Evolution+Extinction
Project description:
This project was based off of evolution and extinction. To prove these concepts we got in a group of three or four and constructed a presentation. We chose an endangered animal to study and research. In my group, we chose the most endangered feline species: the Iberian Lynx. Our species caught our attention, so me researched and learned more about this animal for the remainder of the given time.
It was recommended that our presentation was unique, so we decided to make an informational video to go along with our presentation. My group and I spent a lot of time making and editing a video on the Iberian Lynx and how we could save it from going extinct. The overall goal of this project was to teach the students about extinction.
This project was based off of evolution and extinction. To prove these concepts we got in a group of three or four and constructed a presentation. We chose an endangered animal to study and research. In my group, we chose the most endangered feline species: the Iberian Lynx. Our species caught our attention, so me researched and learned more about this animal for the remainder of the given time.
It was recommended that our presentation was unique, so we decided to make an informational video to go along with our presentation. My group and I spent a lot of time making and editing a video on the Iberian Lynx and how we could save it from going extinct. The overall goal of this project was to teach the students about extinction.
Concepts:
Evolution- Evolution is when the gene pool changes over time, and I can relate this to the project because we studied how our chosen species has evolved.
Artificial Selection- Artificial selection is when a certain trait is chosen in a species by humans, and we did this in our bacteria lab.
Natural Selection- Natural selection is when a species is diverse and some traits help certain
organisms to survive. The surviving organisms reproduce those advantageous traits. We used this in our project because we studied what traits were advantageous and naturally selected in our chosen species.
Biodiversity- Biodiversity is the differences of species in a population. Biodiversity shows how different every living species is, and I can connect this to the project because we studied how our species was affected by biodiversity.
Allopatric Speciation- Allopatric speciation is when two organisms are separated due to geographic reasons. For example, the Iberian lynx is separated by other lynxes, so it developed other features to fit its environment.
Sympatric Speciation- Sympatric speciation is when reproductive isolation creates multiple species. Some examples of this would be temporal, reproductive and behavioral isolation.
Survival of the fittest- Survival of the fittest is when organisms with advantageous traits survive. The organisms that survive reproduce and the fittest traits are selected.
Extinction- Extinction is when there are no more of a certain species left in the wild. In this project we predicted whether we thought our species would go extinct.
Gene Pool- The gene pool is all of the genes that a specific species has collectively. Our species had a small gene pool because they were endangered.
Mutation- Mutations in genes are created all of the time, and they lead to a change in an organism. It is one of the five factors of evolution, and the changes in one organism eventually lead to changes in the whole species.
Gene flow- Gene flow changes the traits in a given population, usually in an advantageous way.
Shrinking Population- When a population shrinks, the gene pool shrinks, which means that the mates and traits are limited. This means that small changes will lead to big changes faster. This leads to evolution because a whole population can change if the size becomes smaller.
Non- Random Mating- Non-random mating means that organisms choose advantageous traits by choosing their mate. We studied non-random mating during this project because we observed how a species evolves, and non-random mating leads to evolution, in a similar way to natural selection.
Adaption- Organisms adapt to their environment, and create small changes in their genes. These small changes lead to big changes, and eventually these changes lead to evolution. The Iberian lynx adapted to the cold weather by developing a thick coat of fur.
Artificial Selection- Artificial selection is when a certain trait is chosen in a species by humans, and we did this in our bacteria lab.
Natural Selection- Natural selection is when a species is diverse and some traits help certain
organisms to survive. The surviving organisms reproduce those advantageous traits. We used this in our project because we studied what traits were advantageous and naturally selected in our chosen species.
Biodiversity- Biodiversity is the differences of species in a population. Biodiversity shows how different every living species is, and I can connect this to the project because we studied how our species was affected by biodiversity.
Allopatric Speciation- Allopatric speciation is when two organisms are separated due to geographic reasons. For example, the Iberian lynx is separated by other lynxes, so it developed other features to fit its environment.
Sympatric Speciation- Sympatric speciation is when reproductive isolation creates multiple species. Some examples of this would be temporal, reproductive and behavioral isolation.
Survival of the fittest- Survival of the fittest is when organisms with advantageous traits survive. The organisms that survive reproduce and the fittest traits are selected.
Extinction- Extinction is when there are no more of a certain species left in the wild. In this project we predicted whether we thought our species would go extinct.
Gene Pool- The gene pool is all of the genes that a specific species has collectively. Our species had a small gene pool because they were endangered.
Mutation- Mutations in genes are created all of the time, and they lead to a change in an organism. It is one of the five factors of evolution, and the changes in one organism eventually lead to changes in the whole species.
Gene flow- Gene flow changes the traits in a given population, usually in an advantageous way.
Shrinking Population- When a population shrinks, the gene pool shrinks, which means that the mates and traits are limited. This means that small changes will lead to big changes faster. This leads to evolution because a whole population can change if the size becomes smaller.
Non- Random Mating- Non-random mating means that organisms choose advantageous traits by choosing their mate. We studied non-random mating during this project because we observed how a species evolves, and non-random mating leads to evolution, in a similar way to natural selection.
Adaption- Organisms adapt to their environment, and create small changes in their genes. These small changes lead to big changes, and eventually these changes lead to evolution. The Iberian lynx adapted to the cold weather by developing a thick coat of fur.
Our Project:
Above is the presentation that my group and I made for the evolution and extinction project.
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Above is the informational video that we made on the Iberian lynx.
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The steps for our project:
1. First we had to choose a species that was endangered and interesting to us. The animal that we chose was the Iberian lynx.
2. Then we had to research it. We went in great depth with our research, and learned more about our animal than anyone could have imagined.
3. We also had to make a Gantt chart, and assign tasks. This would help us to organize our project and ensure that we finished everything in time.
4. Then we had to brainstorm our project. The idea that we chose was to make an informational video on the animal, which would take more effort, but also took more creativity.
5. After that, we had to compose our project and answer every "need to know". Once we had answered everything and researched our animal, we composed our presentation and made our video.
6. Finally, we practiced and presented our project.
1. First we had to choose a species that was endangered and interesting to us. The animal that we chose was the Iberian lynx.
2. Then we had to research it. We went in great depth with our research, and learned more about our animal than anyone could have imagined.
3. We also had to make a Gantt chart, and assign tasks. This would help us to organize our project and ensure that we finished everything in time.
4. Then we had to brainstorm our project. The idea that we chose was to make an informational video on the animal, which would take more effort, but also took more creativity.
5. After that, we had to compose our project and answer every "need to know". Once we had answered everything and researched our animal, we composed our presentation and made our video.
6. Finally, we practiced and presented our project.
Reflection
Overall, I felt that this project was a great way to help the students learn about evolution and extinction. Although I felt that it went well, there are also some places that my team and I could improve on. The first concept that I would like to improve upon would be following the gantt chart more closely. My group and I finished on time, but I feel that if we had followed the gantt chart, we would've been much more organized, and the overall project would have run a lot smoother. Another thing that I feel we could have worked on harder is practicing the presentation. We finished everything in time and had all of the pieces needed to succeed, but I feel as though our presentation, or at least my part of it, was a bit choppy. If I had taken the extra fifteen minutes after class to practice, it could have been perfect. Other than those few mishaps, I really enjoyed this project and feel as though I learned a lot of information that will be very valuable to my future.