Group and Individual/Paper and Presentation Project
Honors section of Marine Biology (MAR111)
This project is designed to incorporate reading and research with writing and
interactive presentation of materials. Each student is expected to perform his or her
own work in addition to working within the structure of a group system. In addition,
students will partake in the production of archival materials for future reference and
continued fabrication.
The assigned project is to describe a group of marine organisms through taxonomy
and systematics, ecology and evolution, conservation status and human impact, and
relevance in current news and media. Marine organisms may be selected from the
included list, or may be chosen individually pending instructor approval. Groups
consisting of 4-6 individuals will each select a group of marine organisms and present
their descriptive work to the class via a 15-minute PowerPoint presentation. To this
end, each student in the group will choose a specific aspect of the report (see further
instruction below) and produce a 1-2 page document of their research which will then
be presented in the summarized group presentation.
In addition, each individual will produce a species fact sheet pertaining to their
selected group for inclusion in an archival reference book to be located and stored in
the marine laboratory at SCCC. Selected species will contribute to the collection, and
must not include species already included in the reference book.
Each individual within the group will select one of the following aspects to research,
report and present.
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Taxonomy & Systematics – The person handling this section must introduce the
group in terms of systematics and taxonomy. The placement of this group in the
classification system (K, P, C, O, F, G, S) must be stated and major defining
characteristics of this group must be given. A general overview of other groups
within this group must also be provided (for example, if you are researching
cetaceans, you need to include the breakdown of Cetaceans into Toothed
Whales and Baleen Whales, and from Toothed Whales into whales, dolphins
and porpoises and so on. Likewise, you would need to explain that cetaceans
are mammals and describe the mammalian features common to all cetaceans).
General information on their life cycle, reproduction, and biology including any
descriptive anatomy must also be given.
*This person will introduce the selected group during the presentation.
Evolutionary Adaptation & Ecology – The person handling this section must
describe the evolutionary adaptations found within the group and provide the
evolutionary origins of this group to other related taxonomic groups (phyla,
class, etc). Adaptations should include physiological features that promote
survival such as feeding, protection, predator avoidance, thermoregulation,
locomotion, etc. Be sure to include the evolutionary history of the group and
any supporting evidence (e.g., fossil record, vestigial structures, etc.). Since
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some of this discussion coincides with the taxonomy/systematics section, it is
imperative that the individuals working on these 2 sections work together to
avoid any overlap.
Threats and Human Impact – This section will describe the conservation status
of the group, and the environmental and /or anthropogenic threats facing this
group. Risks such as disease, climate change, overhunting, pollution, ocean
acidification, etc. should be discussed, as well as proposed measures to control
these threats. In the case of invasive species and harmful algal species (or any
other group which inflicts notable damage to another group), this section should
describe their ecological impact and provide examples of damage inflicted
towards other groups, humans, etc.
Group in the News - The person handling this section must collect at least 4
articles from popular media (newspaper, magazine, internet news story, etc)
from the past year related to the selected group of marine organisms. News
stories must be summarized and a copy of the article must be included in the
report.
*For groups containing more than 4 persons, 2 individuals will be assigned to
this section.
This project will be graded individually (75%) and by overall group presentation (25%).
Individual grades are based on written report (25%), individual evaluation of
presentation (25%) and species fact sheet (25%). The total grade will count towards 5%
of your final grade (½ of your lab assignment/participation, etc grade).
All work MUST be cited in both your paper and presentation, as well as in the species
fact sheet. Except for the individual collecting relevant news stories/articles, all
research must be conducted via a trusted and reliable source in the form of a
reference book or scientific publication. No internet references (e.g., Wikipedia) will
be accepted. Please see me if you are having difficulty finding the necessary
references. I have a large selection of books in my office which you are welcome to use
and reference.
Please note that due to the lack of time in lab (and the general need to create a wellcomposed, timely PowerPoint presentation), presentations WILL BE TIMED, and you
will be cut-off from continuing with the presentation if time runs out!
This project will be introduced during normal lab time and will be due on the date
provided in your syllabus. Please do not wait until the last minute and feel free to see
me with any questions you may have pertaining to this project. Use this as an
opportunity to work with your fellow labmates and learn something new about a group
of marine organisms that you share an interest in!
Groups of Marine Organisms to choose from:
Marine Mammals – Order Cetacea (Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises)
Marine Mammals – Order Carnivora (Seals, Sea Lions, Sea Otters)
Sea Turtles
Marine Birds
Bony Fish – Tuna (Family Scombridae)
Bony Fish – Sailfish and Marlin (Family Istiophoridae) or Swordfish (Family Xiphiidae)
Bony Fish – Order Gadiformes (Cod, haddock, pollock)
Bony Fish – Order Clupeiformes (Herring, anchovy)
Cartilaginous Fish – Sharks
Cartilaginous Fish – Skates
Cartilaginous Fish - Rays
Crustaceans (Phylum Arthropoda, Subphyla Crustacea)
Phylum Mollusca – Class Bivalvia (Oysters, clams, mussels)
Phylum Mollusca – Class Gastropoda (Marine snails, nudibranchs)
Phylum Mollusca – Class Cephalopoda (Octopus, Cuttlefish, Squid)
Phylum Cnidaria – Jellyfish (Class Sciphozoa)
Phylum Ctenophora – Comb jellies
Salps – Subphylum Urochordata, Class Thaliacea
Phylum Porifera - Sponges
Phytoplankton – Choose from Diatoms, Dinoflagellates, Coccolithophorids)
Zooplankton – Copepods
*Invasive Species
*Harmful Algal Species
*choose your own marine organisms for this group
Species Fact Sheet
The species fact sheet must be produced in Power Point and be printed out in color for
inclusion in the reference book (you may forward a copy to me for color printing). The
fact sheet must be produced on a “title and content layout” and include the common
and scientific names of the species along with an illustrative drawing or photo in the
title slot. Within the content range, you will provide descriptive notes on the species.
These should include average size (for males and females if they differ), geographic
range, notable physical characteristics (or distinctive markings), preferred prey, known
predators, life history notes/life cycle information, notable behaviors, threats and
conservation status. Each descriptive point should be bulleted, and should not exceed
15 points (8-12 comments is preferred). Since you may find more than 15 bullet points
of information, it is important for you to summarize the information and select the
most relevant. If you are not sure what to trim, you may produce 2 or more slides and
we can edit the information together (or it may be necessary to include 2 or more
slides for well-studied organisms.
The information that you provide must be cited. You may find it easiest to produce a
fact sheet using (superscript) numbers as reference indicators and provide a second
slide for the reference information. See attached example for the proper layout. A
PowerPoint file will also be posted to my website for use as a template.
Example Species Fact Sheet
Atlantic Whitesided dolphins
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Lagenorhynchus acutus
Endemic to the temperate North Atlantic1
Northern limits are believed to be in the Norwegian Sea and the southern limits are North
Carolina in the west and the Celtic Sea and possibly the Azores in the east 2
Occurs in shelf waters as well as deep slope and canyon waters 1
Occurs in higher latitudes during warmer months 1
Groups of a few individuals to several hundred 3
Herring, hake, and squid are staple prey items; can consume a large variety of fish, inc.
mackerel and bottom fish2
The Atlantic White-sided dolphin is one of the most colorfully marked of all the cetaceans 2
While other dolphins have stripes, blazes and patches on their sides and flanks, none has
such a combination of bold, well-defined white and yellowish-tan patches on its sides2
Gregarious and vigorously playful, these animals are known to bow ride and frequently leap
high above the water’s surface2,3
The entire dorsal surface, including the upper jaw and dorsal fin is dark grey or black; on the
side, the grey is interrupted by a narrow, bright white patch beginning below the dorsal fin,
and a narrow yellowish/tan patch continues almost to the flukes 2
A dark patch surrounds the eye, and a light grey stripe extends from just in front of the eye
to the flipper2
Threatened by gill nets; not considered immediately threatened 2
Example Species Fact Sheet Reference slide
References (Atlantic White-sided Dolphin)
• 1Shirihai, H. and B. Jarrett. 2006. Whales,
Dolphins, and Other Marine Mammals of the
World. Princeton University Press. NJ.; pp.
201-202
• 2Folkens, P. 2002. Guide to Marine Mammals
of the World. Alfred A. Knopf. NY.; pp. 398-401
• 3Carwardine, M., E. Hoyt, R.E. Fordyce, and P.
Gill. 1998. Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises.
Time Life Books. United States; pp. 170