Assignment

 

Purpose

Students will gather information about a species and its problems, presenting it to instructor in the form of an educational brochure.

Learning Objective(s) Addressed by This Activity

·        Describe the ways humans cause biodiversity losses.

·        Evaluate the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act and CITES in protecting endangered species.

·        Understand how gap analysis, ecosystem management, and captive breeding can contribute to preserving biological resources.

·        Propose ways we could protect endangered habitats and communities through large-scale, long-range, comprehensive planning.

·        Organize and synthesize information for sharing with others.

Description

The poster should include colorful pictures, graphs along with text.

Brochure Guidelines

Brochure: The poster needs to include information about the species and its problems including:

1.    Summary of the Problem

What is the nature of the problem associated with your species? Is it facing extinction? Is its habitat being destroyed? What is the issue of concern?

2.    Ecological Description of the Organism

This part should include information about its habitat preferences, its ecological niche, its life history, ecological relationships with other species, and other such material that familiarizes the viewer with its basic biological and ecological nature.

3.    History of the Problem

At what point did the problem begin? What causes triggered the onset of the problem? Has the situation become progressively worse or better? Why? What has led to the current situation?

4.    Preferred Solutions

What solutions to the problem have been proposed? What solutions would you propose? What changes in the environment, in laws, etc., would have to take place to alleviate the problem? Have any solutions been put in motion? Are they working? What are the prospects for future success?

5.    A Graph

Include a graph of some aspect of the species and its problems. You may have to create your own graph from the data you obtain.

6.    Reference Citations

Include a complete citation of each reference you use in creating your brochure; you must have at least 2 references in APA format. 

Assessment

Evaluation Criteria and Guidelines: