Marine Organism Portfolio Assignment

Marine Science I and II

As part of your overall semester, you will assemble a portfolio that presents various biological and ecological aspects of the different marine organisms that we are going to study. Within your portfolio, you will also be creating a larger, more in depth portfolio of a critter that will be assigned to you.

The first section will cover the many different organisms we will be studying from the book; from plankton through marine mammals. There are 31 within the book, but we may cover more or less, depending upon interest.

You will be required to provide a picture of each critter, ideally one that you have hand-drawn. I am not looking for you to be the world’s greatest artist, but the more we diagram, the more we learn. Provide a photo from the Internet, a magazine, etc. and then draw the basic body plan for that critter. I would also like to see an internal view as well (if we cover it in class, it is expected to be there). On the adjacent page will be descriptions and information about the critter. Each organism should include the following:

  1. Diet – what and how it eats.
  2. Reproduction – some marine critters use more than one method, so be thorough.
  3. Habitat – is it at home in the benthic, pelagic, or shoreline? Where is it endemic to? Etc.
  4. External and internal anatomy – Include any characteristic that helps to identify the critter (structure is for function)
  5. At least 5 interesting facts (w/citations) as well as Taxonomy (KPCOFGS)

The second section will be the most in-depth, and constitute the largest part of your grade for this assignment. The particular critter will be assigned to you, and you will be responsible for providing the following details:

1. External Anatomy – Provide an overall description of the external anatomy of your critter and label the major anatomical features. List any anatomical characteristics that would prove useful in correctly identifying your particular organism. Discuss how the external anatomy of your species might be related to the way in which it functions ecologically (remember: structure is for function!)

2. Internal Anatomy – Provide an overall description of the internal anatomy of your critter and label the major anatomical features. Discuss whether there are any characteristics of internal anatomy that might be related to the way in which it functions ecologically (e.g., feeding, buoyancy regulation, etc.).

3. Zoogeography – Provide a description of the geographic range of your species and include an appropriate map. What do you know about the overall distribution of the particular critter you have chosen? Discuss why it lives in the area it does, and any other relevant information pertaining to its “home”.

4. General Ecology – Discuss the general ecology of your critter. Be sure to include information on habitat requirements, feeding, behavior, reproduction, and development.

5. You are also required to include an essay summing up the organism. Marine Science I students will turn in a 3 page paper, Marine Science I Honors students will turn in a 5 page paper, as well as Marine Science II students. The paper should be double-spaced, 12 pt font focusing on the ecology of your critter. REMEMBER: all sources MUST be cited! Do not include facts without source citations. If you have it in your bibliography, you must have it in your paper.

This is a special project that you can be proud of. When complete, you will have a great resource for future studies or just a nice display of information for your library.

It is all about being creative here! I have given you the guidelines, but by all means, make it your own!

I am including a rubric. I expect you to include it in your portfolio, so I can properly grade your final project.

Marine Science Portfolio RubricName

Organism / Diet / Reproduction / Habitat / Anatomy / 5 facts
Phytoplankton
Kelp
Mangrove
Sponge
Coral
Anemone
Jelly
Sea Slug
Bivalve
Cuttlefish
Octopus
Worm
Crustacean
Crustacean
Sea Star
Sea Squirt
Lamprey
Hagfish
Shark 1
Shark 2
Ray/Skate
Fish 1 (O/W)
Fish 2 (C/R)
Fish 3 (D/W)
Reptile
Bird 1
Bird 2
Marine Mammal 1
Dolphin
Whale
Total Poss. 750

Portfolio Personal Critter page and Paper

Taxonomy ______(30 pts poss)

Page ______(500 pts poss)

Table of Contents ______(70 pts poss)

Paper ______(100 pts poss)

Citations ______(100 pts poss)

Total Possible 800 pts

Total Earned ______

Total possible points: 1550

Total Points Earned ______