Summary
In this project we pretended we were on an archeological dig looking for elements for months, when we suddenly stumble upon fossils. Our job in this project is to organize and write the story of how these fossils have evolved and are related to each other. We had to name the fossils, classify, reclassify, justify and re justify all our chooses on why we believe our story is the right one.
We started this project with just metal pieces given to us. We were told to classify these pieces with no information about what makes a different species. Once we learned all the concepts we needed, we were told to create a cladogram to separte the different species. We also had to give them different names, and explain why they evolved. To collect our notes and work, we used two documents as seen below. To present our findings we used a slideshow.
We started this project with just metal pieces given to us. We were told to classify these pieces with no information about what makes a different species. Once we learned all the concepts we needed, we were told to create a cladogram to separte the different species. We also had to give them different names, and explain why they evolved. To collect our notes and work, we used two documents as seen below. To present our findings we used a slideshow.
Concepts
Family: is a group of people affiliated either by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence
Genus: a principal taxonomic category that ranks above species and below family, and is denoted by a capitalized Latin name
Species: largest group of organisms in which two individuals can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction
Cladogram: a branching diagram showing the cladistic relationship between a number of species, it organizes different species based on similar traits; all of the species listed to the right of a trait have that trait
Classification: the action or process of classifying something according to shared qualities or characteristics
Evolution: the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth
Phenotype:the set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment
Genotype: the genetic constitution of an individual organism
Competition: the activity or condition of competing to survive in an environment
Evolution: change in the genetic make-up of a population over time
mutation: new traits are added in on accident, which provides genetic variation
gene flow: movement of individuals and alleles in and out of populations
non-random mating/sexual selection: species choose mates with the most attractive traits, keeping the best traits in the gene pool
genetic drift: change in gene frequency
founders effect: small group of organisms starts a new colony
bottleneck effect: large population is drastically reduced by disaster
natural selection: there is variation between individuals, they compete for resources, some die and others survive, and the survivors reproduce and pass on their favorable traits; "survival of the fittest" is the mechanism of natural selection.
Adaption: a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment
speciation: the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution
sympatric speciation: new species evolve from a single species while inhabiting the same geographic region
allopatric speciation: new species evolve from a single species due to separation
reproductive speciation: organisms can no longer interbreed and produce fertile offspring due to...
genetic drift: random change in gene population
behavioral isolation: different mating rituals and signals separate the species into groups (ex: fireflies with different light flashing patterns)
temporal isolation: prevents species from mating due to different mating times, even if they're in the same environment with the same traits (ex: toads)
geographic isolation: species is split by a geographic feature, and they develop differently due to randomness and slight differences in environments and gene pools (ex: squirrels separated by the grand canyon)
We used most of these concepts in our story to explain how and why new species evolved.
Reflections
This project went very well. At first , though, figuring out what we were doing went poorly. It took us a couple of days to figure out what we are supposed to do and actually start the project correctly. We messed up on the cladogram a couple of times, so it set us back , because we had to redo it. Another pitt was we lost a nail for a couple of minutes but we eventually found it. Other than that we worked great together all contributing more than one thing to the project. We also worked well coming up with the names of our species in latin.We even finished early allowing us time to create a slideshow with pictures, and practice presenting it. Once that we were done we worked on our presentation and presented it to our class.
Some things I did well in this project was I was more optimistic. When I didn't understand what I was doing, I didn't freak out and get stressed like the other projects. I just took a deep breathe and stayed calm throughout that time until I figurred it out. I also wasn't controlling or possessive of the project. Usually, I like things a certain way and that way may not be always right. In this project, I wasn't overbearing, in fact, I was pretty loose on how we were going to set up the cladogram, I let another member decide how to set it up while still contributing to some of his ideas. Some skills I have acquired from building this project are how to set up a cladogram correctly. At first I had know idea how to set it up, I didn't even know there were different families and classes, I just thought they were grouped by species. But, with help from my group, I learned how to use a cladogram.
Some items I will continue to work on is my work production. In this project, I was getting sidetracked by talking to my friends more than getting to work. I would go over to them when I was bored and go and talk to them. Next time I will focus on the project rather than what my friends are doing. Another item I could work on is understanding what we were doing before starting a project. When we first started I had no clue how to organise it. Next time, I should figure out how to do my project before I start working on it, by asking our teacher if we are doing it right before we get to invested in the way we started setting it up.
Some things I did well in this project was I was more optimistic. When I didn't understand what I was doing, I didn't freak out and get stressed like the other projects. I just took a deep breathe and stayed calm throughout that time until I figurred it out. I also wasn't controlling or possessive of the project. Usually, I like things a certain way and that way may not be always right. In this project, I wasn't overbearing, in fact, I was pretty loose on how we were going to set up the cladogram, I let another member decide how to set it up while still contributing to some of his ideas. Some skills I have acquired from building this project are how to set up a cladogram correctly. At first I had know idea how to set it up, I didn't even know there were different families and classes, I just thought they were grouped by species. But, with help from my group, I learned how to use a cladogram.
Some items I will continue to work on is my work production. In this project, I was getting sidetracked by talking to my friends more than getting to work. I would go over to them when I was bored and go and talk to them. Next time I will focus on the project rather than what my friends are doing. Another item I could work on is understanding what we were doing before starting a project. When we first started I had no clue how to organise it. Next time, I should figure out how to do my project before I start working on it, by asking our teacher if we are doing it right before we get to invested in the way we started setting it up.
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