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 • 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

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 • 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?

4. Food Web Section • Must include at least 10 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

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. Basic Information • Scientific Name: Phascolarctoscinereus • 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 • 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. KOALA • 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 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:

9. 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.**

10. Helpful Websites • 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 • Animal Fact Guide • http://www.animalfactguide.com/animals.php

11. Florida Endangered Species ListChoose one of the following to research: • Caribbean monk seal • Finback whale • Florida panther • Gray wolf • Humpback whale • Key deer • West Indian manatee • Miami blue butterfly • Florida ghost orchid • Gooseberry • Morning Glory • Longleaf pine • Johnson’s seagrass • Gray bat • Atlantic sturgeon • Smalltooth sawfish • Reticulated flatwood salamander • Green sea turtle • Hawksbill sea turtle • Kemp’s ridely sea turtle • Leatherback sea turtle • Bachman’s wood warbler • Cape sable seaside sparrow • Everglade snail kite • Ivory billed woodpecker • Wood stork