For an endangered species (plant or animal) of your choice, discuss why it is endangered and what management actions should be taken to protect the species.
1500 words assignment (exclude abstract and reference):
For an endangered species (plant or animal) of your choice, discuss why it is endangered and what management actions should be taken to protect the species.
You are free to construct your assignment as you wish but you must consider the following:
genetic, physiological and ecological (and behavioural, where appropriate) characteristics of the species pertinent to its extinction status;
the classification and phylogeny of the species (e.g., who are its closest relatives, past or present?);
how the species interacts with biotic (living parts of an ecosystem) and abiotic (non-living parts of an ecosystem) components of its environment; and
human activities that may be contributing to the demise of the species.
The structure of the assignment will necessarily depend upon the species chosen.
Marking schema
Abstract (10%)- this is not a repeat of an introduction!
• Must be less than 250 words. This is excluded from 1500 words.
• Must provide a succinct summary of the entire report, including a statement of the problem, descriptions of your key findings (and methods if appropriate) and the overall conclusion(s).
Content and research effort (60%)
• A good understanding of the discipline is demonstrated;
• This knowledge is well applied to the question at hand, i.e., to the particular situation you are considering;
• A variety of quality reference material has been used (e.g., various books and peer-reviewed scientific research papers from academic journals); Wikipedia is good for general learning only, it is not to be used as a reference!
• Some of the concepts covered in the lectures have been drawn upon.
Structure, layout and presentation (20%)
• Logical structure and correct word count.
• Lucid and plain expression.
• Grammatical correctness.
• Correct punctuation.
• Clear and relevant figures and tables.
Correct formatting of citations in the body text and of the reference list (10%)
1] There are two reasons for referencing material in essays:
-to avoid accusations of plagiarism; and
-to enable the reader to follow up on your work. During you own essay writing you will undoubtedly use references lists to find other material and information.
Be aware that bias in referencing a single source indicates that you haven’t read around the subject enough and is if you over quote work it is akin to plagiarism.
2] You must cite references in your assignment.
3] You MUST use the University’s version of the Harvard referencing system within your essay on this
4] Your reference list must include only the articles you have cited in your assignment.
