About:
In this project we learned about evolution and evolutionary concepts then we were tasked with choosing an endangered animal and researching it. We then had to turn that research into some kind of presentation to say if it would survive or not. My group chose to do ours on the Cozumel/Pygmy Raccoon. Our group decided to make our presentation in the form of a (very compressed) video. Also included is a prior but still relevant slideshow about a form of speciation.
Concepts
Evolution- Evolution is defined as a change in the gene pool over time. There are five main factors that cause evolution, they are, small population, non-random mating, mutations, gene flow, and adaptation. In our project we looked to see if the evolutionary history of the Pygmy Raccoon is a cause for its endangerment.
Artificial Selection- Artificial selection is when humans apply the pressures and preferences of natural selection to force out desired traits. An example would be how we would have caused bacteria to become resistant to an antibiotic by giving it the ability to adapt to the antibiotic.
Natural Selection/Survival of the Fittest- Natural selection/Survival of the fittest is when a species that is more suited to its environment is more likely to pass on its advantageous traits to its offspring.
Biodiversity- Biodiversity is the variety of life within an environment. A lack of biodiversity is bad.
Speciation- Speciation is the process through witch a new species is formed. The two main types are sympatric and allopatric. Sympatric is when a new species is formed within the same environment as its predecessor, and allopatric is when a new species is formed in a different geographical location to its predecessor.
Extinction- Extinction is when there are no living members of a species remaining. We were tasked with finding reasons for its occurrence.
Mutation- Mutation is a random change in an individuals genetic makeup. It is a primary factor of driving evolution.
Adaption- Adaption is a when a species traits allow it to better survive in its environment. it is also a primary driving factor of evolution.
Gene Pool- Gene pool is the total collection of genes a population has. A change in this pool is called evolution.
Cladogram- A cladogram is a diagram that shows evolution based of shared traits. It is important for us to understand.
Artificial Selection- Artificial selection is when humans apply the pressures and preferences of natural selection to force out desired traits. An example would be how we would have caused bacteria to become resistant to an antibiotic by giving it the ability to adapt to the antibiotic.
Natural Selection/Survival of the Fittest- Natural selection/Survival of the fittest is when a species that is more suited to its environment is more likely to pass on its advantageous traits to its offspring.
Biodiversity- Biodiversity is the variety of life within an environment. A lack of biodiversity is bad.
Speciation- Speciation is the process through witch a new species is formed. The two main types are sympatric and allopatric. Sympatric is when a new species is formed within the same environment as its predecessor, and allopatric is when a new species is formed in a different geographical location to its predecessor.
Extinction- Extinction is when there are no living members of a species remaining. We were tasked with finding reasons for its occurrence.
Mutation- Mutation is a random change in an individuals genetic makeup. It is a primary factor of driving evolution.
Adaption- Adaption is a when a species traits allow it to better survive in its environment. it is also a primary driving factor of evolution.
Gene Pool- Gene pool is the total collection of genes a population has. A change in this pool is called evolution.
Cladogram- A cladogram is a diagram that shows evolution based of shared traits. It is important for us to understand.
Video:
Slideshow
reflection
This project overall went pretty well. Two things I did well were cooperation and communication. I was very good at planning with my group and planning the video. I also was very good at helping my group members contribute and making sure everyone was on task.
Two thins I could have improved on in this project were my time management and quality control. For our video I underestimated the amount of time it would take to edit and ended up staying up all night to make it work. This was worsened by multiple technical difficulties. In a result of this the quality of our video went down. My voice overs were too quiet and my editing was lackluster. In conclusion, next time I should plan ahead better and smarter.
Two thins I could have improved on in this project were my time management and quality control. For our video I underestimated the amount of time it would take to edit and ended up staying up all night to make it work. This was worsened by multiple technical difficulties. In a result of this the quality of our video went down. My voice overs were too quiet and my editing was lackluster. In conclusion, next time I should plan ahead better and smarter.