What is too small to see, all around us, sometimes helpful, sometimes harmful, and INCREDIBLY diverse??????
MICROORGANISMS!
Assignments:
1) Notes from your textbook (Microorganism (and Virus) Mania Notes) (Due by Tuesday, March 5)
2) Microbe Zoo Tour (Due by Tuesday, March 5)
3) My Microbe (Microbe/Virus Profile) (Due by Thursday, March 7)
Assignment 1: Microorganism (and Virus) Mania Notes
Use the note packet and your textbook to fill in the notes.
Below is a photo gallery of some microorganisms and viruses.
Cyanobacteria
Halophile
Thermophiles in a hotspring
Bacteriophage
Euglena
Assignment 2: Microbe Zoo Tour
1) Visit this site and fill out the corresponding parts of your packet.
Assignment 3: My Microbe (Microbe/Virus Profile)
1) Choose a microbe that interests you.
2) Fill out the profile sheet.
3) Draw (or for up to 5 points of extra credit, make in a 3-D way or create a video about it) your microbe.
4) Present your microbe to the class.
What do cells and the chicken dance have in common?
ALL THE THINGS. EVER.
Okay, so we spent yesterday doing a gallery walk about cells and microbiology and epidemiology.
- Your note packet will be a good resource for the rest of this unit. KEEP IT!
-Today we will wrap up our cell review and use that information to move on to microbiology and epidemiology.
Title the space under today's warm up"Cells: Review"
Write down only the parts in italics and highlighted. Task 1, What do cells do???:
1) With your group, spend 3 minutes preparing to show the information on your card. Use the whiteboard and yourselves.
2) Present.
Write down, in complete sentences: 1) _____________ (most or few) organisms are uni-cellular. 2) _____(eu or pro)karyotic organisms have membrane bound organelles. 3) Cellular respiration happens in _____________ and uses oxygen to turn food into ____________. 4) Organisms are made up of ____________ which are made up of _______________. 5) Cells need nutrients because they... 6) The cell/plasma membrane is ______________ permeable, meaning it controls what enters and leaves the cell.
Task 2, Mitosis and Meiosis:
Watch the following videos and answer the questions: A) Mitosis: 1) Mitosis results in TWO genetically ______________ (identical or different) daughter cells. 2) The stages of mitosis in order are _____________, _______________, _______________, _______________, and ______________. 3) Once ____________ occurs, the cells are separate. 4) Creates regular body cells with ____________ (the same/ half the) number of chromosomes as the parent cell. B) Meiosis: 1) _______ cells form during meiosis. 2) The cells __________ (are/are not) identical because of genetic crossover. 3) Creates sperm and egg cells with ___________(the same/half the) number of chromosomes as the parent cell.
Mitosis in a Drosophila (fruit fly) embryo
MITOSIS!
MEIOSIS!
We'll also visit this site for more information on meiosis and mitosis.
For those of you interested in making test corrections, here is what you can do:
1) Write your name, period, and March 1, 2013, test version letter (A, B, C, or D) in the upper right hand corner of your paper.
2) Redo each problem you got wrong. You must put the number of the problem and the correct answer.
Then, in complete sentences explain why the correct answer is correct.
3) Write this at the bottom of the test:
I, ________________, did these test corrections on my own. I used my notes and my textbook and Ms. Nickel's blog. I did not copy from a friend. I asked Ms. Nickel if I needed help.
______________ (your signature underneath the honor pledge statement)
______________ (a parent/guardian's signature)
You can earn up to 50% of the points you lost back.
These corrections are due at the beginning of your science class on Friday, March 1. I will not accept late test corrections for any credit.
If any signature is missing you will not get credit for corrections.
Overall, I was impressed with the test scores! Way to go All-Stars!
Are you interested in a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics? Would you like the chance to work closely with a scientist and a friend to enter a contest with the chance of winning $1000 and recognition among scientists? If you answered yes to the questions above, YOU and a friend (any grade, any team, as long as he or she is in middle school) could look into this contest.
CAN YOU KEEP CURIOSITY ALIVE???
If you are interested in this contest, read the email below. There is contact information for getting a sponsor. Also, keep me posted on how I can help you! Note that you must register by this Thursday!
Principal Rudolph,
I am an astrophysics and computer science student at UNC and the Public Outreach Coordinator for UNC Women in Physics. As one of our outreach projects we are providing sponsors for students who wish to compete in this year's What If Prize, a competition for middle school students aimed to inspire STEM involvement. Teams of two will submit an essay about their solutions for a certain scenario pertaining to the Mars Curiosity Rover (i.e. What would you do if the robotic arm was stuck in a stowed position? What would you envision as their final campaign for Curiosity?). The winning team will receive $1000 and significant recognition in the STEM community. Students must register by February 28th and must have an adult sponsor (which Carolina Women in Physics can provide). This is a fantastic opportunity for middle school students who wish to pursue studies in STEM fields. If possible, could you please notify your faculty of this opportunity so they can encourage students to participate?
Students who are interested and would like one of our brilliant ladies to sponsor them for the competition should send an email to carolinawip@gmail.com.
Thank you so much!
Best,
Hannah
--
Hannah
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2015
Computer Science, B.S. Major
Today we will be working across the team to create an illustrated glossary of important ideas from this unit.
You will be given a few cards with terms on them. Here is what you need to do for EACH CARD, on blank white paper:
1) Define the term.
2) Illustrate the term. Use color.
3) Answer any questions also listed on your card.
4) Cite your sources! (Just the URL will work for this.)
5) Turn your sheet in to the drawer for your period.
This week we'll be starting our Cells, Microbiology, and Epidemiology Unit! YAY MICROBES!
This week we'll be exploring the following:
Monday: What is Microbiology? Epidemiology? What are cells?
We'll be creating an illustrated "dictionary" for this unit.
Tuesday: How can we organize information about microbiology, epidemiology, and cells?
We'll have a "gallery walk" of the word wall we created.
Wednesday: How do cells function? What are the functions of organelles?
*Half way through 3rd Quarter!!!
Thursday: What are microbes?
*Science Day! Running on a 2 hr delay schedule
Friday: What are some different microbes?
Assignments Due:
Monday: Salamander Lab Corrections and Extra Credit due
Tuesday: Fly Lab due
Wednesday: Future of the Earth Project Corrections due
Thursday: Gallery Walk of Microbiology, Epidemiology, and Cells Notes
Friday: None
Radio Announcer: Thank you for tuning in today. We are here in raleigh to celebrate National Poetry Month. In just a moment, the nation's poet laureate, ms fred, will read a poem about a(n) salamander. And here is ms fred.
ms fred: Thank you, everyone. This is a very rocky poem I wrote about a(n) salamander.
An Ode to a(n) salamander
The salamander is as big as a(n) mountain.
It reminds me of small mid-ocean ridgesspreading.
O, the salamander. O, the salamander!
What do lava-y people think when they see you for the first time?
Perhaps they know there are happy days ahead.
O, the salamander. O, the salamander!
For some, you are hot, but for others, you are muddy.
If we are creating, we pause when we think of you.
May you always erode.
O, the salamander. O, the salamander!
The end.
Radio Announcer: On behalf of the poets, thank you for weathering.
You all rock! Tomorrow is Fly Lab Day 2! Get excited!
I hope you've been enjoying the snow and the long weekend!
Weekend notice:
***Grades in engrade may appear low - I'm in the midst of grading LOTS OF WONDERFUL project, reflections, and labs.
***There is now an extra credit option post on the blog.
Here's what we'll be up to this week: ***Note that the test day has been pushed back one day so we have more time to study as a class.
Monday: NO SCHOOL! Happy Presidents' Day
Tuesday: What is the evolutionary past of humans?
We will wrap up "Natural Selection, Monsters, and Humans, OH MY!" post activities, and
review
Wednesday: How can I effectively study and show what I've learned?
Battle of the Blocks begins..., stress relief and study skills, in-class review
Thursday: What have I learned about geology and evolutionary biology? TEST DAY! Spend the period showing me all that you know!
Friday: What can we learn about natural selection and evolution from flies?
THE FLIES ARE BACK! Finish natural selection with flies lab!
Assignments Due:
Monday: No school!
Tuesday: Nothing - late projects, labs, reflections
Wednesday: Nothing
Thursday: Notebook check in class begins, TEST
Friday: Notebook check in class finishes, Glacier post extra credit due
Monday, Feb 25: Salamander lab corrections and extra credit due
Tuesday, Feb 26: Fly lab due and Future of the Earth project corrections due
Here is an AWESOME opportunity for you to earn some extra credit.
Welcome to the Juneau Icefield!
How to earn extra credit:
1) Read the interview below with my awesome friend Kate. She spent 8 weeks on a glacier two summers ago and is going back this summer!!
2) Comment on this post with the following (up to 7 points on your Future of the Earth Project, Due by Feb 22):
a) In your own words, describe fieldwork.
b) In your own words, describe how can we learn about climate from glaciers.
c) In your own words, describe why is long-term research important.
d) Would you do the JIRP? Why or why not?
e) Ask Kate two well thought out, relevant questions about JIRP.
Interview:
Ms. Nickel: Can you tell us when you were on a glacier and why you were there?
Kate: Two summers ago, in 2011, I was a fortunate participant of the Juneau Icefield Research Program. JIRP is a long-term project for monitoring glaciers in Southeast Alaska, British Columbia and the Yukon. Check out this introductory video: Juneau Icefield Research Program.
If you look at a satellite image of Alaska from Google Maps you can see that the Southeast corner has much more white than the rest of the state.
The white areas are covered in snow and ice. In the Gulf of Alaska a lot of ocean water evaporates, then it moves west and falls as rain and snow in the mountains along the coast. These coastal mountains are so high and cold that they stay covered in snow all year. Year after year, snow piles up in the mountains and valleys until it becomes so heavy that it starts to flow downhill. A glacier is ice that flows like a river, except much slower. Zoom in to the white areas on the Google Map or on this interactive map of the Juneau Icefield. Do you see land that looks like it is covered in white rivers? The white rivers are actually valleys filled with glaciers As you can see, Southeast Alaska has so many glaciers that it is a great to place to go to study glaciology.
Ms. Nickel: So why would you want to study glaciers or be a glaciologist?
Kate: First of all, glaciers hold buried clues to the past. As snow piles up on a glacier it traps and preserves things, just like a fossil preserved in the layers of a sedimentary rock. Some scientists drill ice cores through layers of ice that have been piling up for hundreds of thousands of years. The world’s oldest ice core, from a place called Dome C in Antarctica, contains ice from 800,000 years ago. Dust particles, air bubbles, and isotopes trapped in the ice offer clues about Earth’s past climate. This is important for people interested in global climate change. To determine whether Earth’s climate is changing, we have to compare today’s climate to a long record of past climate. Watch these videos to learn more about ice cores: British Antarctic Survey, US National Ice Core Lab WAIS, US National Ice Core Lab Greenland.
Another reason to study glaciers is that they are very sensitive to their environment. If the air temperature around the glacier rises just one or two degrees it can cause lots of ice to melt. Recently glaciers around the world have been melting, also called retreating, at record speeds. This indicates that global air temperatures are increasing and climate is changing. Here’s some footage of glacier retreat around the world: Glacier Retreat – Extreme Ice Survey.
This is what a glaciologist looks like :-)
It is also important to understand glaciers because they are a natural resource. It some places, especially below the Himalayas, millions of humans depend on glacial melt water as a source of fresh drinking water.
Personally, I like studying glaciers because I think they are extremely beautiful. Plus, glaciologists get to do all sorts of adventurous fieldwork on skis and mountaineering rope teams!
Although some scientists wear white coats and goggles and work in a laboratory, other scientists do fieldwork. Fieldwork is any research outside of a laboratory. JIRP is a field program. The entire 6 to 8-week field season takes place outside on ice.
Ms. Nickel: How do you study glaciers?
In a snow pit!
Kate: In the field we use GPS to study the size, speed and shape of the glacier. We dig snow pits to study how much and what kind of snow fell in the last year. We also can use seismic tools to study the deep inside of the glacier. You’ve probably already learned in class that many Earth processes occur very slowly over a very long period of time. Sometimes tiny changes that occur for many years end up having big consequences. This is why the Juneau Icefield Research Program is a long-term monitoring project. The program started in 1946. For the past 66 summers scientists have recorded similar GPS and snow pit data from the Juneau Icefield. When we look at this long-term record it is possible to see small and slow, but important, changes. While students help maintain the long-term record some other researchers study different types of science including mountain ecology and meteorology.
Ms. Nickel: What is a day in your life like with JIRP?
Prussik practice in a cabin
Research in a crevasse
Kate: There are about seven base camps on the Icefield. Students and researchers stay in rustic cabins at each camp. A typical day consists of an 8:00 breakfast, camp chores until 10:00, then 6-8 hours of fieldwork. During the day we leave camp on skis or snowmobiles to collect data. One major and unique concern about doing fieldwork on a glacier is the safety. Huge crevasses can be disguised by a thin layer of snow. We do not want to fall into a crevasse so we wear skis to distribute our weight over more area and sometimes have to “rope-up” with friends.
Costume Party above the Gilkey Trench
Most nights we return to camp for a warm meal and comfortable bunk bed. However, sometimes we camp in tents on the ice for 2 or 3 days (which can be quite chilly)! In general there is no phone or Internet. The only communication with the outside world occurs every two or three weeks when a helicopter drops off new food and snail mail. We still found lots of ways to have fun including costume and dance parties. When moving between base camps we will ski up to 12-15 miles carrying all of our gear. My backpack weighed about 50 pounds. Even in a heavy pack, there isn’t room for too many pairs of clothes. JIRP students wear the same clothes everyday and do laundry by hand about once a week. None of the camps have plumbing, so we went to the bathroom in outhouses and just didn’t shower… for almost two months!
Hey All-Stars!
Here is the time line for Thursday and Friday:
Thursday:
1) Turn in Project Parts A-D and works cited
2) Warm up
3) Do the textbook activities below IN YOUR NOTEBOOK!
4) Start working on the Monster Mash: A Dichotomous Key Activity
Friday:
1) Turn in Project Reflection
2) Warm up
3) Finish Monster Mash activity
4) Crash course in human evolution!
Textbook Activities
Use a textbook to complete the following sentences and tasks. WRITE THE ENTIRE SENTENCES!
1) ____________ ________________ explains how living things evolve. (pg B21)
2) Darwin breeding pigeons and selecting for particular traits is an example of ______________ selection. (pg B21)
3) List and describe the 4 key principles of natural selection that Darwin noticed. Give an example (pg B21-23)
4) Define "ancestor" (pg B29) and "vestigial organs" (pg B30) in the back of your notebook.
5) Describe how the presence of vestigial organs and similar structures but different functions support evolution.
6) First studied in the 1700s, _______________ of many different species are similar even though the adults are not. List 3 similarities between the early embryos of the organisms on pg B32.
7) Define "gene" (pg B33) in the back of your notebook.
8) Human and mice have _________ (similar or different, choose one) DNA. (pg B34)
9) Define "classification" and "taxonomy" in the back of your notebook. (pg B44)
10) Scientists classify animals based on ________________ and _______________ evidence. (pg B48)
11) Classification systems ________________ as scientists learn more - an example of this is the change from focusing on kingdoms to looking at domains (Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya). (pg B60)
RETURN THE TEXTBOOK TO THE BOOKSHELVES!
Monster Mash
Part 1:
1) Name all the monsters people at your table created.
2) Figure out how to sort them - look at body shape, eyes, wings, etc.
3) Write clues to sort and name the monsters. From each set of two clues in the dichotomous key to the next, one monster species should be named. The other clue should move onto another set that classifies the remaining monsters.
Part 2:
1) Switch dichotomous keys and monsters with another table.
2) Use the key to name the monsters you are given.
3) Check your answers.
The Evolutionary History of a Human
Visit this link. Use questions 1, 2, and 4 to help you WRITE THE COMPLETED SENTENCES in your notebook!
1) Humans ________ __________ evolve from monkeys.
2) Humans are more closely related to...
3) Hominid species started developing from an ancestor humans share with __________ about ____ to ____ million years ago.
4) All/Not all (choose one) hominid species are direct ancestors of humans.
5) The scientific name for humans is __________ _______________.
6) Humans vs Neanderthals...The Two Hypotheses
a) All Europeans are part __________ and part ______________. OR
b) The humans out competed the ______________ so Europeans are all human.
7) Human evolution started in _________________ and since then humans have migrated all over.
Watch this video:
*Disclaimer: I chose this video because I think Richard Dawkins does a great job explaining the evolutionary tree of humans and showing relationships and classifications of living organisms. I don't really care at all about Celebrity Big Brother UK 2010...*
***Your test is on Feb 20. Please don't leave studying until the last minute. Study guides were distributed on Wednesday. USE THEM! Have a WONDERFUL long weekend! Travel safely!***
Random monster video, just for fun...
Monday: How can we identify various species?
Tuesday: How is scientific data analyzed? (Darwin's Birthday!)
Wednesday: What conclusions can you come to about why there is species diversity in salamanders in North Carolina?
Thursday: How do we know what's related to what? (Happy Valentine's Day!)
Friday: What is the evolutionary past of humans?
***IF you have 1 or no missing assignments and you make Darwin a colorful birthday card with a natural selection pun, I will add up to 3 points of extra credit to an assignment of your choosing.***
Assignments Due:
Tuesday: List of missing assignments and Darwin Birthday Cards (Extra credit opportunity)
Wednesday: Monster drawing and lab due AT THE END OF CLASS!
Thursday: Project Part D
Friday: Project Reflection
Monster Drawing Instructions:
We will be creating dichotomous keys to classify monsters. Please draw a monster on a clean sheet of paper. This is due by Wednesday at the end of class!!!
Will it have fur, feathers, or scales?
Will it be blue, red, green, or purple?
Will it have arms and legs? Claws? Fins?
Will it have eyes? How many?
Will it have fangs? A tale?
Happy Week of Darwin's Birthday, Mardi Gras, and Valentine's Day!! (and a delayed opening) (and the week before a 4 day week!)
Here are project reflection guidelines. This is due on Friday, February 15.
Write 2 paragraphs (at least 6 sentences each) describing the learning you did during the project.
Paragraph 1: What you did and what you learned Some ideas to get you started:
I learned _________________________ from this project.
I created a supercontinent based on evidence from _______________________.
I told the evolutionary history of my invented species using evidence from _____________________.
My understanding of ____________________ is deeper than it was before because ___________________.
I did/did not collaborate with other students because _______________________.
I am/am not proud of the work I did because it was ________________________.
Paragraph 2: What you would do differently and what you still want to know Some ideas to get you started:
I found the project ____________________ because _____________________.
If I did the project again I would ____________________ because ____________________.
I thought the materials posted on the blog, discussed in class, and given out by Ms. Nickel were _______________________ because __________________________.
I am still confused about _________________________.
I want to build/elaborate upon what I learned about _____________ by ___________________ (asking questions, doing research, discussing the project in class).
Here is what I hope you took away from this project:
1) Practice using scientific evidence to make your own conclusions (for example - looking at how the plates are moving and synthesizing that information to figure out where the continents might end up)
2) A chance to be creative
3) Ideas about what Earth might look like in the future
4) A better idea of what landforms correspond to different plate boundaries
5) An understanding of the processes that create and destroy landforms and that create new species
I look forward to hearing from each of you about the effectiveness of this project!
On Monday in class you will be given a sheet that will help you do Project Part D.
On Thursday, you must turn in Projects Part A-D and a works cited. On Friday, you will turn in a project reflection.
Here is some additional information from Project Part D.
There are 3 components of this part of the project.
1) Completed evolutionary tree worksheet
2) Trait list of traits of the ancestral species and your species that allowed the ancestors of your species to survive, reproduce, and evolve. *illustrate for extra credit
3) An epic poem, comic strip, or story telling how the ancestor of your species evolved into your invented species.
Here is a complex evolutionary tree showing how many species came to be:
Here is an evolutionary tree that has a more similar set up to yours:
Here is a worksheet explaining epic poetry.
If you choose to do an epic poem, you'll start with a stanza (4 short lines) introducing your species and its ancestors.
You will jump back in time to the ancestral species of your species.
The challenge your hero faces is evolving. What gets in the way of that? Asteroids? Pollution by humans? Plate tectonics?
What saves your species? As in, what traits help it survive? If you want to, you can personify those traits. For example, "The Snufalaughagous was sad/ but Laughter came and it realized the volcano was not so bad".
Conclude your poem with your species living happily ever after (or not) in its biome.
*illustrating the borders colorfully may earn extra credit.
If you chose to do a comic strip or story, cover the same ideas just in a different format.
I can't wait to see what you create and to learn more about your awesome species!!
Suppose you found a species of animal that you had never seen before. How would you identify it? Scientists use a tool called a taxonomic key to determine an organism's identity. A key uses a set of statements that describe an organism's appearance to help identify the organism.
Most taxonomic keys are dichotomous, which means they offer only two choices for a specific feature. You select the most correct possibility and follow the directions through to another statement. Eventually, you create a route through a series of statements that ends at the correct name of the unknown organism.
Warm up question 1:
Pick one finch. See if you can figure out which species of finch it is:
Finch Identification
1.
a. The beak is relatively long and slender.
Certhdea sp.
b. The beak is relatively stout and heavy.
Go to set 2
2.
a. The bottom surface of the lower bill is flat and straight.
Geospiza sp.
b. The bottom surface of the lower bill has a bend
Go to set 3
3.
a. The lower edge of the upper bill has a distinct bend.
Camarhynchus sp.
b. The lower edge of the upper bill is mostly flat.
Platyspiza sp.
Warm up question 2:
Which do you prefer using: the dichotomous key above or the picture identification guide for figuring out salamander species in the lab on Friday?
Warm up activity:
We'll check out this site and play a finch beak game as a class.
You now have the remainder of class to work on your lab.
1) Finish collecting data.
2) We'll discuss how to make a scatter plot.
3) Then, you will work silently on your lab. You have scrap paper at your table. If you have questions, write them down and give them to me or your lab partner.
At the end of the period, turn in your lab. We will finish them tomorrow.
Question One (discuss): What do you already know about Darwin's finches?
Today we'll learn a bit more and you'll get a little background for your lab and Project Part D.
Question Two (doodle):
First, pretend you are a finch. What would your beak look like if you ate seeds? Insects? Flowers? Leaves? The blood of seabirds?
On the various islands of the Galapagos, these were available food sources on different islands. Over time, certain variations helped finches survive and have offspring. Eventually the birds became so different that there are now at least 15 different finch species in the Galapagos. There are vampire finches and seed-eating finches and everything in between!
From the common ancestor, the finches experienced adaptive radiation.
This image shows the ancestor and current finches of the Galapagos and their food sources.
Question Three (define in your notes): In your own words, after watching this video, describe adaptive radiation.
Question Four (write in your notes): What caused adaptive radiation?
Question Five (discuss and write in your notes): How would you classify and sort the finches to figure out which other finches they are related to?
This phylogram shows is one way that scientists classified the finches:
Simple phylogenetic tree of finches.
Scientists can look at genetic similarities, morphology (physical characteristics), and more to determine how species are related. The lines can show percent similarity in DNA.
When you create your phylogenetic tree (and we'll have more practice with this), you'll think about what current species would be the ancestor for your species in the future.
Question Six (discuss): How would you design a Darwin's finches video game? How would a finch move to the next level?
If you want more explanation of natural selection and finches, watch this video:
We'll spend the rest of class preparing for our lab tomorrow. SALAMANDER SEARCHING!
Today we'll be exploring the Galapagos. What did Darwin see? What have scientists noticed since then?
Instructions: Read about the Galapagos. Work with your table to figure out what type/s of tortoise live on your island. Write the answers to the questions in your science notebook. These will be checked tomorrow.
Introduction Darwin visited the Galapagos in the 1830s as a naturalist on board the HMS Beagle. Since then, scientists have learned TONS about the geology, ecology, and oceanography of the area. The Galapagos Islands are on the Nazca Plate. The Galapagos Islands were created/are being created by a magma plume that is creating hotspot volcanoes. The oldest islands are San Cristobal and Espanola. Isabella is still active. Look at the Google map of the Galapagos Islands.
The climate of the islands is closely tied to ocean currents around the islands.
Life on the islands is unique and fragile. The Galapagos islands are a major are of concern for conservation.
Giant Tortoise Adaptation Mystery
With your table, see if you can determine which type of tortoise would live on your island.
Tall Prickly Pear Cactus
Many of us have heard of Darwin’s finches but equally important to Darwin’s observations were tortoises. Giant tortoises in the Galapagos eat prickly pear cacti. There are two types of prickly pear cacti. One type grows low to the ground, sprawling out. It grows in richer, wetter soils. The second is taller with thick bark and fruit only at the top. This variety grows in dry and wet areas.
Shrubby Prickly Pear Cactus
Human activity and feral animals (goats, pigs, etc.) are causing the tortoise numbers to fall. There are two main types of tortoises - tortoises with saddle-shaped shells and tortoises with dome-shaped shells.
Saddle-back Tortoise
Saddle-Backed Tortoises: The saddle-shaped shelled tortoises are more common. They have necks that are longer and that can stretch further because their shells allow more space for stretching. They tend to live in arid (dryer) climates. Saddle-backed tortoises are more aggressive than dome-backed tortoises. They have contests to see who can stretch their neck higher.
Dome-Backed Tortoises: The dome-backed tortoises tend to live in moister highlands. They eat plants that are lower to the ground. Dome-backed tortoises are calmer than saddle-backed tortoises. Dome-backed tortoises are built like tanks that can smash through dense underbrush. Generally, dome-backed tortoises are smaller than saddle-backed tortoises.
Dome-backed Tortoise
Questions:
1) Which tortoise do you think is well-adapted to survive on your island? What evidence is there to support your conclusion?
2) Why might you see different tortoise types on one island?
3) Coevolution is when two species evolve with certain traits because of how they live together. Discuss with your group how you think the prickly pear cacti and tortoises may have coevolved. Write down what you think.
4) Look back at the map of the islands. Which direction is the Nazca plate moving?
5) What type of rock are these islands mainly made out of?
6) How does geology and climate affect biology?
Prepare to tell the class about your island and which tortoise would live on it.
