1. Name: ___________________________________________ Date: ___________ Period:__________ First Encounter with the Critter Part 1 Habitat: __________________________________________________________________ Draw a picture of the habitat in the space below, and label the important features. Be sure to use color.

2. Write a description of your habitat below. Your description should include information you were given, as well as some you researched. Be sure to describe important details about the habitat that will affect the survival of your critter. (5-10 sentences) When you finish, attach the first page of this packet to the front of your folder. Attach this page to the inside cover of your folder. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

3. Part 2: Critter Diagram(s) Draw one of more diagrams of your adopted Critter. Include labels with brief descriptions of 4 of its characteristics that are adaptations. Scientific Name: ________________________________________ Common name: ________________________________________ Outside Source Citations:

4. Part 3 Adaptations Describe how each of the four characteristics you labeled in the diagram(s) are adaptations. It should be clear from your paragraph what an adaptation is. 1.______________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. ______________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 5. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Select 1 adaptation as an example, and describe your understanding of how scientists would explain how this adaptation came about in a population through natural selection. (Hint: Use your notes about the events that happen in natural selection. Be sure to include all the important terms.) _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

5. Part 4 Analysis Which of the following statements is most consistent with scientists’ understanding of the process of evolution, and why? What is wrong with the other statement? ❑ Statement 1: “The habitat that I worked in is very wet and salty. My critter has a common ancestor that evolved a rubberlike skin because it wanted to keep from shriveling up.” ❑ Statement 2: “The habitat that I worked in is very wet and salty. My critter evolved a rubberlike skin because this trait provides protection from the harmful effects of all the salt.” Check the correct statement, and explain: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________

6. Biology Critter Project Part 1: Study your habitat card that describes where you are going. On the Critter template, draw a sketch of what you imagine the habitat looks like and label several important features. Then write a description of the habitat on page 2. You may also research what your habitat looks like in books or the Internet. If you use a source, be sure to cite it. You would need to write the author and title and/or website underneath your picture of the habitat Due Date for Part 1: Choose 1 multicellular organism from your habitat and complete the following report about the organism. Your work will be sent to the World Wildlife Fund as they collect information on the organisms on earth and try to understand the unity and diversity of all life. Part 2: Diagrams a. Choose 1 of the multicellular organisms that lives in this habitat and adopt it! Determine its scientific name, and write it in large letters at the top of where you will draw a diagram of your critter on p.3 of the template. Also write the common name for the species. You may choose any multicellular organism – plant, animal, or fungus. You may choose an organism listed on the habitat card, or you may use another one that you research. b. Draw 1 or more diagrams of your organism in the space on p.2 of the template. Include labels with descriptions of its distinctive features. You must draw and label at least four such features. Remember that your critter is a member of a group of critters at the genus or family level. If you feel there is not enough information about your species of critter, use information about its genus or family to help you describe it. For example, if you were studying humans, you might research the “Homo” genus or primate family if you could not find enough characteristics about the specific species. It is also OK to use your imagination with logic to describe your critter. For example, if your critter is the only member of its genus to live in an extremely cold environment, you should examine your critter carefully and think about the kinds of adaptations that it may have evolved to survive in the environment *Remember if you look up diagrams or research the features; be sure to list your sources under or on the side of the diagram(s). Due Date for Part 2:

7. Part 3 Adaptations: c. Write a paragraph describing the adaptations you labeled on your critter drawing. d. Select 1 adaptation as an example and describe your understanding of how scientists would explain how adaptations arise in a population. Due Date for Part 3: 3. Part #4: Analysis Question: Read and answer the analysis question. Remember to think about what you have learned and to answer the question from a scientific point of view. Due Date for Part 4: Final Project Due: