Phylogenetic trees and cladograms fun projects?

[Arcadia]

My older is learning about phylogenic tree and looking for suggestions for fun summer project. So far we have covered briefly Porifera, Cnidaria, Mollusca, Anthropoda and Echinodermata. The project can take longer than summer holidays.

Any ideas?

[Jane in NC]

How old is your older?

 

My suggestion is having your student make a strategy game involving specimens from these phylla as well as other ocean phenomenon (hurricanes, calcification of the water, invasive species). Your older could learn about dependence and interactions of these animals.

[Arcadia]

My older is eight and his science level is all over the place. He can read a marine biology text without being bored and read more on whatever catch his interest. Currently he is looking at ROV.

[lewelma]

Well, I would have him run a cladistic analysis by hand. What organisms do you have access to? You are way better at internet research than I am, but here is a description with a very simple example that you could augment by a factor of 10. http://www.fossilnew...cladistics.html

 

I would have him do a simple one first with obvious characteristics, and then when he has the hang of it, I would do a more complicated one with skulls if I could find them. I think our science museum has lots of skulls, does yours?

 

Ruth in NZ

[Arcadia]

I think our science museum has lots of skulls, does yours?

 

 

I don't know but I have three marine research institute near me due to the Pacific Ocean :) It would be interesting for me to find out. I was thinking of doing a tide pool study at the same time so your idea would give me something to look into.

 

ETA:

Found lots of reading material for me. Including a cladistic study of bugs (pseudhelops) of NZ subantarctic islands :)

[Jane in NC]

There are loads of plans out there for constructing ROVs from PVC pipes. The Monterrey Bay Aquarium offers one. Just another rabbit hole to explore...

 

Elzabeth Lawlor's book Discover Nature at the Seashore has some great hands on suggestions for projects along the shore, in the salt marsh and in the dunes. One idea that I pursued with my son was a fiddler crab study. Males, as you probably know, have one enlarged claw--some on the left, others on the right. We did population counts at several sites, determining the ratio of males to females and the "handedness" of the males (which varied at each site). It was interesting to project larger populations based on our samples.

 

This does not relate directly to your question but I am suggesting the book because of your proximity to the shore. Nice chapter on polychaetes, another on adaptation of plants and insects in the dunes.

 

Have fun in your summer explorations.