BIO212

Species reports

The written assessment for this module is a report on a single species.It should take the general approach of the included sample on a species of bat.Obviously this will need to be tailored to your organism of choice depending on what scientific data is available on it.The report should in essence be a brief review of a selected species-its basic biology and areas such as its evolutionary history and scientific importance.

Each report should be produced professionally i.e.make sure everything is formatted

sensibly,use references appropriately and cite them correctly,write in formal scientific language,italicise and capitalise scientific names correctly etc.These are supposed to be short reports so write appropriately,keep thing short and punchy.

·It should be:

-between  1000-1250  words long(i.e.the absolute maximum is 1250).Include all text figure legends,etc.in the count,but exclude the references -include 2-4 figures.

-There should be 5-10 references(10 is a maximum).

-Use appropriate scientific sources,figures aside,you should be citing as far as possible from the primary scientific literature.We are aware though that for basic information like size or gestation this can be hard to find and you may have to resort to text books etc.but put real effort into this research and avoid using sources like Wikipedia,encyclopedias,field guides,random websites etc.

-We prefer Harvard referencing style e.g.:

Hutchinson,J.R.and  Garcia,M.,2002.Tyrannosaurus  was not a fast runner.Nature,415,pp.1018-1021.

(Note it does not have to be Harvard referencing style,but it does need to be consistent,and it must not use numbers in the text to cite the article).

-We do not need the DOI or URL for references or the date accessed.You only need information like this for sources that can be edited (e.g.for images online or media pages).

-Any figures from the web or published formally (i.e.copy pasted)should be referenced under a heading called "References to images".These do not count towards your  10 references or word count.

Include in each report:

-The formal scientific name and common name (if any). -Date and original describer of the species.

-Any taxonomic history (synonyms,changed names etc.-this should usually be brief,some things have a nightmare back catalogue of names in which case be judicious and simply note this).

-The systematic position i.e.a list of major clades to which it belongs (e.g.for a pigeon this would  simple  be:Animalia,Chordata,Aves,Passeriformes,Passeridae). Do not write rank name,e.g.Kingdom,phylum,division and any variants etc.),they cause problems and errors and should not be included.

-Definition/diagnosis/key features of the  species.Thisshould correctly define a species, ideally taken from a relevant paper on the subject.This may be hard to find for some taxa. Keep it short.

-Review of basic biology/anatomy and physiology /behaviour/reproductive biology/ecology/scientific importance  etc.(the vast majority of your write up).These will vary greatly between reports depending on your interest/research/what information is available.

You don't have to cover everything and 3 or 4 good sections is better than 8 short ones with no depth.

You may work in groups of up to 3 people.Pairs are strongly recommended though you are welcome to work alone.All members of the group will get the same grade.Clearly mark all people in your group,in the following way,

Group  member   1:name,email,advisor

Group  member  2,name,email,advisor

Group  member   3,name,email,advisor

Remember this is worth a significant part of a 30 credit module.So while the word limit and reference limit is tight,we are expecting you to put a lot of hours into this and we are expecting very high standards.There should be a real depth of research and real quality of writing-we expect something well-researched and polished.So put a lot of time  into finding and reading sources,planning what areas you want to cover,writing and editing to make it the best you can.

This is due to be submitted in Week 10.Check the QM+page for the exact date and time.   Submit one document with the names and student numbers of all participants.Please ensure the name of the taxon is at the start of the file name and the family name of the person who  submitted it.

Below is a list of suggested species to write about.You are free to choose any species that you would like to,but if you are not using something from this list,then do please check with the relevant lecturer(Prof Leitch for plants and fungi,Dr Martin for invertebrates and Dr Hone for vertebrates)before starting.

Plants/Fungi:

Aloe vera

Ophrysapifera

Pinus sylvestris

Triticum aestivum

Amanita muscaria

Invertebrates:

Apis mellifera

Sepia officinalis

Cancer pagurus

Vertebrates:

Triceratops  horridus 

Pteranodon  longiceps 

Harpia  harpyja

Equus quagga

Crocuta  crocuta

Crocodylus  niloticus