In-Class Exercise 10: Exploring Diversity- Plants and Animals

Name: ______

Group Name: ______

“In-Class” Exercise 10: Exploring Diversity- Plants and Animals

Directions: Complete this worksheet with your group, or on your own, and email it to me at by midnight on Tuesday, March 12.

Part 1A: Plant Scavenger Hunt! With your group, or on your own, find a representative of each of the four major plant groups. Use your samples, and any other references you might need, to fill in the following table. (You’re also welcome to insert a picture instead of a sketch or description if you like!)

Plant / In the space below, describe your plant with either a sketch, written description, or digital photograph / Is this the sporo-phyte or gameto-phyte? / Does your plant have vascular tissue? / Does your plant produce pollen? / Does your plant produce seeds? / Can your plant produce fruit?
Moss
Fern
Conifer
Angio-sperm

1B. Angiosperms appear to be the most successful group of plants on the planet today. Explain the benefit of two or theunique advantages these plants possess:

Part 2: Exploring Animal Diversity. 1. Consider the following four sample animals. Work with this group to place your animals in evolutionary order, starting with the earliest, simplest animals and working your way towards the most recent groups.

Animal A
Sea Urchin / Animal B
Sponge / Animal C
Jellyfish / Animal D
Frog

Evolutionary Order: ______ ______ ______ ______

2. Complete the following table to help explain the order you chose.

Animal / True Tissues?
(Yes or No) / Type of Symmetry? / True Coelom?
(Yes or No?) / Vertebrate?
(Yes or No?)
A
B
C
D

3. You can divide the vertebrates (chordates) into three groups, the aquatic, transitional (amphibians), and terrestrial animals. In the space below, briefly explain one of the challenges associated with each shift, and one of the adaptations that helps this next group of animals better cope with life on land:

a. Aquatic Transitional

Challenge:Adaptation:

b. Transitional Terrestrial

Challenge:Adaptation:

Part 3. Exploring the Concept of Carrying Capacity

Remember that carrying capacity is commonly defined as the number of individuals an environment can support sustainably, without long-term damage to the system.

1. Do you think humans are above their natural carrying capacity? Why or why not?

2. As a tool to help us think about this, let’s explore our ecological footprints! While there are many different ways of calculating your footprint, check out this one: Go to this site and click the “Go” button to take your quiz.

A. How many planets does it take to support your lifestyle?

B. What factor(s) do you think most contributed to your footprint? Why?