Please also make a dialogue for what is going to be said in the presentation for each slide.
Presentation I: A New Species in the (phylogenetic) Tree
In the past 5 years, many new species have been identified either by discoveries in the field, or breaking one into several species. Two examples of the former are the fish-scale gecko (Geckolepis megalepis) and an insect-eating plant, Drosera magnifica; two examples of the later are the southern giraffe (Gireffa giraffa) and a legume plant Arquita grandiflora. For this activity, you’ll introduce a species identified & reported after 2018 with a partner to the class. Search internet to find a new species of interest to you. You MUST find the original research article that first describe the new species. Other sources (such as science news or wikipedia) can only be used as supplemental materials. For example, I googled [New species 2018] & found a list of new species. The fish-scale gecko (Geckolepi megalepis) looked quite amazing to me. I then searched on “Google Scholar” using [“Geckolepis megalepis” and new species] as keywords and located the original article. I then log on to CSUS library to download the article. Some new species reports do not have phylogenetic trees for the new species. DO NOT use those reports for your presentation. I would avoid reporting micro-organisms such as bacteria. Scientists use quite different methodology to identify new species & construct phylogeny for them. It would be harder to make a presentation for new micro-organisms. If you really want to present a micro-organism please discuss with me first. I do not want more than one student present the same species. So, you must claim your species on the Canvas called: [Claim my species for Presentation One] excel file. Students who present the same species as others without claiming it first will have points deducted. Reading the new species articles won’t be easy, but do try to digest the information (look up the technical terms if possible), and make a PowerPoint presentation about the species. Make it scientific & easy-to-read & fun (in that order). Plan ahead! Last
minute products are no good.
In your slides, you MUST explicitly present the following information:
On the 2nd slide (after your title slide), you must show the cover page (not
the journal cover) of the original research article that first describes the
new species.
Show the geographic location where the new species was discovered.
Show the phylogenetic tree (cladogram) that include the new species.
Clearly indicate in the cladogram the group of species included as the in-
group.
Clearly indicate in the cladogram the species (one or more) used as the
outgroup(s).
Clearly list the synapomorphies (could be DNA sequences) used to
construct the phylogenetic tree (cladogram).
Show unique characteristics (morphology, physiology, behavior, etc.) of
the new species that make it different from closely related sister taxa.
Show the ecology (e.g., habitat, food, predator, etc. known so far) of the
species.
The final slide(s) of your ppt should be the reference that lists the sources
of information you have used. If there were several sources, clearly
highlight the primary research article(s) you used as main source(s). You
should give complete/reference citation (in APA format), not just web-links,
for all sources you’ve used. (You may use smaller fonts on this page.) Do
you know what a complete/reference citation is?
Optional (not a must): I encourage you to include several fun facts of the
species, such as weird morphological &/or behavioral features. Don’t
overdo it though.
Optional (not a must): I encourage you to show the local people & their
culture where the new species was discovered.
Optional (not a must): I encourage you to include a video clip (give URL in
the reference). It may not exceed 1 minute while showing in class.
You are NOT required to follow the order I provide above. Use the logic flow that suit
your own style. There is no limit to the number of slides, generally 15±3 slides are a
good length for an 8-min talk (your presentation should be at least 6 minutes, but no
more than 8). Bring the PPT to the class on the date of presentation. You’ll introduce
the species to the class. Prepare yourself for a short Q&A after your presentation.
Always practice your presentation! After the presentation, you should export the ppt
file as a PDF file, and upload it to Canvas by the end of the presentation day
(midnight). You will be graded by your file. (Please note that it MUST be a PDF file.)
Your image quality is very important. I offer a few tips at the end of this file.
THESE SPECIES ARE ALREADY CLAIMED AND CANNOT BE PRESENTED ON:
Benin Tree Hyrax (Dendrohyrax interfluvialis)
Tachymenoides harrisonfordi
Sibon irmelindicaprioae
Bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus)
Stream treefrog (Hyloscirtus tolkieni)
Bivalvia: Mytilidae: Gigantidas
Emperor Dumbo (Grimpoteuthis imperator)
Rice’s whale, or Gulf of Mexico whale (Balaenoptera ricei)
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