Biome Research Report
Your research report is about the World’s Biomes and the animals that inhabit these regions. Select one of the following biomes:
Tundra, Desert, Grassland, Rainforest, Taiga, Deciduous Forest, Savanna, Chaparral, and Temperate Forest
You will need to answer the following research questions about the biome you select.
- What the climate of the region is like
- Where the biome is found and what its geography is like.
- The special adaptations of the vegetation.
- The types of animals found in the biome and their physical and behavioral adaptations to their environment.
APA Format
***Your research report will not be graded and you will receive a zero if the following guidelines are not met. Students who fail to comply with report guidelines and/or due dates will not be eligible for the zoo trip!!!!!
Double spaced. Do not put extra spaces in between paragraphs!!!!
1 inch margins
10-12 font.
Times New Roman
Cover page
Abstract
Reference Page
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Cover Page:
Running Head: TITLE (left hand top corner)
Page number (top right corner, the cover page is your first page, 1)
Title of your report ( 3 inches down the margin guide, centered)
Your Name (under title, centered)
Miami High School (under your name)
Abstract:
TITLE (left hand top corner)
Page number (top right corner, 2)
Abstract (typed in the center top of the page)
200 words or more summarizing your report’s contents
Report:
TITLE (left hand top corner)
Page number (top right corner, 3. Subsequent pages in your report will be numbered accordingly; for example, 4,5,6,7,8…)
I. What is your biome?
a. What the climate of the region is like
b. Where the biome is found and what its geography is like.
c. The special adaptations of the vegetation.
d. Briefly list 6 animals found in the biome.
This should be 2 pages in length, with at least 4 direct quotations.
Example: According to the World Wildlife Association, “tundra inhabitants typically write better research reports” (World Wildlife Association 2012).
II. (Select one animal from your biome and answer all topics below for that animal. You will do this for each of the six animals you mentioned at the end of section 1. You must incorporate 2 direct quotations for EACH animal, citing your source! See example above.)
a. The Animal's Name: What does its name mean? Sometimes this will tell you something important or interesting about the animal. For example, platypus means "flat-footed." For some animals, there are special names for a baby, a male, a female, or a group. Also, list your animal's scientific name; this should consist of a capitalized genus name and a lower-case species name. For example, the platypus is Ornithorhynchus anatinus.
b. Anatomy/Appearance: What does your animal look like? How big is it? What shape is its body? What does an average one weigh? Does it have horns, antlers, fur, crests or claws? Describe the teeth, head, neck, tail, etc. How many legs does it have? Are its legs long or short? How many eyes and how many body parts does it have? Does it molt as it grows? Can your animal move? If so, how does your animal move (does it walk, fly, jump, burrow, etc.)? Is it slow-moving or fast-moving? Why is this important to its survival? For example, most fast-moving animals are fast so that they can catch dinner (like the cheetah) or avoid becoming dinner (like the deer).
c. Diet: What does your animal eat and how does it get its food? Is it an herbivore (plant eater), carnivore (meat eater), omnivore (eating meat and plants), or something else? Is there something unusual in the way your animal eats? (For example, the flamingo sieves its food from mud while its head is upside down under the water.) Where is your animal in the food web (is it a top predator, like the grizzly bear, is it at the base of the food web, like krill, or is it somewhere in the middle)?
d. Habitat and Range: Why does it prefer the biome you are researching? Where in the world does it live? List the continent(s), country/countries, and/or smaller areas that it lives in.
e. Adaptations: What are the obvious adaptations of your animal to its environment? For example, the giraffe's neck is an adaptation for obtaining leaves that are high off the ground. It also has tough lips to avoid thorns on its main food source.
f. Life Cycle/Reproduction: Give information on the animal's life cycle and reproduction. For example, in the case of insects, list and describe each stage in the process of their metamorphosis. For a species of shark, describe whether it bears live young or lays eggs.
g. Behavior: Describe interesting features of your animal's behavior. For example: Is there evidence of herding or is it a solitary animal? Does it burrow underground? Does it hibernate, aestivate, or migrate in cold weather? Is it nocturnal (most active at night)?
h. Defense/Offense: How does it defend itself (and/or attack other animals)? Does it use teeth, fangs, claws, armor, horns, antlers, pincers, poison, a stinger, muscles, a strong smell, and/or something else?
i. Enemies: What animals eat or otherwise kill your animal? For example, for caterpillars, birds eat caterpillars, but wasps also lay their eggs in the caterpillars (and this eventually kills the wasp's unwilling host).
j. Species Survival Status: Is this animal species in danger of extinction? If so, why? Has it lost habitat, lost a food source, or has it been over-hunted?
k. Something Special: Is there anything special about this animal? This can often be the best part of the report, taking you off on interesting topics. For example, are there legends about the animal?
l. Classification: How is this animal classified and what animals is it closely related to? In the Linnaean system of classification, organisms are classified into a Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and species.
III. Conservation
a. Why is it important to protect the world’s biomes?
(Incorporate at least 3 direct quotes)
IV. Conclusion
a. Briefly summarize each section of paper.
V. References
MUST BE APA FORMAT. USE Guide on the following website:
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10 Slide Minimum
Slide 1. Title slide: Title, your name, and picture of biome
Slide 2. Briefly introduce your biome: What the climate of the region is like, where the biome is found and what its geography is like, the special adaptations of the vegetation.
Slides 3-9. One slide per each animal you researched. Include a picture of the animal and 5 interesting facts.
Slide 10. Conservation Importance. Can be a paragraph or 5 facts showcasing why we should protect the biomes.
