Evolution Final Project

Your task is to create/discover a new species in the environment of your choosing. You are an archaeologist who has made a groundbreaking discovery of never seen before fossils. You need to convince your town of non-biologists that you have discovered a new species using scientific knowledge and evidence. The challenge involves dealing with current lineages of species and your newly discovered fossils to demonstrate the evolutionary process that ended in your unique species. You will create a poster that shows what your species used to look like when it was alive to convince the townspeople this speciation event has indeed occurred. You will also hand in a fact sheet about your species, its adaptations and how it evolved. Finish your fact sheet FIRST, and then create your poster.

Your poster needs to include:

1. The name of your animal2. The name of its relative alive today3. A hand drawn picture of your animal in color4. The environment your animal lives in (water, desert, forest, grasslands)5. 5 adaptations that specialize this animal for its ecological niche and an explanation of why

these traits evolved. 6. 2 pieces of evidence (diagram/picture AND short explanation) that your animal is a relative

of ______ 7. Diagram and explanation of how geographic isolation helped to create your species. 8. A description of how natural selection was the process that resulted in your species. (Use the

4 steps of natural selection)

Poster Item Explanation of full creditName of animal Original and creativeAdaptation #1 States the adaptation (NEXT to the location on the picture) and

gives BRIEF explanation for why it is a favorable trait.Adaptation #2 See above.Adaptation #3 See above.Adaptation #4 See above.Adaptation #5 See above.Environment of animal Drawn in color with a variety of details on the poster.Evidence #1 Explanation and diagram includedEvidence #2 Explanation and diagram includedSpeciation diagram Illustrates the event that lead to the formation of a new speciesSpeciation explanation Briefly states how this geographic/behavioral separation lead

to different adaptations in your speciesNatural Selection explanation Uses all 4 concepts (overproduction, variation, selection,

adaptation) to describe what happened to your speciesCreativity You showed creativity with the adaptations for your animal

and with your posterNeatness/Organization Easy to understand and follow.