Eastern Nazarene College
Biology
Department
BI-104: Introduction to Ecology and Diversity
Course Syllabus: Project Information
|
|
Focus Questions and Due Dates:
Bacteria and Archaea Protista Plants Fungi
Animals
Project
Information:
You will be paired up with
another student in the Intro to Ecology and Diversity class to complete
a semester long project that demonstrates your understanding of the
morphology and phylogeny of the major taxonomic groups: Bacteria,
Archaea, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia. You will be
required to create a Powerpoint presentation for each taxonomic group,
to include information about their morphology (form and function),
modes of movement, modes of reproduction, life cycle, their roles in
the ecosystem, and their importance to human beings. As this
project requires the incorporation of a great deal of information, it
is important for the student pairs to schedule some time to work on
this project each week, meet the project milestones (draft due dates)
shown below, and not wait until the last minute to work on this project.
It is important to note that the
final exam for Introduction to Ecology and Diversity is based on the
information you are incorporating into this project. A list of
mastery objectives and focus questions for the final will be provided
during the semester. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance
that you do not just throw this presentation together, but that you
learn the material as you put it together. If you space out your
learning throughout the semester, it will be easier for you to prepare
for the final at the end.
Specific questions that must be
answered for each phylogenetic group are shown below. You must
include pictures that demonstrate your knowledge, and each picture must
include a figure number, caption, and appropriate reference citation
for its source. Click
here for an example.
Focus Questions and Due
Dates for Project:
Bacteria
and Archaea (Chapter 27)
Draft Due Date:
* What
distinguishes bacteria and archaea from organisms in Domain Eukarya?
* What is the importance of bacteria to humans? To the ecosystem?
* What are extremophiles? Give examples (with photos if possible)
* What are the two major groups of bacteria differentiated by cell wall
morphology? (Hint: think gram staining)
* What are three ways bacteria and archaea produce ATP?
* How do bacteria and archaea reproduce?
* What are the key lineages of Bacteria and Archaea?
Go
back to top of page
Protista (Chapter 28)
Draft Due Date:
*
What effects do protists have on human and ecosystem health (make sure
you include red tides)?
* What are some of the morphological features of this
group?
* How do protists find and eat food?
* How do protists move? What structures assist
them in movement?
* How do protists reproduce?
* What are the key lineages of protists? Give
examples (pictures) of as many as possible.
Go back to top of page
Plants (Chapter 29)
Draft Due Date:
*
What ecosystem services do plants provide?
* What are the differences between non-vascular,
seedless vascular, and seed plants? What phyla belong to each
group? What types of plants are found in each group?
Give me examples (pictures) of each.
* How are plants adapted to life on land?
* What are the differences between gymosperms and
angiosperms?
* What are the differences between monocots and dicots?
* What methods do plants use to reproduce?
Go back to top of page
Fungi (Chapter 30)
Draft Due Date:
*
What are the major characteristics of this group?
* What roles do fungi play in the ecosystem?
* What is the mycelium and what role does it play?
* What are the four major groups of fungi, based on
their reproductive structures?
* What are some of the mutualistic relationships found
in Fungi?
* How do Fungi reproduce?
* What are the key lineages of Fungi?
Go back to top of page
Animals (Chapters 31-33)
Final Project Due Date:
*
What are the major characteristics of this group?
* What types of symmetry are found in animals?
* Distinguish between acoelomates and coelomates.
* Distinguish between protostomes and deuterostomes.
* How do animals feed?
* How do animals move?
* What is metamorphosis? What two types are
generally found in Ecdysozoans?
* Distinguish between Lothotrochozoans and
Ecdysozoans. Give examples of the groups found in each.
* What are the key lineages of Echinodermata and
Chordata? Give examples of each.
Go back to top of page
Click on these
links to find out more about the course: