Evidence
For our project, we had to choose an animal that was close to extinction or endangered, and researched and answered questions. We were instructed to research about how it evolved, its resource supply, how humans have affected its survival, and how biodiversity has affected its survival. The animal we researched was the Southern Tamandua, also known as the Lesser Anteater. Our Power Point Presentation is displayed below.
Content
- Evolution- A change in the gene pool over time that causes an organism to change and develop new adaptations. Our project talked about the adaptations the Lesser Anteater gained through evolution in order for it to survive, such as hooked claws for digging for food in trees or holes, and a long, thin snout to get food in tight spaces.
- Artificial Selection- When humans choose what traits are beneficial for an organism
- Natural Selection- the random selection of traits, in the wild, of what traits are beneficial and which traits are not for an organism. This is one of the five factors for a species to evolve.
- Biodiversity- All the different living in an area. In our project, biodiversity was important for our animal for a diverse set of food (meat, fruit, honey, ants, etc.) and tress (for food and protection from ground predators)
- Speciation- the creation of a new species due to evolution
- Types of Speciation-
- Allopatric Speciation- when a geographical change separates a population to make them evolve separately
- Sympatric Speciation- when the same geographical location produces reproductive isolation
- Reproductive Isolation- when a population cannot breed due to incompatibility, different mating seasons, or geographical barrier
- Behavioral Isolation- when the same species have different mating rituals
- Geographical Isolation- when a geographic change occurs that splits the population and the different groups evolve according to their new location
- Temporal Isolation- when the same species isn't able to breed due to different mating times or different sexual maturities
- Founder's Effect- the loss of genetic variation within a large population
- Genetic Drift- when a genetic variation exponentially develops into a specific trait in a population
- Allopatric Speciation- when a geographical change separates a population to make them evolve separately
- Survival of the Fittest- the organism with the most favorable trait for its environment is more likely to survive
- Extinction- the complete elimination of a species (no longer living species). The Lesser Anteater, luckily is not likely to go extinct in the near future, according to IUCN.
- Gene Pool- all the types of genes in a population. When the gene pool changes, it is considered evolution.
- Gene Frequency- the percentage of each gene in a population
- Mutation- one of the five factors of evolution. When a certain gene is replaced to change the gene pool
- Gene Flow- one of the five factors of evolution. When an organism exits/enters a population, causing the gene frequency to change
- Small Population- one of the five factors of evolution. When a population gets dramatically smaller, causing the gene frequency to change
- Non- Random Mating- one of the five factors of evolution. When an organism mates with another with different traits, the new organism has the potential to create new genes with traits which changes the gene pool
- Adaptation- a change in an organism that helps it benefit from its environment
Final Thoughts
Overall, this project was very informative and very different from last year. This project helped me open my eyes to the damage that we are causing to other species and the consequences in doing so. Doing our best to save and being more conscious about endangered species will help humans in the future. It was also very different from last year's physics and math. This project really helped me with my collaboration and research techniques. However, there are things that we need to work on. One thing we need to work on is detailing. Our project seemed very bare-boned and not well explained. If we try to research in more depth into our projects, we can do much better with the content with our project. Another thing we can work on is planning. Though we made a Gantt chart to outline what we would be doing on certain days, we did not follow it, and our project felt rushed as a result. If we can stick to a more solid plan of action, then we can get work done more efficiently. Though we did have our pits, we did have our peaks. One thing we did very well together was collaboration. Our project was well organized because everyone did their work, we listened to each other, and helped each other whenever it was needed. There was a great sense of rapport in our group and helped us smoothly get work done. Another thing that went well was organization. Our group was well organized with our sources and research which helped a lot with getting work done efficiently. If our work stays organized, then we can get work done with precision and great efficiency.