PLANTS/FUNGI:
The Introduction Section
Organism Introduction
The common and scientific name of your organism. Please see this link to help with scientific names if needed: How To Write Scientific Names of Organisms
Where you observed your organism (country, state, park, zoo, etc.)
A brief discussion on why you chose your organism
If possible, a picture and/or video of you safely observing your species in the field. If not possible, search the Internet for an image (and remember to cite your source for the image) in a typical habitat.
The Body
Physical Description
You must include a brief physical description. You can use your personal observations. If you cannot safely observe your organism, you must research.
size, coloring, leaf arrangement, flower color, etc.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Life Cycle: describe the life cycle of your organism. The life cycle refers to the series of changes that happen from the beginning of life as your organism develops and grows into a mature organism – seed stage, germination stage, mature stage, and so on. Please see here for some hints on the Life Cycle. Plants can be a bit more complicated, so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
Reproduction: You must discuss the reproductive strategies of your organism. Are there any specific structures or cells involved in reproduction? Are the flowers specialized?
Structure and Function
Please select one organ system of your organism that you find to be particularly interesting and describe both the anatomy and physiology of that system.
If your organism is a plant, here is a list of the general plant organ systems
If you have selected a fungus, the concept can be more complex. Please contact me directly for more help if needed.
Energy Ecology
If you can observe these, that is best. If not, research.
How does your plant harvest the energy from the sun? How does it store the energy?
Habitat
Where your organism lives. This does not refer to a city or state, but rather the natural environment in which your organism lives.
You should consider abiotic factors, such as soil, water, etc., as well as biotic factors, such as predators, hosts, etc.
