Research Topic and Outline
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Assignment 2 Purpose: To help organize your thoughts for the Final Presentation and to ensure all necessary research is completed prior to starting the construction of the Presentation. **Note: This is a hypothetical, general example covering material from biology to give you an idea of how to format your outline and include the required subtopics and subsections. Please construct your outline according to the instructions and subject-specific requirements/topics listed in the Assignments section. Assignment 2 Outline: Giant Monkey Tree Frog
I. Introduction A. Common and Scientific Names
1. Common names: giant monkey tree frog. Also known as: blue and yellow frog, bicolored tree frog, giant monkey frog, giant leaf frog or waxy-monkey tree frog.
2. Scientific name: Phyllomedusa bicolor B. Geographic Range
1. Amazon Basin (Frost, 2009) a. Brazil b. Colombia c. Bolivia d. Peru
C. Specific Location (Country, State, City) 1. Brazil (Frost, 2009) 2. Columbia
D. Specific Location Biome 1. Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest (de Paula Lima et al, 2010)
E. Background and Description 1. Not at risk of extinction. (Frost, 2009) 2. Morphology
a. Unique from similar frogs by a pupil that is vertically elliptical (Gagliardo, 2009)
b. Nocturnal (Gagliardo, 2009) c. Males 91-103 mm, females 111-119 mm (Encyclopedia of Life) d. Dark green back with a white or cream belly (Encyclopedia of Life) e. Spots can be found all over the organism, especially on the flank
and back legs (Encyclopedia of Life) f. Fingers are clear brown and have green adhesive discs
(Encyclopedia of Life) g. Dark colored iris (Encyclopedia of Life)
3. Physiology (Folger, 1995) a. Skin Pigments
i. Protect against sun damage ii. Help in camouflage to blend into trees iii. Regulate temperatures
b. Various secretions help i. Retain water ii. Prevent infection
II. Life Cycle of the Organism
A. Egg Mass 1. Consist from anywhere of 10 – hundreds of eggs
Formatting: Note the format with the Roman numerals. Each subheading under the Roman Numeral (e.g. the capital letter) is
required.
Required Introduction Sections: (Common and
scientific names, Geographic range, Specific
location (country, state, city), Specific location
biome.
Tip for Assignment 4: The introduction information
plus background and description can be written
in several introductory paragraphs. The first
introduction paragraph should introduce the
species and the rest of the paper as a standard
writing practice.
The required subtopics (minimum) of the Outline and Presentation are: Introduction/ Background, life cycle, structure & function, etc.), and evolution and additional interests. Each subtopic should have a minimum of two subsections.
Don’t forget to cite internally to your outline where appropriate, and be
sure that all references listed in your reference list
below are included internal to your outline
and vice versa.
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(Gagliardo, 2009) 2. Released on leaves near waterways(Gagliardo, 2009) 3. Eggs are rolled or folded into leaves with the aid of the male
(Encyclopedia of Life) B. Tadpoles
1. Mating and conception (Jeffries, 2003) a. Queen female enters breeding reception once a year during
summer month b. Fall into water when they hatch after 8 – 10 days (Encyclopedia of
Life) c. Larvae are free swimmers (Gagliardo, 2009) d. Length of time as a tadpole depends on the temperature, in
general it is 6 – 10 weeks. (Venancio & Melo-Sampio, 2010). C. Life Expectancy ten years (Encyclopedia of Life)
III. Structure and Function A. Pupil that is vertically elliptical (Gagliardo, 2009)
1. Adaptation found in species that are predators and are nocturnal or active at dawn and dusk. (Koryos, 2014)
2. Adaptation evolved separately (Koryos, 2014) B. Skin adapted for survival in the Rainforest
1. Unique skim pigments that protect against dehydration, infection and sun damage. (Gagliardo, 2009)
2. Unique secretions that are used by indigenous people in rituals. (den Brave et al, 2014).
IV. Evolution A. Classification
1. Some debate – can be classified differently depending on the source 2. Lineage
a. Animalia b. Chordata c. Amphibia d. Anura e. Hylidae f. Phyllomedusa g. Phyllomedusa bicolor
B. DNA analysis indicates a close relationship between Pelodryadinae and Phyllomedusinae (Wiens, 2010).
C. Fossil Information a. The earliest well-documented amphibian is Ichthyostega, which
dates back 363 mya. (Carroll, 1988). b. Frogs evolved about 200 mya. (Wells, 2010).
D. Adaptation Pedal luring (Bertoluci, 2002) V. Additional Interest
A. Ritual of Sapo (Kambo) 1. “Kambo” is the common name for the Giant Tree Frog in Peru (den
Brave et al., 2014) 2. Skin secretion used by indigenous people of Peru as a lucky charm to
improve hunting (Erspmaer et al., 1993) or to purify the body (den Brave et al., 2014).
3. A healer will induce a burn on the right shoulder (in men) or the leg (in women) and skin secretions of the Giant tree frog are added to the burn. (den Brave et al., 2014).
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4. The active ingredient is several different peptides that act to excite nervous system in the flight or fight response (smooth muscle contraction, vasodilation, relaxation of arterial muscles as well as an inducement of an opiate- like response. (den Brave et al., 2014).
VI. Conclusion A. Phyllomedusa bicolor, also known as the giant tree frog, is a common frog
found throughout the Amazon Rainforest. B. The giant tree frog has unique adaptations that allow protection against
sun damage, prevent dehydration and combat infection. C. The giant tree frog has a life cycle common to many other frogs: egg,
tadpole, mature frog. D. The giant tree frog has eyes with a vertical pupil. E. Frogs evolved over 200 million years ago. F. Indigenous people in Peru use skin secretions in rituals.
References Bertoluci, J. (2002). Pedal luring in the leaf frog Phyllomedusa burmeisteri
(Anura, Hylidae, Phyllomedusinae). Phylomedusa 1(2), 93 – 95. Carroll, R. (1988). Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. New York, NY: W.H.
Freeman and Company. den Brave, P., Bruins, E. & Bronkhorst, M. (2014). Phyllomedusa bicolor skin
secretion and the Kambo ritual. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis. 20, 40 doi: 10.1186/1678-9199-20-40
Edson de Paula Lima, J., Rodder D. & Sole, M. (2010) Diet of two sympatric Phyllomedusa (Anura: Hylidae) species from a cacao plantation in southern Bahia, Brazil. North-Western Journal of Zoology. 6(1): 13 – 24.
Phyllomedusa bicolor Giant Leaf frog. (n.d.). In Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved from http://eol.org/pages/1048381/
Erspmaer, V., Erspamer, G., Severini, C., Potenza, R., Barra, D., Mignogna, G., & Bianchi, A. (1993). Pharmacological studies of “sapo’ from the frog Phyllomedusa bicolor skin: A drug used by the Peruvian Matses Indians in shamanic hunting practices. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8266343
Frost, D.R. (2009). Amphibian Species of the Word: An Outline Reference. Version 5.3 (12 February 2009). Retrieved from http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/
Gagliardo, R. (2009). ABCM Specialty Taxa Husbandry Phyllomedusines (Leaf Frogs). Retrieved from http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:BW4p1DueFzwJ:w ww.amphibianark.org/pdf/Husbandry/Husbandry%2520of%2520Phyllomedu sines.pdf+&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
Koryos (2014). The functions of different pupil shapes. Retrieved from http://www.koryoswrites.com/nonfiction/the-functions-of-different-pupil- shapes/
Mendes Venancio, N. & Melo-Sampio P. (2010). Reproductive behavior of the Giant Leaf Frog Phyllomedusa bicolor (Anura: Hylidae) in the Western Amazon. Phyllomedusa 9(1): 63 – 67.
Wells, K. (2010). The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Tip for Assignment 3: The conclusion should
summarize the presentation highlighting main points without introducing new
information.
Tip for Assignment
3: Use APA
citation and formatting
and a minimum of 5
credible reference sources.
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Wiens, J., Kuczynski, C., Hua, X., & Moen, D. (2010). An expanded phylogeny of treefrogs (Hylidae) based on nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 55, 871–882.