American Toad - Anaxyrus Americanus

Presentation

Assignment Instructions: Ecology is the interaction of a living organism with the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors in the environment. Using your knowledge about the organism you chose, observe the organism and document in multimedia formats its ecology. Document how your organism lives, works (gains energy), and generally interacts with the environment. Potential methods of documentation include photography, video, and audio recording.

The presentation will be submitted as a weblink that you have created either from building a Prezi presentation or a screencast of a slide presentation. Instructions for creating and uploading your presentation can be found at the following links: Prezi Creation and Uploading Instructions andScreencast Creation and Uploading Instructions.

Each type of organism has a very specific ecology. Here are details based on general groups of organisms (i.e., microorganism, plant/ fungi, animal) of what should be documented in your multimedia presentation. You should attempt to collect as much original media (photos, videos) on your organism as possible and then supplement with resources found on the web.

A. Presentation Details: Microorganism

1. Organism Introduction- What are the common and scientific names of the organism? Where specifically was the organism observed (e.g., country, city, state, park, body of water)? Why did you choose this organism? If possible and preferably, include a picture of yourself in the field where you safely studied your organism.

2. Energy Ecology- How does the organism obtain its energy? For this observation, you will document specific aspects of energy ecology. Some examples would be the type(s) of food, the amount of food, and the temporal pattern of feeding.

3. Reproductive Ecology- How does the organism reproduce? For this observation, you will document specific aspects of reproductive ecology.

4. Habitat- How does the organism live? For this observation, document the type of habitat(s) it is found in.

5. Response to Environment- Does the organism respond to physical factors such as light, substrate texture or density?

B. Presentation Details: Plantae/ Fungi

1. Organism Introduction- What are the common and scientific names of the organism? Where specifically was the organism observed (e.g., country, city, state, park, body of water)? Why did you choose this organism? If possible and preferably, include a picture of yourself in the field where you safely studied your organism.

2. Energy Ecology- How does the plant obtain and store its energy? For this observation, you will document specific aspects of energy ecology. Some examples would be how light energy is harvested (e.g., leaves, needles, body mass).

3. Reproductive Ecology- How does the organism reproduce? What are specific reproductive structures? For this observation, you will document specific aspects of reproductive ecology and reproductive structures.

4. Habitat- How does the organism live? For this observation, document the type of habitat(s) it is found in.

5. Biotic Interactions- Do other biotic organisms use the plant or fungus for food, shelter, or protection?

C. Presentation Details: Animalia

1. Organism Introduction- What are the common and scientific names of the organism? Where specifically was the organism observed (e.g., country, city, state, park, body of water)? Why did you choose this organism? If possible and preferably, include a picture of yourself in the field where you safely studied your organism.

2. Foraging Ecology- How does the animal obtain its food? For this observation, you will document specific aspects of feeding ecology. Some examples would be the type(s) of food, the amount of food, the temporal pattern of feeding, and specific handling or processing of food items by the organism (e.g., a squirrel manipulating an acorn).

3. Reproductive Ecology- How does the organism reproduce? For this observation, you will document specific aspects of reproductive ecology. Some examples include categories such as reproductive strategies (e.g., release of gametes by a fish; hermaphroditic reproduction in earthworms; copulation in bonobos); mate choice, mating displays, mate competition, and mating systems.

4. Habitat- How does the organism live? For this observation, document the type of habitat(s) it is found in. Document any types of shelter or bedding area such as nests, burrows, beds, etc.

5. Other Behaviors- What are other behaviors the organism exhibits? For this observation, you will document other forms behavior. Some examples would be light sensitivity, tactile sensitivity, parental care, group formation, kin helpers, defense, territoriality, and cooperation.

Your presentation should be presented in one of the acceptable program formats (Prezi or Screencast) and contain 10-20 elements if using Prezi or 10-20 slides (max 15 minutes) using Screencast. Again, the presentation should contain a visual component to include videos and/or photos as well as a narrative component in the form of audio or written narration. The mandatory programs assigned allow for you to develop such presentations.