Biology Unit Activity Unit 1: Diversity of Life 1 Introduction Living things are classified using a variety of characteristics including morphology, behavior, and molecular similarities. The classification system is based on evolutionary relationships so with each addition of new information the classification of specific organisms may change. This is particularly true of the bacteria, protist, and fungi kingdoms. Understanding these groups is essential due to their diversity and importance to life on Earth. Task This activity asks you to create sample pages for the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) which is a website that is attempting to make all the information about living things available to everyone. For each sample page you will: Complete the Encyclopedia of Life section below with your information Give the scientific name and taxonomic hierarchy Include a detailed diagram of the organism s general structure Describe the morphology and reproduction/life history Explain the importance of the organism Record any research resources you used in the References section of your entry Additionally, you will discuss the evolutionary relationships among the monerans, protists, and fungi, and how the endosymbiont theory relates to the evolutionary relationship between the monerans and protists. Process 1. To get started, look at an example page from the EOL: Sample species 2. Choose one organism from each of the following groups: a. Bacteria E. coli, Streptococcus, Salmonella, Lactobacillus b. Protists Paramecium, Ameba, Euglena, Spirogyra, kelp c. Fungi mushroom, yeast, bread mold Copyright 2010 PLATO Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. PLATO, Straight Curve, and Academic Systems are registered trademarks of PLATO Learning, Inc. PLATO Learning is a trademark of PLATO Learning, Inc. PLATO, Inc. is a PLATO Learning, Inc. company. 1
Note: The organism that you choose should be from an uncompleted EOL entry. 3. Use the EOL website and other resources to research the following requirements for your sample page, recording your findings in the Encyclopedia of Life section below. You ll need to complete: a. Scientific name: (Example: Panthera leo) b. Taxonomic hierarchy: (Kingdom to genus and/or species) c. Morphology: On EOL web pages, this section is text, however you may include a labeled diagram of the organism or a generalized labeled diagram with your discussion of morphology. Because many of the people who visit the website will not be familiar with some of the terms in this section, you should explain and/or give functions when clarity is appropriate. For example: A capsule found in many bacteria protects the organism from drying out and makes it more difficult for white blood cells to ingest and destroy them. Images may be copied and pasted from online sources, as long as they are referenced. d. Reproduction (asexual and sexual modes): for example: Bacteria reproduce asexually by binary fission. Binary fission is when (explain.) e. Importance of the organism how is it helpful or harmful? You may want to include details about the prevalence if the organism is a pathogen, and sample products if the organism is used in the food industry. 4. Use the sample pages may be organized in any format. However, each section should be clearly labeled. 5. Include at least one image of each organism. This image should complement your web page and be representative of the organism. For example: An enlarged image of bread mold would be more informative than a normal image. Images may be copied and pasted from online sources, as long as they are referenced. 6. Document any references you used for this project. At minimum, include a title and URL for any Internet resource. 7. Analysis: After completing the sample EOL pages write 2-3 paragraphs to address the following evolutionary history/advances from the monerans to protists to fungi. 2
Encyclopedia of Life Entry (Enter organism name here) Organism: Scientific Name: Taxonomic Hierarchy: Morphology: Reproduction: Importance of the Organism: Images: (Paste your images here) References: Analysis: After completing the sample EOL pages, write 2-3 paragraphs to address the evolutionary history/advances from the monerans to protists to fungi. 3
Evaluation This project will be evaluated on a rubric that is based on the completeness, clarity, and thinking you exhibit in preparing the sample pages and Analysis section above. Points possible: Sample EOL page: 5 points maximum/page, for a maximum of 15 points total Analysis: 5 points maximum EOL page - 5 points EOL page includes: Image/labeled diagram Taxonomic hierarchy Morphology, Reproduction Importance References Analysis 5 points Connects research examples and evolutionary history/advances logically Employs scientific knowledge not presented in the activity Self-Checked Activity: For Advanced Understanding This may be optional, based on your instructor s directions. The free response test item accessed below is related to this unit s concepts and content, but will draw from your prior Biology knowledge as well. It will challenge your knowledge of the unit concepts, help you tie different concepts together, and help you gain confidence in addressing written response test items. Download: Free Response Test Respond to Question 3 Read the Directions section carefully. Answer all parts of the question thoughtfully and concisely, to the extent of your ability. Unless directed otherwise, answer everything in essay form, not bullets, outline, etc. For Scoring: Scoring Guidelines See Question 3 4
Sample Responses Process: 1-6 See the sample species page in #1. 7. Analysis: Evolutionary history/advances from the monerans to protists to fungi. The list of evolutionary advances from the monerans to protists to fungi is not long; however the advances are of great importance. Monerans are prokaryotic (no nucleus, no membrane bound structures such as chloroplasts, and very small in size. On the other hand, protists are eukaryotic (nucleus and cell organelles), and are larger cells. The nucleus contains linear chromosomes, rather than a single, circular chromosome found in monerans. The nucleus and cell organelles allow for a more efficient division of labor specific jobs for specific organelles. The most important advance from protists to fungi is from unicellular to multicellular which allows organisms to be much larger in size. Fungi are also associated with terrestrial environments (with more habitat choices), while protists are tied to water. There is a fusion of gametes during sexual reproduction in fungi. Sexual reproduction increases variation and although there are primitive forms of sexual reproduction in protists, the fungi have true sexual reproduction. The endosymbiont theory relates to the above discussion because it attempts to explain how eukaryotic cells evolved from prokaryotic cells. Anaerobic bacteria engulfed, by endocytosis, aerobic bacteria which became mitochondria, and photosynthetic bacteria which became chloroplasts. A symbiotic relationship (mutualism) was formed where the anaerobic bacteria provided food and/or protection, and the engulfed bacteria took care of oxygen which is toxic to anaerobic bacteria. Evidence for this theory is provided by DNA in bacteria which is similar to chloroplast and mitochondria DNA, and the inner membranes found in chloroplasts and mitochondria are different from the outer membranes. Additionally, the evolutionary timeline for oxygen levels in the atmosphere corresponds to the fossil record for the first eukaryotic cells. 5