Download Keystone Species Project

Keystone Species for President Project
You will research a keystone species and share the information with the rest of
the class. All information and the grading rubric are included here.
1. Sign up for a species on the list of species available (Sea Otter, African
Elephant, Gray Wolf, Prairie Dog, Purple Sea Star, Beaver, Jaguar, Pacific
Salmon, Tiger Shark, Hummingbirds of the Sonoran Desert, and American
Alligator, Gopher Tortoise).
Everyone will research their own different species --- NO DUPLICATES!!
2. You will be given time today and Monday 10.19 to research your species.
Any information you do not get that day will be gathered on your own time.
Posters Due on October 21st .
3. Find the following information on your species:
a. Where does your species live? (country)
b. In what type of ecosystem/habitat does your species live?
c. What does your species eat?
d. What organism(s) prey on your species (if applicable)?
e. What community interactions (ex: intraspecific competition,
interspecific competition, mutualism, parasitism, commensalism)
occur between members of the community in which your species
lives? (Identify and describe 3 specific examples)
f. What major role does your species play in its ecosystem that would
qualify it as a keystone species?
g. Drawings or pictures of species, rather than just their written names
h. Latin (scientific) names of species (NOTE: These names should be
underlined, since you cannot write in italics.)
Present this information within your Presidential poster. You can do this however
you want. These could be your “Why we should vote for them” or could be part of
a slogan or background design.
On the back of the poster…
4. Construct a food web of your species ecosystem (6 species minimum).
5. Using a specific colors, highlight all species in the same trophic level the
same color. (Example: You should have 4 different colors for 4 different
trophic levels. Remember to include a color-code key.)
6. Identify the trophic level(s) in which your species falls.
Grading Rubric
Category 5 points
4 points
3 points
2 point
Information
(from Step 3
above)
One answer is
missing or
incorrect.
Two answers are
missing or
incorrect.
1 arrow incorrect
OR all correct but
only 5 species
are named.
2 incorrect arrows
OR 2 species
missing with all
arrows correct
OR 1 incorrect
arrow and 1
species missing.
Two species’
trophic levels
incorrectly
identified OR one
trophic level not
identified OR key
missing.
Three or more
answers are
missing or
incorrect.
3 incorrect arrows
OR 3 species
missing with all
arrows correct OR
some combination
of the two adding
up to three errors.
Three or more
species’ trophic
levels incorrectly
identified
AND/OR more
than one trophic
level not
identified.
All information is
provided.
6 species named
and all arrows are
accurate.
Food Web
All organisms are
correctly highlighted
according to trophic
level.
One species’
trophic level
incorrectly
identified OR
inaccurate key.
Three community
interactions identified
and described.
One community
interaction is
missing,
incomplete or
incorrect
Two community
interactions are
missing,
incomplete or
incorrect
Visually appealing,
exceptional use of
pictures/ drawings.
Original layout and
design.
2 of the three
criteria met:
Visually
appealing,
exceptional use
of pictures/
drawings.
Original layout
and design.
One spelling error
1 of the following
criteria met:
Visually
appealing,
exceptional use
of pictures/
drawings.
Original layout
and design.
Two spelling
errors
Trophic Levels
Community
Interactions
Creativity
No spelling errors
Three community
interactions are
some combination
of missing,
incomplete or
incorrect
Project complete
with the exception
of making it a
‘keystone species
for president’
theme. Layout
neatly done, but
missing out on the
three criteria.
Three or more
spelling errors
Points earned
X 3 _______ /15 pts
X 2 ______ / 10 pts
X 2 _______ / 10 pts
Spelling
TOTAL _______ / 50 pts
This website might give you some ideas for how to design your poster.
http://www.postermywall.com/index.php/g/campaign-posters