The project you will design a genetically modified organism. Using the knowledge that you have acquired from this course regarding prokaryotes, plants, fungi, protists, and animals, use your talents to create an organism that has traits that you think would be advantageous from an evolutionary standpoint.
The paper (75 pts): Each individual group member will submit their own paper on Thursday, December 5th by 5pm. This paper should be at least 3 pages in length (typed, double-spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 pt font). This written paper should include a physical description of the organism and its features, a description of the habitat and ecosystem that the organism lives in, how its features help it survive in this particular ecosystem, what your organism eats, how it moves, how it reproduces, and any other interesting information pertaining to your creature. You should give your organism a common name and a scientific name and discuss which domain and kingdom it would be classified in.
A large part of this written discussion will include finding outside sources of information that support and give evidence for why your organism has its particular adaptations. What other existing organisms have a similar adaptation, and why/how is it advantageous for them? These sources may come from scientific journals, online sources, personal communications, books, etc. You will be the judge when it comes to evaluating the credibility, reliability, and relevance of these sources. For example, if a blog that you find seems biased in its presentation of information, then it might not be the best source for you to use to support your paper. Individuals within the same group may use the same sources as one another, but it is expected that the way the sources are integrated into the paper will vary with each individual.
These sources that you use need to be cited within the text of your paper with APA formatting*, and your paper should have a References section at the end of the paper listing these sources in the proper format. The paper does NOT need to be formatted in the APA style, only the references and citations.
The paper will be graded mostly on substance but will also be graded on grammar and spelling.
Any articles that you obtained through an electronic format will be cited as an electronic source in your paper.
You may use electronic sources, but please make sure to cite them in the text and in the References section. Many online sources are not reviewed by science professionals in a peer-review process, so are not reputable sources of information. DO NOT cite information directly obtained from Wikipedia.
Your paper must have correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation and have a fully developed introduction, body, and conclusion. The paper is not a group assignment.
In writing this paper, remember to synthesize and integrate the information from your sources properly. Use your sources to reinforce what you are trying to accomplish, but integrate this information with your own words. Always cite information that you obtained from another source; give proper credit to those that did the initial research. The point of this research paper is not for you to do the original scientific research about your project, but to convey the information that you learned to the reader. Please do not simply insert long quotations from your sources, but rather understand the material and then place it in the context of your paper so it makes your paper flow smoothly and with the intent of further informing the reader.
