Download Evolution Project File

Evolution of a New Species Project
General Information
This project ties together the Ecology and Evolution units. You may work by
yourself or with a partner. No more than TWO people may work together! You
will have several days in class to work on this assignment. This project will count
as a test grade and is due on Friday, October 18.
Components
 A new species – completely made up organism, but can be similar to an
existing organism or organisms
o A drawing (or other visual representation) of the species must be
included somewhere in the project
 Description of the species niche and habitat, including any biotic and
abiotic needs that it may have
 A food web that includes your organism and other organisms (can be real
ones) that live in the same ecosystem
 A phylogenetic tree or cladogram that shows the evolutionary history of
your organism. This must include a minimum of 5 species (can be real
ones, except for yours).
 Description of the evolutionary process/mechanism that led to your
species. This can include natural selection or genetic drift (founder effect
or bottleneck effect). You need to explain whether it was a result of
sympatric or allopatric speciation. You must also include the type of
reproductive isolation that separates it from the population it evolved
from.
Method of Presentation
You may use any of the following to present the information:
 A tri-fold presentation/display board
 A diorama
 PowerPoint
 Any other method that you can think of that would be an appropriate
method to show the required information