Endangered Species Project:
Organizing the Research Paper
As you develop your final paper, you need to remember to keep your focus on the basic question:
Do you think that extinction of your species is something that
people ought to be concerned about?
This means that you need to take a position in your paper and spend most of the paper
supporting your position. Below, I have a provided sample outlines for both positions you
might take on this issue. You are earnestly advised to use one of these formats.
Sample Outlines
Thesis: Yes, we should be concerned!
Thesis: No , we should not be concerned!
The extinction of this animal would have an
unacceptable negative effect on…
This animal’s extinction would have no
significant effect on...
Support Statement #1: This species is a
valuable part of a community.
Support Statement #1: The animal is
endangered.
Evidence: Present information from pockets
A, B, C, D, E, and F.
Evidence: Pockets A, B, C, D, E, F and G.
You want to set the reader up to hear about
the niche this animal fills and how valuable
that is to humans/the planet, etc. Perhaps
the animal is important because of it’s genes
or its biochemistry.
* For a discussion of these, read the backside
of this form!
You have to take on the arguments on the
backside of this form and show that they
don’t apply to your animal. You want to
show the reader that this animal can be
done without.
* For a discussion of these, read the backside
of this form!
Support Statement #2: The animal is
endangered.
Support Statement #2: Could be preserved
with some effort from humans.
Evidence: Pockets C and G.
Evidence: Pocket G.
Support Statement #3: The species’
extinction would have no negative effects.
Support Statement #3: This animal could be
preserved with some effort from humans.
Evidence: Pocket G.
Conclusion (Restatement of thesis):
Yes, we should be concerned!
Evidence: Present information from pockets
C and G.
Conclusion (Restatement of thesis):
This species need not be preserved.
Here are some of the most common arguments used to promote the
conservation of endangered species. You should try to identify which, if any, of
these arguments makes sense for your animal! This will help you answer the
essential question of this paper:
Do you think that extinction of your species is something that people ought to
be concerned about?
Reasons for conserving endangered species:
A. Community stability: Our natural life support system depends on other organisms. Each organism has a
niche that promotes mutual survival. It’s often difficult to move an organism because their niche might be
occupied by some other organism or the new habitat may not have a niche matching the new animal. One
animal dying in a habitat may set off a chain reaction of extinction that may destroy an entire habitat.
Example: Along the Alaskan coast, kelp beds provide food to a great many organisms. Right now, this kelp
is being chemically killed by sea urchins and the beds are decreasing in size. Historically, sea otters have
kept this from happening by eating the sea urchins. The number of seals has decreased greatly in the past
decade for several possible reasons. Increased predation from orcas and sharks may have been caused by
a decline in the seal and sea lion populations. This may have been caused by a change in the ocean’s fish
population which may, in turn, have been caused by human fishing practices or pollution.
B. Genetic diversity. We are constantly finding important traits in wild animals that are useful to humans.
Some animals can be bred into domesticated “food source” animals to increase or improve our food. If we
let wild species die out, we might lose access to a trait that we may have needed later. This is especially
true of edible plants.
Example: Only 10% of all insects have been identified. Imagine all of the potential uses we could get out of
them! That is a great argument for preserving habitats even if we don’t know that there is any harm yet to
the organisms living there.
Sometimes genetic diversity helps scientists to study human diseases. Over half of our modern medicines
come from the chemicals found in wild organisms. Every time we lose an organism, we lose “factories” of
very unique, possibly useful chemicals.
Examples: The armadillo is one of only two animals that are susceptible to leprosy. Humans are the other.
Fireflies excrete a fluid that can be used to fight viral infections,
C. Moral or ethical reasons: When we own land, we take on a moral responsibility to take good care of the
things living on it. This is called “stewardship”. If humans want to own part of the earth, they need to be
prepared to take good care of all it. It’s believed that most endangered animals are so because of the
actions of humans. As a result, we have a responsibility to preserve them.