Species Diversity

1/ Part 1: adaptation

Over the long period of time that life has existed on Earth, there have been a number of important or significant innovations including (but not limited to) endosymbiosis to create mitochondria and chloroplasts; multicellularity; adaptation to land by plants and animals; development of exoskeletons in arthropods, shells in molluscs, and notochords followed by vertebral columns in chordates and vertebrates; and bipedalism in the ancestry of humans. All of these had to come about by natural selection in response to changing environmental forces. After studying the textbook reading assignment, pick one of these significant innovations and describe:

1. How the innovation appears to have happened
2. What environmental challenges were met and overcome by this innovation, and
3. What opportunities were opened for the organism that made this innovation

2/ Part 2: Taxonomy

You must include in your post an example of at least one species and demonstrate that you understand scientific nomenclature by writing the correct binomial of the species name, and showing its hierarchy of classification. The hierarchy is shown from Domain to species. Explain how you use the scientific name to locate the nearest relatives of your chosen species, and provide an example.

Your essay should be no less than 600 word long and include a reference section. Each of your replies should be at least 3 lines long and include a reference section. Please gather information related to the topic from your textbook and other reliable sources. Cite all sources used to build your paragraphs at the end of each of your reply.