ are being built and koalas are being relocated to them. • Koalas have no real predators, but sometimes their babies are taken by _____owls_____, _____eagles_____, or _____snakes_____.

10. Grades • Classwork grade for the week of the 19th – 23rd for working on your project (in my class and Ms. Nugent’s) • Classwork grade for the week of the 26th – 30 for working on your project • Quiz grade for making the fill-in-the-blank/listing questions and answering them during the presentations • Project grade for your poster • Test grade for your presentation

11. Poster Rubric **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.**

12. Helpful Websites • 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 • Animal Fact Guide • www.animalfactguide.com/animals.php • Animals Explore • http://Discover Connect • Seaworld • http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-bytes/index.htm

13. Florida Endangered Species List • Atlantic sturgeon • Smalltooth sawfish • Reticulated flatwood salamander • Kemp’s ridleysea turtle • Leatherback sea turtle • Bachman’s wood warbler • Cape sable seaside sparrow • Everglade snail kite • Wood stork • Caribbean monk seal • Finback whale • Florida panther • Gray wolf • Humpback whale • Key deer • West Indian manatee • Miami blue butterfly • Ghost orchid • Gooseberry • Morning glory • Longleaf pine • Johnson’s seagrass