In the year 2525:
Humans, after hundreds
of years of constant effort, have successfully polluted all bodies of water on
Earth. As a result, almost all previously known species of plants, animals, and
other life forms have become extinct. Through natural selection, genetic
engineering, and selective breeding programs, a portion of the Earth has been
successfully repopulated. The following organisms are all that remain:
- Photosynthetic
humanoids with green chlorophyll-containing hair (autotrophs)
- Chemosynthetic
dolphin-like organisms who derive their energy for food production from the
contaminants in the water (autotrophs)
- Aquatic humanoids
who work on the dolphin's aquaculture farms (heterotrophic)
- Aqua wheat, a
heterotrophic crop grown by the dolphins that feeds on bacteria
- Legless,
photosynthetic humanoid space travelers with arm-like tentacles that visit
the Earth every 6 weeks
- Anaerobic humanoids
designed for space living, but when on Earth for space training, they must
wear deoxygenated space suits (heterotrophs)
- Cockroach-like
organisms that feed on humanoid and dolphin excrement (Decomposers)
- Heterotrophic giant
squids that feed on humanoids & dolphins
- Green-skinned,
photosynthetic rats
- Parasitic
mosquitoes that feed on humanoids
Your Assignment:
As an alien
taxonomist, it is your responsibility to classify these existing organisms.
- Create
Latin-sounding Genus and species names for each organism. Remember that the
species name should reflect a characteristic of the organism.
- Create a taxonomic
scheme for each organism including a kingdom, phylum, and the genus and
species name you created. Use only two kingdoms that you create. Be sure to
also include the number of the organism with the scheme
- Illustrate your
interpretation of each organism's appearance including all the
characteristics given to you. All illustrations should be numbered and
colored on a single sheet of unlined paper.
- Prepare a
dichotomous key using the scientific names for these organisms so that your
fellow aliens can also identify them when they come to Earth for summer
vacations.
- Make a cover sheet
with your name, date, and period and paper clip your sheets together.
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