Animal Behavior Project

ZOO 1503C   Animal Behavior & Ecology                      Written Project___

Describe the Ecology & Behavior of an Animal of Your Choice

1st Due Date by 6/17/2020 Wednesday, 11:59pm – time enough for me to let you know if anything major needs to be changed. Only 1 resubmit allowed!

2nd Due Date by 6/23/202 Tuesday, 11:59pm – no resubmissions; ready for grading.

CANVAS Electronic Copy Please!!!! There will be a submission box for this assignment; NO EMAILING the project!

A. TITLE: Ecology and Behavior of (fill in common name of your animal); see paragraph #s and subheading at bottom of paper.

B. Choose an animal that you would like to know more about.

C. Describe its ecology by writing several high quality paragraphs IN YOUR OWN WORDS; these paragraphs need to be broken up into the following subheadings. Use complete sentences incorporating question and answer into informative sentences to answer each subheading. DO NOT ANSWER IN numbered lists, AND DO NOT WRITE IN THE NUMBERS OF THE PARAGRAPHS OR THE WORD “SUBHEADING”.

D. Format: 12 pt. Arial font, double spaced, page numbers, spell-checked, proof-read, and proper citations (references).

E. References: 

Cite all references  used to get your information, in text as you write ; use proper MLA form (author last name and year in parenthesis).

[All references should be made available at the end of the paper, in alphabetical order in a bibliography. The scientific websites (no Wikipedia or blogs) should be placed below the MLA references.]

You should include a minimum of  5 references total (or more), of which at least 4 should be books or scientific journals. 

 

The IUCN redlist is a good online website to learn more about habitat, range, and conservation issues, just be sure to put the information in your own words and to cite the webpage.

Grading will be based upon the following criteria:

· Completeness of descriptions and information under each subheading

· Grammar and spelling  counts ! Please use spell check…(I will quit reading after I see 5 errors!!). 

· No Quotes Allowed!!! Not used in technical writing. Paraphrase and write in your own words, and put the reference (author last name and year) behind the sentence!

· Plagiarism is using more than 4 words of another author without putting it in quotes.  Thus, no cut and paste! All submissions will be run through plagiarism software, so please be mindful. If your work is found to be plagiarized, it will = 0 points.

· Quality of References utilized (should be more than just encyclopedia, or only web sites!). Wikipedia is NOT an appropriate source of info for a research paper! Find scientific articles on google scholar and/or pub med or IUCN redlist.

· Length: 4-5 pages (6 pages maximum). If it is just a few paragraphs, it is too short!!

· TURN IN A PAPER THAT HAS BEEN CHECKED, REVIEWED, AND ERRORS CORRECTED, preferably BY SOMEONE ELSE.

Ecology of an Organism Grading Rubric:

· Content and Focus = 100 points

(15 points for each subheading topic and 10 points for following instructions)

· Organization = 25 points

· Style = 25 points

· Sources/Format = 25 points

· Conventions = 25 points

 

Paragraph 1

Subheadings

Name: tell me both the organism’s common name and its scientific name?

What does the scientific name translate to?

How did it get this name?

Description:

What does the animal look like?

Do they all look the same or are there several different subspecies?

Locations found:

Generally, where can you find these animals and are they common or rare?

Is their range very restricted to a certain place, time, etc?

Which biome can you find them?

Paragraph 2

Subheading

Habitat:

What is the animals preferred habitat?

Fully describe the physical characteristics (climate, average temperatures, and rainfall) as well as a description of the other living organisms that are considered part of that habitat (community).

Is it dependent on another organism(s) in the community for its existence (i.e., what is it's role in the food chain/web)?

What is the ecological role (benefit) of this species in its habitat and what would be some problems within the ecosystem if it went extinct?

Paragraph 3

Subheading

Population:

What is the status of the population?

Is it endangered?

Regardless whether or not it is endangered, what are some of the man-made habitat issues (e.g., deforestation, habitat loss, urbanization) the species is facing in order to survive.

Paragraph 4

Subheading

Feeding Habits:

What does the organism eat?

Is it classified as an herbivore, carnivore, omnivore etc?

Is it a type of specialist like a carrion eater or a detritivore?

Does it eat one food item or is it more flexible?

How does it find it? i.e., does it have any cool/interesting behaviors related to eating?

Paragraph 5

Subheading

Behavioral Activity:

How is the organism active (i.e., does it fly, swim, climb, run).

When is the organism active (e.g., nocturnal)?

Does it have a big home range? Does it migrate? Does it hibernate, or build a nest?

Does it have any interesting or unique behaviors related to its activity?

Paragraph 6

Subheading

Social Behavior:

Is it solitary or does it live in groups? If so, how large?

If it doesn't live in groups, what types of interactions does it have with others... Is it territorial?

Give examples of some social behaviors it may engage in the are both affiliative (friendly) and agnostic (e.g., submissive, threatening or aggressive).

Paragraph 7

Subheadings

Life Cycle and Reproduction:

How does it live?

Does it grow up stages?

When does it reach sexual maturity?

What are its reproductive characteristics (when does it reproduce, is it monogamous/polygamous, how many offspring per reproductive bout, does it have any unusual courtship/mating rituals, etc.)?

What type of parental involvement (if any) is needed to raise the offspring?

Bibliography (at end of paper)