Cladogram
Project Description
This was an interesting project. The ending goal was to create a cladogram, which is a diagram showing the evolutionary relationship and closeness of organisms, using the pieces of hardware that we were given and have a story for each one explaining why it evolved into what it is. We also had to come up with taxonomy, for all of the different species, or pieces of hardware. This project began with organizing the different pieces in the way we best saw fit. We organized them by what they looked like. For example, if they had ridges or not, the size of the head or body, or the color of the object. This was the most difficult part, as it was not easy to figure exactly where each piece should go, and which species were more closely related than others. After this, we had to write the stories, and come up with the taxonomy for each object. This was much easier, but also a lot more tedious than the other parts of the project. The final step was to put it all into a presentation, which we then presented to the class. You can find this presentation below.
This was an interesting project. The ending goal was to create a cladogram, which is a diagram showing the evolutionary relationship and closeness of organisms, using the pieces of hardware that we were given and have a story for each one explaining why it evolved into what it is. We also had to come up with taxonomy, for all of the different species, or pieces of hardware. This project began with organizing the different pieces in the way we best saw fit. We organized them by what they looked like. For example, if they had ridges or not, the size of the head or body, or the color of the object. This was the most difficult part, as it was not easy to figure exactly where each piece should go, and which species were more closely related than others. After this, we had to write the stories, and come up with the taxonomy for each object. This was much easier, but also a lot more tedious than the other parts of the project. The final step was to put it all into a presentation, which we then presented to the class. You can find this presentation below.
hardware_cladogram.pdf |
Terms and Definitions
Taxonomy: A branch of science that classifies different organisms into groups
Cladogram: A branched diagram showing the evolutionary relationship between species
Evolution: The process that has shaped organisms into what they are today from other organisms earlier in history
Speciation: The creation of new species through the process of evolution
Natural Selection: Organisms better adapted to their environment will survive and reproduce more than those less suited to the environment
Genetic Diversity: The total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species
Taxonomy: A branch of science that classifies different organisms into groups
Cladogram: A branched diagram showing the evolutionary relationship between species
Evolution: The process that has shaped organisms into what they are today from other organisms earlier in history
Speciation: The creation of new species through the process of evolution
Natural Selection: Organisms better adapted to their environment will survive and reproduce more than those less suited to the environment
Genetic Diversity: The total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species
Reflection
Although the outcome of this project was good, there were definitely some challenges that we encountered. One of these was that we would constantly be distracted and lose time, which made us under quite a time crunch near the end. We did get everything done, but it took some time. and work. One thing that was good about this project was that our group worked really well together. We all contributed when we needed to get work done and the ideas being put forth by all were very good. Another difficulty we encountered was not being able to find our poster. This led to a couple days where we spent the first 30 minutes looking for where it was moved to. This was pretty out of our control, which was annoying. One final thing we did well was that the group supported each other. There wasn't any bad talk about other group members, only positive talk and the occasional constructive criticism. Overall, this project went well, but due to time management and other things out of our control, we had a bit of a time crunch at the end.
Although the outcome of this project was good, there were definitely some challenges that we encountered. One of these was that we would constantly be distracted and lose time, which made us under quite a time crunch near the end. We did get everything done, but it took some time. and work. One thing that was good about this project was that our group worked really well together. We all contributed when we needed to get work done and the ideas being put forth by all were very good. Another difficulty we encountered was not being able to find our poster. This led to a couple days where we spent the first 30 minutes looking for where it was moved to. This was pretty out of our control, which was annoying. One final thing we did well was that the group supported each other. There wasn't any bad talk about other group members, only positive talk and the occasional constructive criticism. Overall, this project went well, but due to time management and other things out of our control, we had a bit of a time crunch at the end.