Biome Research Report
Your research report is about the World’s Biomes and the
animals that inhabit these regions. When searching the web, type in your topic
and the word academic journal or scholarly article. For example (tundra and scholarly article)
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!!!!! NO LATE WORK!!! THE ONE
WEEK POLICY/STAPLETON STAR PRIVEALAGE DOES NOT APPLY!!
Double spaced. Do not put extra spaces in between
paragraphs!!!!
1 inch margins
10-12 font.
Times New Roman
Cover page
Abstract
Reference Page with at least 5 sources
Your report will be a total of 13 pages including the cover
page abstract, 10 pages of research, and a reference page
Report
Timeline
- February 25 - report assigned
- March 12-Complete report with Abstract, Reference page, and PowerPoint
- PowerPoint Presentations March 12-13
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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:
Running Head: 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.
Select APA Format
*Select what type of
material you are citing (website, journal, book, etc…)
*If website, copy and
paste (or type) entire web address and submit.
*Fill in any extra
information that does not show up, like the date you retrieved the information,
or any thing on the website that was not placed into cite fast.
*Save your citations
and when done, copy the complete list onto your reference page.
* Use the in-text
citation to properly cite sources within your report.
VI. PowerPoint
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.
