TITLE: ADAPTING TO THE WORLDLENGTH: 60̾GRADES: 5-12MATERIALS: paleontology, biology, botany, zoology, genetics, history, language

DESCRIPTION: We will observe the development of ocean organisms, learn how insects have adapted successfully over billions of years, and find out how dogs evolved into wolves, among other fascinating examples of adaptation and evolution.

A. Oceans: The Cradle of Life - Examine how organisms developed in the planet’s oceans. B. Plant Development: Learn how plants survive and reproduce.C. Insects: Masters of Adaptation: Discover how insects have adapted and survived over billions of

years.D. The Wild Side of Dogs: See how dogs evolved from wolves.

CREDITS: María D. de Corona – University Professor

OBJECTIVES: Students will:1. Investigate how the first organisms originated and evolved in the Earth’s oceans. 2. Learn how plants survive, reproduce and develop. 3. Examine the extraordinary ways in which insects have adapted to new circumstances and survived over

billions of years. 4. Observe how dogs evolved from wolves, were domesticated and split into different breeds.

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MATERIALS: Map, pencil, pen, colored pencils, graphic organizer, concept map, poster board, Internet access via computer or tablet.

I. ACTIVATION OF PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE. DISCUSS AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. What animals can we find in the oceans?2. What do you know about microorganisms?

II. WATCH MINUTES 2 THROUGH 7 OF THE VIDEO AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. What tiny bonds link all living beings on Earth?

2. What type of organisms are the simplest life forms?

3. What was the environment like when the first single-celled organisms developed, 3.6 billion years ago? .

4. Which gases were most abundant in the Earth’s atmosphere?

5. Which gases are most abundant today?

6. What were the first life forms like, according to scientists?

7. Where did these organisms live?

8. What did they eat?.

9. How did these organisms evolve?.

10. What were these organisms called?.

11.What substance did they form by combining water molecules with the carbon dioxide in their cells?

12. What is photosynthesis?

13. How many years did it take for photosynthesis to free up enough oxygen to sustain life as we know it today?

14. How did minerals from the Earth’s surface get into the oceans?

15.What was the effect of increased oxygen in the oceans?

16. Why do scientists study fossils found in rocks and other substances?

17. Which single-celled organisms common today are among the most ancient on the planet?

18. How long have they existed?

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III. WATCH MINUTES 5 THROUGH 7 OF THE VIDEO AND FILL IN THE TABLE BELOW WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANISMS THAT LIVED IN THE OCEANS MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.

NAME DESCRIPTIONOPABINIA

NECTOCARIS

DINOMISCHUS

ODONTOGRIPHUS

ANOMALOCARIS

IV. ACTIVATION OF PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE. DISCUSS AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. Which are your favorite plants?2. Do you know how plants reproduce?

V. WATCH MINUTES 7 THROUGH 13 OF THE VIDEO AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. What is tropism?

2. Which factors can affect where and how much a plant grows?

3. How do bramble bushes move?

4. How do brambles climb virtually any surface?

5. How much can a bramble bush grow in one day?

6. What is positive and negative tropism?

10. What other reasons does a plant have to move?

11. Is there any difference between the reproductive systems of animals and plants?

12. What is pollen?

13. What is pollination?

14. What happens when the male reproductive apparatus (stamen) transfers pollen to the feminine part that produces the egg (pistil)?.

15. What happens if pollination is successful?

16. What do seeds need to germinate?

17. What helps dandelion seeds spread so easily on the wind?

18. What special characteristic do the seeds of vines in Borneo have?. 19. How else are seeds dispersed?

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20. What happens if the seed capsules of the Himalayan balsam are brushed even slightly?

21. How do burdock seeds spread?

22. How do ants help spread seeds?

VI. ACROSTICArrange the following words to spell the word ”pollination” vertically from top to bottom. Use each word only once.

TROPISM, POLLEN, WIND, GERMINATE, DISPERSE, PLANTS, FLOWERS, SUNLIGHT, INSECTS, DANDELION, STAMEN

P

O L

L I

N A

T I

O N

VII. ACTIVATION OF PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE. DISCUSS AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. 1. What do you know about insects?2. How many insects can you name?

VIII. WATCH MINUTES 14 THROUGH 18 OF THE VIDEO AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. What group of animals do insects belong to?

2. How are insects’ bodies formed?

3. What are other characteristics of insects?

4. What is an exoskeleton?

5. What size are most insects today?

6. What size were insects millions of years ago?

7. Why did they have to adapt their size?

8. What would happen if the body of a 1.5-centímeter-long beetle were as large as a vertebrate?

9. What would happen if the shell were thicker?

10. What was the evolutionary adaptation in this case?

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11. What types of eyes do insects have?.

12. How many of these lenses are in a square millimeter of eye?

13. What are insects’ compound eyes capable of detecting?

14. What is one of insects’ most effective survival tools?

15. What is sound?

16. How do insects produce sound?

17. How do insects use sound?

18. What do insects use to blend in with their surroundings and protect themselves from predators?

19. What type of camouflage does the praying mantis use?

20. How does the stick insect hide from nightingales?

21. What percentage of all animal species on Earth are insects?

22. Why are insects often described as masters of survival?

23. Which prehistoric animals have insects outlived?

IX. USE THE WORDS BELOW TO COMPLETE THE PARAGRAPHS.

bodies useful antennae existence beings species

pests insects wingsabundant head sixthree organs planet

_________ are everywhere. They are the most _________category of animals, representing more than half of all living ________ on the ________. More than a million _________of insect have been recorded, and some scientists estimate the __________ of more than five million. Some of the best-known insects include: beds, wasps, ants, flies, grasshoppers, crickets, ladybugs and butterflies.

Insects’ ________ are divided into________ parts: the head, the thorax and the abdomen. The ________includes the mouth, the eyes and two ________. The thorax has_______ legs and, in many cases, four _______. The abdomen contains the internal _________.

Some insects, such as bees, are________ for human beings, but others, including mosquitos and cockroaches, are _________.

X. IN THE PARENTHESES, WRITE THE CORRECT NUMBER FROM THE DIAGRAM BELOW TO IDENTIFY EACH BODY PART AND APPENDAGE.

( ) legs( ) head( ) antennae( ) thorax( ) wings( ) abdomen

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pg. 6

XI. WORD SEARCH. FIND THE NAMES OF THE FOLLOWING INSECTS:

ant ladybug beebutterfly grasshopper flycockroach wasp beetlecricket mosquito praying mantistermite flea cicadaaphid moth dragonfly

P T D G T C Y L F U L G A C T S O N CF R R I E I T Q G O T I U Q S O M C YH O A M R G A P H I D V J O X T I U LS U G Y M A R A Y U I C A T K N T C FA T O M I R G K A A O R J C T L E A RB C N T T N M I T E O I L O F A R R EE A F U E A G L I L U C I C A D A A TE V L E I E R M O F G K M K N Y A C TA U Y S L V I O A A E E H R J B C H UN A L T T A N T F N N T M O S U U A BI A E O K M O H Q U T T O A F G L E AJ E V I C G S R N T L I B C L U L A YB E S W A S P B G R A S S H O P P E R

XII. ACTIVATION OF PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE. DISCUSS AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. Do you like dogs?2. What type of dog do you like?3. How many breeds of dog can you name? 4 Do you have a pet?

XIII. WATCH MINUTES 19 THROUGH 25 OF THE VIDEO AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. How long have dogs lived alongside humans?

2. Have dogs always been the adorable, friendly animals we know today?

3. By definition, what type of animals are dogs?

4. How many breeds of dogs have humans manipulated and created over the last 14,000 years?

5. Which animal is the closest ancestor of the wild species from which dogs evolved?

6. What type of interaction probably existed between the first human beings and wolves?

7. What hunting strategy did both of them develop?

8. Why did some wolves start drawing closer to human beings?

9. What happened as a result of these interactions?.

10. What do scientists hope to determine when they study the information contained in wolves’ DNA? 11. Originally, how many years did scientists think it took wolves to be domesticated?.

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12. Why did the Russian fur industry try to breed silver foxes?

13. Why did the plan fail?

14. What did this experiment show?

XIV. WATCH MINUTES 19 THROUGH 25 OF THE VIDEO AND DECIDE IF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ARE TRUE (T) OR FALSE (F).

1. ( ) Dogs have lost all of the characteristics of wild animals.2. ( ) Domestication is a process that does not happen very often. 3. ( ) Based on recent research, scientists can conclude when and where the first wolves were domesticated.4. ( ) The Russian fur industry benefited from the domestication of foxes.5. ( ) Domesticating wolves was a long, slow process. 6. ( ) Dogs are mutations of wolves.7. ( ) The first human beings and wolves had nothing in common.8. ( ) The silver fox lost its ferocity after being domesticated.9. ( ) Mutated animals would not have been able to breed in the wild.10,( ) Human beings and wolves hunted together.

XV. WATCH MINUTES 25 THROUGH 40 OF THE VIDEO AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. There are ………..different breeds of dogs. a) 200 b) 300 c) 400 d) 500

2. In developing countries, dogs are…….. a) genetically manipulated b) shaped by natural forces c) bred selectively d) too numerous

3, The dogs of the Mongolian steppes….. a) have short, fine fur b) have a sedentary lifestyle c) run great distances d) have long, thin bones

4. Four-eyed dogs……. a) Have dark spots above their eyes b) are very calm dogs c) are not bred selectively d) have defective vision

5. Maremma dogs ……. a) are originally from the state of Colorado b) are very independent dogs c) are excellent sheepdogs d) are afraid of coyotes

6. Thanks to a phenomenon known as imprinting, dogs identify with ….. a) the first object they see when they are born b) only with their mother c) only with animals of the same species d) only with red coyotes

pg. 8

7. Coyotes… a) do not adapt easily to new circumstances b) compete with otters for fish c) do not approach densely populated areas d) are the symbol of the American wilderness

8. Wolves…… a) survive because of their ability to work in packs b) are an endangered species c) are distributed according to human population patterns d) aren’t feared by human beings

9. When hunting, wolves …. a) work as a team b) are disorganized c) work individually d) do no respect hierarchy

10. Domestic dogs and wolves…… a) are two very different species b) have the same social structure c) cannot be distinguished genetically from each other d) are genetically different

11. The singing dogs of New Guinea….. a) cannot be distinguished from other wolves and dogs b) are genetically identical to wolves and dogs c) are different because they have remained isolated d) bark melodiously

12. The hesperocyon…….. a) lived in trees b) evolved from cats c) had very long legs d) belonged to the Canidae family

13. Dogs’ diet …… a) is purely carnivorous b) adapted because of the shape of their molars c) has always been the same d) includes no vegetables or fruit

14. Red foxes …… a) live and hunt in packs like wolves b) do not approach urban areas c) have a very complex family organization d) share their prey with other animals of their species

15. Alpha pups …… a) are just like other puppies b) share their food with other puppies c) are very submissive animals d) are stronger and more dominant

16. Dholes (Cuon alpinus)…… a) are a type of African dog b) live in desert regions c) communicate by whistling d) are domestic dogs

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17. African hunting dogs…. a) are in grave danger of extinction b) hunt close to their dens c) are solitary hunters d) have no social system

XVI. FILL IN THE TABLE WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FOLLOWING CANIDS.

CANID CHARACTERISTICS Possible Answers

1. Four-eyed dogs

2. Wolves3. Silver foxes4. Maremma dogs5. Dholes6. Tropical dogs7. Red foxes8. Singing dogs9. African hunting dogs 10. Coyotes11. Mongolian mastiffs

XVII. WATCH MINUTES 25 THROUGH 45 OF THE VIDEO. USE THE TABLE BELOW TO FIND THE COORDINATES OF THE MISSING LETTERS. WRITE THE COORDINATES IN PARENTHESES UNDERNEATH EACH LETTER. FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE:

A feline: C A T (2,3) (1,5) (3,4)

5 A L G V D 4 K N T P H 3 Q C B W S 2 F U J Y Z 1 I O R E M

1 2 3 4 5

1. The oldest …………….. of the dog is the hesperocyon.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ (2,4) (2,3) (3.4) (3,1)

pg. 10

2 ……………… is part of coyotes’ diet.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____(2,3) (1,5) (1,1) (2,4)

3. The first ………….were drawn to human beings by the smell of food.

W ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____(4,3) (4,5)

4. …………… ………….. dogs have been bred selectively.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ (2,1) (2,2) (4,2) (5,5)

5. Human prejudices have brought some species of wolves to the brink of ………………

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____(4,1) (3,4) (1,1) (2,3) (2,1)

6. Dogs are ………………… of their ancestors, the wolf.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ (5,1) (2,2) (3,4) (1,1) (5,3)

7. Humans have manipulated dogs’ sense of ..............

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ (5,3) (4,1) (2,5)

8. Dogs have developed the ability to eat ……………

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____(4,5) (4,1) (4,1) (3,3) (4,1)

9. Dogs’ great genetic variety has made possible the creation of many different ………..

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____(3,3) (4,1) (5,5)

10. New Guinea………… dogs are genetically different from other breeds.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

pg. 11

(5,3) (1,1) (3,5) (3,5)

11. Humans have been ……….the same species of animal for the last 14,000 years.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___ ____ ____(5,1) (1,1) (4,4) (2,2) (3,4) (3,5)

12. Wolves hunt in packs organized according to a strict ..........

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ (5,4) (1,1) (3,1) (1,5) (5,4)

13. In developing countries, dogs have been shaped by ……….. forces.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ (2,4) (3,4) (2,2) (2,5)

14. ………….. manipulation has had a surprising effect on the four-eyed dog.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ (3,5) (4,1) (3,4) (1,1)

15. The favorite prey of African hunting dogs is the gnu, a type of …………..

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ (1,5) (2,5) (2,1) (4,4)

16. From a phylogenetic point of view, the species Canis familiaris is classified as a ……………….of Canis lupus.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ (5,3) (3,3) (4,4) (2,3) (1,1) (5,3)

17. Wolves, foxes, coyotes and jackals are .............. species.

____ ____ ____ ____ (4,3) (5,5)

18. Red foxes have …………. to live near human beings.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ (1,5) (5,5) (4,4) (3,4)

19. The close bond between sheepdogs and their flocks is due to a phenomenon known as …………………….

____ ____ ____ ____ ___ ___ ____ ____ ___ ____ (1,1) (5,1) (3,1) (2,4) (1,1) (2,4)

pg. 12

20. The ………………of animals is not a common process.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____(5,5) (5,1) (4,1) (3,4) (2,3) (1,5) (2,4)

21. The Mongolian mastiff is a …………….. breed.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____(2,4) (3,4) (2,2) (2,5)

22. Dogs can slice and grind food due to adaptations of their………

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ (5,1) (2,5) (3,1) (5,3)

23. ………… can be domesticated relatively quickly.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ (4,3) (2,5) (4,1)

24. Maremma dogs protect their flocks from ………

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____(2,3) (4,2) (2,1)

25. Mongolia’s ……….. peoples have a deep appreciation for their dogs.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____(2,4) (2,1) (5,1) (2,3)

XVIII. WATCH MINUTES 41 THROUGH 45 OF THE VIDEO. MATCH THE STATEMENTS IN THE TWO COLUMNS, WRITING THE LETTER OF THE CORRECT PHRASE NEXT TO EACH NUMBER.

1. ( ) Humans control puppies’ (A) dogs’ keen senses. development … .2. ( ) In the Middle Ages, poodles’ fur….. (B) wild canids and domestic dogs. 3. ( ) Humans take advantage of….. (C) termite colonies from meters away. 4. ( ) Most breeds of dogs…. (D) are centuries old. 5. ( ) Some dog breeds are…. (E) instinctual hunters.

6. ( ) Dogs can smell…… (F) have been developed in the last 100 years.

7. ( ) Dogs are genetically manipulated to…. (G) have their fur styled extravagantly.

pg. 13

8. ( ) Some varieties of bloodhounds…. (H) select for specific characteristics.

9. ( ) Dogs are …. (I) when they are just a few weeks old.

10. ( ) There is enormous genetic diversity (J) protected them from hypothermia between……..

XIX. WATCH MINUTES 41 THROUGH 45 OF THE VIDEO. BASED ON THE CHARACTERISTICS DESCRIBED, IDENTIFY THE BREED OF DOG.

CHARACTERISTICS BREED1. Keen senses of smell and hearing useful in household protection.2. This breed’s long ears drag along the ground, picking up the prey’s scent and carrying it to its nose.3. A large dog bred originally in Ireland to hunt wolves4. A breed with long, silky hair, bred in Afghanistan as a hunting dog.5. From the Spanish island of Ibiza and bred to hunt, especially rabbits. 6. Bred to fetch ducks for hunters from cold water. Nowadays it is known more for its striking hairstyles.7. A breed known for its large size.8. A small but tenacious breed specialized in hunting foxes and rats. 10. A very small dog originally from Mexico.

XX. ACTIVATION OF PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE. DISCUSS AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. Why do people train dogs?2. What are some ways dogs are trained to help human beings?

XXI. WATCH MINUTES 45 THROUGH 54 OF THE VIDEO AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. What were Villain and his handler, Bill, looking for in the burned-out house?

2. How good is Villain at detecting the presence of a flammable liquid?

3. What would investigators be forced to do without the dog’s help?

4. How were dogs used following the bombing in Oklahoma?

5. What sorts of things are tracking dogs like Duchess capable of detecting?.

6. Why are these dogs so valuable in tracking down missing persons?

7. Which disease can dogs detect with almost 100% accuracy?

8. What accounts for this amazing sense of smell?.

9. How much more powerful is dogs’ sense of smell than humans’?

10. What other ability makes dogs unique?

11. What is the secret to training a dog successfully?

12. What is one negative aspect of dogs’ domestication?

pg. 14

13. What types of dogs are generally free of these inherited diseases?

14. What are molecular biologists trying to discover in studying dogs? .

15. How many such disorders have been genetically mapped so far?

16. Why have recessive genes become more prominent in certain breeds?

17 What percentage of purebred dogs suffer from serious genetic diseases?

18. What physical problems affect some dogs?

19. What sorts of problems affect the following breeds?

1. Chinese Crested2. Bulldog 3. US-bred Shar-Peis

20. What are some problems of the pet trade?

21. What happens to most of these animals when their owners abandon them?

XXII. WATCH MINUTES 44 THROUGH 48 OF THE VIDEO AND COMPLETE THE PARAGRAPHS WITH THE FOLLOWING WORDS.

ideal police training suitcases searchstimulate digs program scratches testwar drug experience store huntingexercise sense impregnated real stepolfactory learn moving hole hide

Before becoming (1) ______ dogs, (2) _______-sniffing dogs must complete a training program to (3)

_______certain skills. The program is designed to (4)________ the dogs’ (5) _________ memory. The goal is for the dog to behave according to (6) _________ instead of instinct. Only one in every 45 dogs that begin this training graduates from the (7) ________. A dog that (8) ________and destroys the family sofa, or (9) _______ enormous (10) ________ in the yard, is the (11) ________ student.

The (12) ________ has different phases to teach the dog to (13) _______ for drugs. The first (14) _______ is to present the dog with a cloth bag that contains a towel (15) _________ with a fake drug. (16) _______drugs are never used in these trainings. This (17) ________is repeated several times for the dog to (18) _______ the smell in his memory. The next step is to (19) ________the bag and ask the dog to find it. The dog will begin to sniff around everywhere until he locates the bag. To graduate from the program, the dog must pass a difficult (20) _______: it must learn to locate drugs in (21) _________ on (22) _______ conveyer belts like the ones airports use. Dogs’ powerful (23) ________of smell and (24) _________ instinct have proven to be effective weapons in the (25) _________on drug trafficking.

pg. 15

XXIII. WORD SEARCH. FIND THE FOLLOWING WORDS:

pet cell furrier pollen flockdetect breeder genetic ancestor germinationarthropod camouflage fossil tropism photosynthesismutation canid nomad melanoma drughierarchy extinction evolution shell exoskeleton

K O F N A R T H R O P O D E R S I E N T H U Y W CC O K J E W F D V E O C N X X Z H J M E I S K A LI T R O P I S M O L G E L O P C Q E E P E E I P GC T N L M W L U G E M B R S M E D N L P R I C A KD R U G A P N K R T I N R K D L O E A L A R A R EE I H C A J D F L O C K E E P L D B N R R O N A VT G I C P E S A J R R O N L E A I A O A C K I Z OE F D A N O I T C N I T X E V D G W M T H Z D O LC E L M L A N U H S A B Z T X C E I A D Y R O N UT I Y O R R T L A N E L L O P N N R U R S J F N TA O G U N Q I A M A S C O N A A O D G A N U U V IR H E F O S S I L I C P U O N E X T A L O I R N OF O T L A I N Y G A N C E S T O R T M C M B R F NC F O A I A R S C O N O H T G E R M I N A T I O NE O D G O P H O T O S Y N T H E S I S K D S E P UG E N E T I C F S Z H F D V U D C X B A S U R I FT W V I B C O M U T A T I O N N T O P E T A E L B

XXIV. CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS

SCIENCE AND ART

The teacher will explain to the students that he is going to read a description of Dunkleosteus, a prehistoric fish that lived approximately 380 to 360 million years ago.

The first time the teacher reads the description the students should listen carefully and imagine what the animal was like.

The teacher will then reread the description. This time, the students should draw the fish, using as much detail as they can.

Students will discuss their drawings with the teacher and classmates.

ACTIVITY Break into groups of 3-4 students. Using the list of insects in section XI, each group should choose one insect that is useful to human

beings and another that is harmful. The students should then jot down the characteristics of the insects they have selected showing how

they help or hurt humans. Each group should then present its results.

pg. 16

Project 1 Break into groups of 3-4 students, making sure each group has at least one student who has a pet. Each group should make a list of the basic care their pets require, including food they can eat and

food they should avoid, appropriate toys, etc. The students should comment and discuss their lists with the other groups. The class should draw up one master list from those produced by the various groups.

Project 21. Flower and leaf collection

Ask students to collect leaves and flowers of various shapes, sizes and textures. Place the leaves and flowers between two sheets of paper and weigh them down with a heavy object,

such as a book. After a week, remove the leaves and flowers and paste them into a scrapbook or album. Look up the name of each flower and the plant/tree the leaves are from and write them below each

one. Students should show their collections to their classmates and discuss the different names, sizes,

textures, etc.

XXV. GLOSSARY

1. ArthropodA type of invertebrate animal with bilaterally symmetrical bodies made up of a linear series of

segments and equipped with jointed appendages.

2. Biological evolution The ongoing transformation of a species via changes in successive generations.

3. CamouflageA system of protection that allows a living thing to conceal its presence by blending into its surroundings.

4. CanidA family of carnivorous mammals, including dogs and wolves, with five toes on their front paws and four on their rear paws.

5. CellThe fundamental building block of living organisms, generally microscopic in size and capable of reproducing independently, made up of cytoplasm and a nucleus surrounded by a membrane.

6. DrugA substance that acts as a stimulant, sedative, narcotic or hallucinogen and whose repeated consumption can lead to dependency or addiction.

7. Dominant and recessive genesGenes are the functional units of chromosomal DNA that determine the structure of cellular products, especially proteins. They are classified as either dominant or recessive: Dominant genes are stronger and appear in the first generation, while recessive genes are latent in the first generation but appear in the second and third.

8. ExoskeletonAn accumulation of chitin or calcified material over the epidermis, often taking the form of a shell (as in coelenterates, mollusks and arthropods) or the scales of fish and echinoderms, reptiles and mammals.

pg. 17

9. FlockA group of domestic or wild animals of the same species.

10. FossilThe remains of a dead organism found petrified in certain geological deposits.

11. FurrierA person specializing in the preparation of animal fur and its use in the manufacture of coats or other items.

12. GeneticsThe field of biology that studies the laws of heredity and related subjects.

13. GerminationThe beginning of a seed’s development.

14. ImprintingA learning process that takes place in young animals during a short period of receptivity, producing a stereotypical reaction to an object, whether another living being or a mechanical toy.

15. MelanomaA tumor formed in cells that contain melanin.

16. MicroorganismA one-celled microscopic organism.

17. MutationAn alteration in the structure or number of genes/chromosomes of a living organism that is passed down to its descendants through heredity.

18. NomadsFamilies that move from place to place without a permanent residence.

19. PetA domestic companion animal.

20. PhotosynthesisA chemical process that uses sunlight to produce glucose by combining water and carbon dioxide.

21. PollinationThe process by which pollen is transferred from the stamen where it was produced to the pistil of the same or another flower, where a plant’s eggs are fertilized.

22. ShellA rigid covering over the thorax or entire back of many crustaceans, insects, turtles, etc.

23. TropismThe growth or turning movement of a biological organism, usually a plant, in response to a stimulus.

pg. 18