Evolution Unit Assignment

Photo Essay- AEE 204N F20

Due date: 9/8 – 2:30 pm (Canvas)

The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your understanding of evolution in a visual form.

Photojournalists can tell vivid stories through photo essays. Your job is to create a pictorial representation (using magazine pictures, photographs, drawings, paintings, video, or downloaded photos) depicting a chain of events impacting a particular species because of changes in the environment (e.g., habitat destruction; introduction of non-native predator, pest, or competitor).

Base your representation on research and evidence about the species and environmental change you have chosen.

Step 1: Choose a species

Dig around and find a species that has seen dramatic change over the course of human history (do not tell the story of the evolution of a species over millions of years).

Step 2: Storyboard the timeline of the species

Were there population changes? ; what were the drivers?; what was the impact on other species? ; what message do you want to convey to the reader. Remember, you are depicting the change in the genome (and how that is physically manifested) NOT a change in how the species has adapted to humans during a single lifetime. For example, polar bears traveling further south to find food due to climate impacts is NOT evolutionary change. The polar bear species is not fundamentally different, at least not yet.

Step 3: Pick your images

Find the pictures/video that helps “tell the story” you planned in step 2. Utilize all digital sources at your fingertips.

Step 4: Select a way to visually present your images

Get creative; you have full freedom to choose any digital or physical method of display. If you choose a digital method (PowerPoint, etc.), please make the entire photo essay on ONE slide/image.

Step 5: Write a brief summary

Accompany your photo essay with a brief description (1-2 paragraphs) that explains your photo essay in words. Please use a separate word document.

Criteria

Excellent

(10-7 Points)

Average

(6-4 Points)

Below Average

(3-0 Points)

Points

Species Selection

Species selected has seen noticeable change along human time scale, change in phenotype has been due to a specific environmental pressure

Species selected either has not seen noticeable change along the human timescale or the specific environmental pressure was not clearly described

Species selected has not seen noticeable change along the human timescale and the change in that species is either due to domestication or is not an example of evolution (ie. behavioral change)

/10

Images

Images/graphics are concise, high quality, and aid in conveying the story of the evolution

Images/graphics are moderate quality and lack conciseness (too many images used to convey the evolutionary change)

Images/graphics are poor and/or do not relate to the evolutionary change being described

/10

Brief Summary

Less than two paragraph description that explains the story conveyed in pictures. Summary is concise and fills in any background info needed to understand the photo essay.

Summary is either longer than two paragraphs or does a lackluster job of concisely summarizing the evolution of the species.

Summary is longer than two paragraphs and does not summarize the evolution of the species well. This can be due to leaving out pertinent information or lack of conciseness.

/10

Format

Digital format as ONE ppt slide/ jpeg, with pictures/graphics only (no words).

Either is not formatted as a single slide or includes sentences and words in the photo essay slide.

Not formatted as a single slide with pictures and graphics, and includes sentences in the photo essay slide.

/10

Overall Quality

Images powerfully and clearly convey to story of change in the species

Images adequately convey the story of change in the species

Images poorly convey the story of change in the species

/10