Throughout the course of this semester,
you will be carrying out an ongoing (and primarily independent) project
on the description and classification of an unknown plant. Each of you
will be given a packet of "unknown" seeds. Imagine that you have discovered
what you believe is a new plant species. Your assignment is to study your
newly discovered plant from every possible perspective and place it into
the existing classification scheme. Your characterization of the plant
should be as comprehensive as possible — take into consideration your plant’s
development, morphology, anatomy, physiology, reproduction, genetics, etc.

Goals/grades:

The goal of this project
is greater than the description and classification of an unknown plant.
This project has been designed to increase your expertise in plant biology,
to improve your observational and experimental skills, to refine your communication
skills, and to continue your development as a scientist. The quantity
and quality of your work are both important considerations. The degree
to which you demonstrate your progress as a scientist and as an expert
on the unknown plant will help determine the grade you earn for this project.

Reading
assignment:

Mauseth, Chapter 18 - see especially figures 18.15
and 18.16

N. Ozhatay and E. Akalin (2000), A new species of
Ferulago
W. Koch (Umbelliferae) from north-west Turkey. Botanical Journal of
the Linnean Society 133:535—542.
(EJC)

C. S. Tawan (1999). A new species of Gonystylus
(Thymelaeaceae) from Sarawak, Borneo. Botanical Journal of the Linnean
Society (1999), 130: 65—68. (EJC)

How to proceed:

You should plant a few of your seeds in
a few pots ­ consider what (micro)environment(s) you might want to
grow your seeds in! You may also want to save some of your seeds
for future use, as you cannot get any more seeds (consider them irreplaceable).
Along these same lines, you will need to take care of these plants
­ providing them with water, soil, light, etc. on an ongoing basis.
Your first plants should give you some idea of how rapidly they grow and
develop. If your plant is a rapid grower, then you might get through
an entire life cycle with the plants. If not, then your efforts will
have to focus more intensively on the early stages of its development.
It is your responsibility to decide what to examine and how to examine
it, what the results mean, and when your inquiry is complete.

Mid-way through the semester we will carry out a
lab project on molecular phylogeny, in which each of you will extract DNA
from your unknown plants and obtain some DNA sequence information to help
in the classification of your plants.

Although you will be individually and independently
carrying out your investigations and presenting your findings, you are
encouraged to talk with each other on a regular and frequent basis about
your approaches and findings. Science is often carried out on a collaborative
basis.

So what
did you discover?

The
talk:
Your oral report should be no more than 10 minutes,
and should include visual aids for the benefit of your audience.
It is more challenging to give a short presentation than a long presentation.
You should think carefully about what you will present and how you can
best use the time allotted: What are the main points that you want to make?
What are the key pieces of evidence necessary for your conclusions? What
visual aids will be "worth a thousand words" to your audience? Be
sure to rehearse your talk (content AND presentation style are both important!).
And remember - YOU are the expert on your unknown plant!

The paper: Your
written report should be in a well-organized free-form style (rather than
in the style of a traditional scientific research paper), including a description
of your unknown plant as it would appear in the first publication of a
new species (see figure 18.15 and assigned journal articles for examples).
Your report should include diagrams, drawings, figures, tables, graphs,
a type specimen, and whatever other useful evidence you have gathered.
Be certain to explain your rationale for your conclusions based on your
results. This project will require some library research, so be certain
to use proper citations for this material (see the Biology department style
sheet). Your report must be no more than 10 pages of text (12 point font,
1.5 - 2 line spacing, 1 inch margins). References and figures will not
be counted within the page limit. Remember to proofread your paper before
submitting it. I will not grade papers that require substantial proofreading.
No extensions will be granted, and a penalty of 10 points per day will
apply to late papers.

Due dates:
The communication part of the project
is due Thursday, December 5 and consists of written and oral components
described above.