Name __________________________________________
Living Environment – Spring 2015
Regular Class Band ________
Edward R. Murrow High School
Argumentative Paper
Botana curus and the Biodiversity Crisis
This lab report is due by the beginning of the class band on ______________________________ whether you
are in school that day or not. No exceptions, exemptions, excuses, or extensions. Late penalty: 10% per day.
Task: Write an organized essay in which you identify the species (X, Y, or Z) that you believe to be most
closely related to the Botana curus and justify your selection using evidence from the lab.
Your essay should include the following sections:
Introduction (paragraph one)
 Explain why researchers are interested in identifying which species (X, Y, or Z) is most related to the
Botana curus. [2]
 Explain why the structural evidence you gathered the first week (looking at the flowers, seeds, and stems)
does not provide enough information to determine which species are most closely related without further
investigations. [2]
Methods (paragraph two)
 Describe in details (in your own words) two of the tests you performed on the plants during the second and
third weeks of the lab to gather molecular evidence of the relationships. [4]
Results (paragraph three)
 Identify which species (X, Y, or Z) you found to be most closely related to the Botana curus.
 Justify your selection using evidence from the two tests you described in the methods section. [4]
Discussion (paragraph four)
 Suggest an additional test (not performed in the lab) that you could do to gather further evidence to support
your hypothesis about which species is most closely related to the Botana curus. [2]
 State whether or not you believe expensive efforts should be taking to save the endangered Botana curus
plant (assume that the plant you identified as being most closely related grows rapidly, survives in many
environments, and produces Curol).
 Support your position by giving two specific reasons why efforts should or should not be taken to save the
Botana curus (it may help to refer to page 7 of the lab packet). [4]
Follow the conventions of standard, written English (including the formatting for the name Botana curus) [2]
Your grade will be the percentage of points that you earn (there are a total of 20 possible points).
You should format your essay as follows:
1. Your work should be typed (double-spaced) or neatly hand written.
2. Label each section (i.e., write the word “Introduction” above your first paragraph, the word “Methods”
above your second paragraph, etc.)
3. Your completed lab report includes the following NEATLY STAPLED in this order…
— Project description/rubric (this page)
— Your answers to the above questions, on a separate sheet of paper
— The Relationships and Biodiversity lab packet