The Future is Wild: Speciation
In the video, the Future is Wild, you witnessed a world very different than our own. It is a place where people have been
wiped out by massive climatic and geological changes. An international team of eminent scientists was formed to predict
the future and its new life forms in 5 million, 100 million and 200 million years. The scientists predicted that the earth
would go through several phases: Ice World, Hothouse World and New World. They created imaginative species which
would inhabit this new world through a process called speciation. Now it is your turn!
You will be assigned an animal and given its descriptive attributes. It will then be your task to imagine how that creature
will evolve over time. What will be the appearance of this new species millions of years in the future? Keep in mind the
topics we have discussed within our evolution unit. Remember that over time, natural selection results in changes in
the inherited characteristics of a population. These changes increase a species’ fitness in its environment. An adaptation
is any inherited characteristic that increases an organism’s chance of survival. Successful adaptations enable organisms
to become better suited to their environment and thus better able to survive and reproduce.
Once you have developed your species, you will present your creature to the class as a poster project. The following
information must be included on your poster (must be poster size, not 8½ by 11 paper):
Front of Your Poster
Background Information:
Drawing:
*Creative name for the new species related to the organisms origins or characteristics
*Original species name, including the genus and species.
*Time period assigned
*Environment assigned
*Picture of the new species in its environment.
*Must be detailed, in color and take up most of the page.
Back of Your Poster
Adaptations: *Describe 3 adaptations your organism has developed in order to survive in the changed environment.
*Why has your organism developed these adaptations?
*How does it increase their fitness?
Diet:
*Create a food chain including the new species. Add pictures of each organism in the food chain.
*The chain will begin with a producer and end with a top-level consumer.
*Identify each organism in the chain as an autotroph or heterotroph, as well as a producer or consumer.
*At least four organisms should be present in the chain and should include all organisms in the environment.
Homologous Structure or Vestigial Organ:
*Discuss either a homologous structure or a vestigial organ found in your species.
*Explanation relates structures in ancestor species to new species.
Explanation of Variation:
*Choose one of the following items from the list below to explain how variation occurred in your species:
- Discuss the two main sources of genetic variation. How it influenced the development of your species.
- Describe a founder effect that occurred within your population. How has it influenced the development of
your species?
Quality of Presentation:
*The presentation is appealing to the eye, professional in appearance, and the layout is well organized.