Biology: Biology - Species Interview & Research Project

Mrs. Nardini's inspiration for this assignment is  National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore's PHOTO ARK PROJECT.  He has created an astonishing photo archive of nearly 8,500 species living in zoos.  Tragically, a great number of these species are endangered.   Each of these stunning portraits reveals the creatures as the remarkable, unique individuals they are.  These animals are ambassadors for their species.  Sartore hopes that his work will help save at risk species by building awareness and inspiring action.

"Our hope is that people will look these creatures in the eyes, and be inspired to care, while there is still time."  Joel Sartore

About the 25 year Photo Ark documentary project - be sure to click on each animal photo for more information about the species. 

@joelsartore |  Instagram 
 

Watch:

Footage from episodes 1, 2 and 3 is currently (Nov. 2018) available on the PBS website.  We have also purchased a DVD, which you are welcome check out of the library.  "That’s what the Photo Ark really is about,” Sartore said in the series. “It’s hope that people will fall in love with these things, want to learn about what happened to the species, what they can do to save it and then realize that it ties directly back into their own lives.”

Enjoy this "60 Minutes" in-depth interview video and  transcript with Joel Sartore:  "Saving Memories of Animals with Joel Sartore's Photo Ark " to learn more about his project and methods.  Click "Related Video" to watch interview video.

-----

You will be photographing an animal at CIncinnati Zoo or the Newport Aquarium.  You will learn from experts on site, and from you research. You will be telling their story.  What is their place in the world?  What role do they play in the changing global environment?  What about them is irreplaceable?  What can we do to help preserve their habitat?   How do we take better care of the ecosystem they call home?  What will make people care that many of these creatures may soon be the last of their kind?

The important role this organism plays in the environment

• The species’ place in the food chain
  • What do they eat?
  • How do they obtain food?
  • What things eat it?
• Does the species have a symbiotic relationship with any other organism that could be a result of coevolution?
• The species reproductive strategy / The species mating habits
• What threats does this species endure?

The phylogeny of your species if it is known

• Any information related to the evolution of this species
• The species’ closest living relative
• When this species diverged from its closest living ancestor if this information is known
• All levels of classification of your species

Anything interesting or unique about the species             

Use NOODLETOOLS to create citations.  

Select APA format when you first set up your project. ​

Cite database and website articles using Noodletools.  Instructions for sources found in databases:

• Under the "Where Is It?" section, click "Databases"
• Under the "What Is It?" section, click Magazine, Newspaper, Newsletter, etc.
• Note:  Mrs Nardini has given permission to use the Quick Cite option.
  You will see Quick Cite near the top of the record.  Click Copy & paste citation.
  Copy the citation from the database (look for the Cite / Citation icon in the database article record.) Paste into the empty field in NoodleTools.

You are required to submit a separate References page.

• NoodleTools will automatically format and alphabetize all your citations
• Once you have all your citations entered, NoodleTools will create a References page for you.  
  Click the Print/Export tab in the top toolbar.  Select the Print/Export to Word option in the drop-down.
  
• Depending on your browser, Word will either automatically open in a new window, or you will need to click Word in the tray to open.
  Click Enable Editing.  Now save your file and print it.

Citing Information in Your Paper

The Purdue University Writing Lab
Superb Citation Tutorials!

APA Style format uses In-Text Citations.  Here are some tutorials from OWL @ Purdue

• In-Text Citations:  The Basics
• In-Text Citations:  Author/Authors

All the science periodicals pictured in the gallery above are delivered by Academic Search Premier and Science Reference Center (EbscoHost databases).  Although browsing these featured publications is enjoyable, it is not the most efficient way to locate information about your species.  You can search these two databases by keyword and publication title.