BIOLOGY : TAXONOMY PROJECT (50 point MAJOR grade)
Materials per group: 2 pieces of paper, markers / colored pencils, chalk and 8 note-cards
IN THE YEAR 2525: Humans have successfully polluted all bodies of water on Earth. As a result,
almost all previously known species of plant, animal, and other life have become extinct. Through
natural selection, genetic engineering, and selective breeding programs, a portion of the Earth has
been successfully repopulated. The following organisms are all that remain:
1. Sun-basking Sharks: Their green fins contain chlorophyll to convert sunlight to energy.
(photosynthetic autotrophs).
2. Po-lulu Goldfish: convert pollution to food (chemosynthetic autotrophs).
3. Aquatic humanoids: main diet is aqua-wheat, po-lulu goldfish and basking sharks. They have 2
arms and flippers instead of legs (heterotrophs).
4. Aqua-wheat: one of the few plants that remain, and are similar to algae. It has brown or
golden-colored chlorophyll (photosynthetic autotroph).
5. Terrestrial Humanoids: have 4 arms / 2 legs and their diet consists of butter-roaches and
fuzzy hamsters (heterotrophs). They don’t like to eat the verde rats.
6. Pentasquid: they only feed on aqua-wheat and have five tentacles (heterotrophs).
7. Cockroaches: feed on the solid waste of terrestrial humanoids, rats & hamsters (heterotrophs).
8. Giant Aqua-spiders: can walk on water and feeds on dead goldfish, basking sharks and
pentasquid floating at the surface (heterotrophs).
9. Verde Rats: green hair contains chlorophyll (photosynthetic autotrophs).
10. Mosquitoes: a parasite that feeds on any humanoid blood (heterotrophs)
11. Ten-legged Fleas: a parasite that lives on the verde rats and hamsters; drinks their blood
(heterotroph).
12. Poison Grass: plant that is a hybrid between grass and poison ivy. The plants are toxic to
everything except butter-roaches (photosynthetic autotrophs).
13. Fuzzy-Wuzzy Hamsters: have spiky green hair that use the sunlight to make energy; thought
to be related to the rats (autotrophs).
14. Butter-roaches: genetic engineering created these butterfly-like creatures from cockroaches.
Butter-roaches only eat poison grass (heterotrophs).
YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Step 1: Illustrate your interpretation of each organism's appearance on a note card. (ONE
organism per note card.) You only have to choose 8 from the list above.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Top left corner place the NUMBER of the organism (see list above).
Top right corner indicate whether the organism is an autotroph or heterotroph.
Bottom left corner write the COMMON NAME (see list above).
Bottom right corner write the SCIENTIFIC NAME (not until Step #3).
EXAMPLE:
#1
autotroph
Put drawing here …
Common
Name
Scientific
Name
Step2: As an Alien taxonomist, it is your responsibility to classify these existing organisms. On
your own piece of paper, create a taxonomic scheme using only kingdom, phylum, genus, and
species. The intermediate categories have been eliminated since the total number of species has
been drastically reduced. Use the NUMBER of each organism when placing them on your chart.
a. Kingdom: divide the organisms into two groups. Name the groups.
b. Phylum: take the first Kingdom and divide it into two more groups. Name these 2 new
groups. Take the second Kingdom and divide it into two groups. Name these 2 new groups.
You should have 4 phyla.
c. Genus: further divide the phyla. You should have 8 genus groups.
d. Species: only one organism per species group. This is now where you will nameyour
organisms scientifically.
Step 3: Using binomial nomenclature, create a LATIN “SOUNDING” name for each organism.
Write the name you create underneath the picture on your note card. Remember, these are
scientific names and you MUST USE THE GENUS and SPECIES of your classification system
created in Step #2. (Example: Sun-Basking Shark = Sunnus baskus)
Step 4: Prepare a dichotomous key for these organisms so that your fellow scientists can identify
the organisms when they come to Earth. Remember that a dichotomous key is based on
APPEARANCE of the organisms. Use your drawings to make the dichotomous key on your own piece
of paper.
TAXONOMY PROJECT RUBRIC
Table Number: ______________________ Class Period: _______
ASSIGNMENT
1. 8 Drawings
2. 8 Scientific names
3. Classification chart (on your own paper)
4. Dichotomous Key (on your own paper)
5. Creativity and Neatness
Total:
Total Possible POINTS
10
10
10
15
5
50
Points EARNED
Example of
Example of Final Product for Taxonomy Project: I have an example in
class to look at
Dichotomous Key:
1. a. The organism is red … go to 2
b. The organism is blue .. go to 3
2. a. The organism is ….
go to 4
b. The organism is …. Organism's name
Final Product should
be a paper with
8 notecards of organisms,
dichotomous key and
classication system.
Classication System:
Kingdom A
Phylum A Phylum B
Kingdom B
Phylum C Phylum D
GenusA GenusB GenusC GenusD
GenusA GenusB GenusC GenusD
Species Species Species Species
Species Species Species Species