Homework answers / question archive / Biology 240 Homework #4: Organismal Biology Summary (25 points) My goal for the organismal biology section of the course content is for you to understand the functions that living things need to accomplish, what types of body organs/structures do them, and how these are adapted to different environments

Biology 240 Homework #4: Organismal Biology Summary (25 points) My goal for the organismal biology section of the course content is for you to understand the functions that living things need to accomplish, what types of body organs/structures do them, and how these are adapted to different environments

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Biology 240 Homework #4: Organismal Biology Summary (25 points) My goal for the organismal biology section of the course content is for you to understand the functions that living things need to accomplish, what types of body organs/structures do them, and how these are adapted to different environments. So that I can evaluate your understanding of these ideas, your final class assignment is to design/invent an animal/plant/microbe/alien that lives in an extreme habitat. Your organism may be any kind and inhabit any environment, however fanciful. Do not describe an existing organism. The most points you can get for the assignment if you do so is 10/25. You may use existing, extinct and/or fantasy/science fiction organisms as inspirations. However, if you copy and paste text from a source such as a book or web page and I notice it, I will give you a 0 for the assignment. There are four parts to the assignment. Your work may be hand written or typed. There is no page min or max but your target is 2-3 pages (if typed), not counting sketches. a) Describe the environment. Make sure to describe the aspects of the environment that make it “extreme”. This includes conditions that a human could not survive in, but may be normal for some existing organisms, such as bacteria. The harsher the environment, the easier it is to complete the assignment! b) Include a basic description of the organism (size, shape, major body structures—as appropriate). c) A sketch of the organism—however modest your artistic skills are, do your best. d) For FIVE of these body systems/structures--gas exchange, feeding & digestion (or energy intake), osmoregulation & excretion, circulation/transport, reproduction, endocrine (hormones), muscular/skeletal system (locomotion), immune/defense or nervous system/sensory organs describe what is special/unique/different from a “normal” organism that allows it to survive in its environment. Make sure to pick the systems that are most important to deal with what is unusual about the environment you have chosen. Your organism must acquire and use energy. Combine your organism sketch and written text into a single document. Upload your document to the Discussion board. After you have uploaded your document, 5 points of the assignment comes from choosing at least 2 of your classmates assignments and respond to the following prompt: • • • How do you like their organism? What are each of the 5 body systems that are described by the student, and how do they allow the organism to survive in the environment? How well did the student incorporate the body system or elements of the body system into their sketch? I will evaluate your completion of the assignment based on the following criteria: Poor (0-35% pts) Good (35-80% pts) Excellent (80-100% pts) Environment (4 pts) Not extreme; an existing mammal lives there already Reasonably extreme; Challenging for life in more than challenging in one way one way and difficulties for survival explained accurately Description organism/sketch (5 pts) Not able to imagine what organism looks like Able to imagine organism but looks essentially like existing organism Organism has novel design elements, described or sketched clearly. Body systems (10 pts) Less than five systems described, identical to existing mammal systems, and/or don’t match habitat Five organs systems described, details poor, only one or two are clearly relevant to habitat Five or more organs systems described with details that are biologically/chemically/physically plausible and make sense for environment Creativity (3 pts) Little to none Some A lot Writing* (3 pts) *take your final draft to the Writing Center for help! Many grammatical errors, poor sentence structure, disjointed ideas Written in complete and coherent sentences with few errors. Well organized and clearly explained using excellent grammar and sentence structure. Peer Response (5 pts) No peer responses (-5 pts) 2 peer responses written; addresses most of the points of focus (-2 pts) 2 peer responses written; addresses all points of focus and offers clear feedback to peer (no points deducted)