Unit V Assignment
Instructions
EcologyThis unit is about ecology, the study of the interaction between living species. As we discussed in the unit lesson, all species are dependent on one another—even trees need birds to eat the insects that want to devour the trees. Some trees, like oaks, need squirrels to plant their acorns. Consequently, when you study a species in the Red List for this assignment, be aware that somewhere along the line, this species is important.Materials Needed:
- Unit V Assignment Worksheet
- A computer with Internet access
Directions:
- Click on https://www.iucnredlist.org (or copy and paste the URL into your browser) to go to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species website. Take a moment to peruse the website. Scroll down and look at a few of the animals and the news articles.
- Next, you will search for and select a species that falls into one of the following categories: Near Threatened (NT), Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN) or Critically Endangered (CR).
- Search instructions:
- Start by clicking ‘Advanced’ (located next to the search field at the top of the page).
- At the Advanced Search page, on the left side of the screen, scroll down and click the ‘Red List Category’ dropdown menu; select CR, EN, VU and NT or LR/nt. You may select only one of these if you choose. Selecting all of them will yield more results. DO NOT select LC, DD, EX, EW or LR/cd. Doing so will result in substantial point deductions.
- After selecting the categories, click the ‘Land Regions’ dropdown menu and select ‘North America’. If you would like to select another region, feel free to do so.
- With these parameters selected, you should see many organisms to choose from. Scroll through and find one that interests you and answer the questions below.