Phylum collection
For make-up lab points and/or extra credit
Due on Thursday of Week 10
(modified from OSU 211 phyla collection project)
Objective
There is an immense diversity of life in this world. Current classification schemes divide this diversity
into 80 different phyla, many of which are highlighted in your textbook, and many of which we are
discussing in class and lab. Your assignment will be to collect representatives from these phyla,
determine their distinguishing characteristics, and talk about their geographic range.
Points and assignment
Each phylum specimen + description is worth 2 possible points.
For a make-up lab, collect 5 specimens
For extra credit, you may turn in up to 2 specimens
Collection criteria
- Collect organisms from different phyla using the list of acceptable phyla from your newspaper
project. The document with the list is also available on my instructor website.
- Each organism must be from a different phylum
- Collections must be of the actual organism (it can be the whole organism or a recognizable
piece**); photographs, models, and drawings are not acceptable.
**Example: dog hair is clearly from a mammal because mammals are the only organisms to have
hair. Since all mammals are vertebrates, this is clearly a member of the phylum Chordata.
- Collections must be clearly recognizable as members of the phylum
- Collection must be able to fit within a one gallon ziplock bag
Potential collection sites
- Different habitat types such as wetlands, streams, and the coast
- Different stores such as the supermarket, ethnic food stores, and bait shops
- Your home, your neighborhood, and campus
Ways to preserve specimens
- Dry specimens by pressing between pages of a book (plants) or unpressed in a bag/box (insects)
- Store in a mixture of 2 parts rubbing alcohol (70% isopropanol) to 1 part water. The specimen
should be completely immersed in the solution and stored in a water tight container (such as a
glass jar with screw-on lid; no plastic bags for alcohol preserved specimens).
Items that will not be accepted
- Canned food
- Feces
- Anything that smells
- Improperly preserved organisms
Evaluation
In order for the following criteria to be assessed, each specimen must be properly preserved with a clearly
recognized sample present. Each sample must be from a different phylum. Without these two criteria,
the score will be 0 for that organism.
For each organism, students will:
1. Correctly identify the phylum. Give each organism a number, and place all of your organisms in
a gallon-sized ziplock bag. Attach a card (description below) to the organism. (0.5 pt each)
2. Provide a card with your name, the organism number, organism name (common name is fine),
phylum, native habitat, geographic range, and the distinguishing features that let you determine
which phylum it belongs to.
a. Organism name can be common name (.25 pt)
b. Phylum is correctly identified and from the list associated with the newspaper project (.25
pt)
c. Native habitat is where you found it, the physical surroundings where the organism lives
(i.e., Lungwort lichen is found in the forest canopy). (.25 pt)
d. Geographic range refers to where we map the lands where a species is indigenous or
native (i.e. African elephants live in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa) (.25 pt)
e. Write 1-3 complete sentences describing the specific features you used to determine
which phylum your organism belongs to. At least one of these features should be unique
to the phylum. (.5 pt)
For a description of each phylum, refer to your textbook, or check out the following website:
http://intro.bio.umb.edu/111-112/OLLM/112s99/phyla/animals.htm