What are you required to include in/on your poster?

1. The name of your specific biome – Example: the northern coniferous forest of Maine.

2. A description of your biome's characteristics, specific to the actual region you listed above, in as much detail as you can research. Include average temperature (may be year-round or in seasonal climates, identify average for winter and summer), as well as annual precipitation rate.

3. Identify 4-6 plants and/or fungi typically found living in this biome, and specify which is the most dominant type of vegetation. For each one, describe the adaptations this organism has made to be able to survive in this environment - Example: thick waxy cuticle to prevent dehydration of tissues. (Collect images of these specimens as well while you are researching - you will need some of them for later - see below.)

4. Identify 4-6 animals typically found living in this biome, and specify which is the most dominant type of organism. For each one, describe the adaptations this organism has made to be able to survive in this environment - Example: thick fur to ensure body warmth is retained in winter. (Collect images of these specimens as well while you are researching - you will need some of them for later - see below.)

5. Identify current 2 threats to the biome and explain how each threat is impacting the ecosystem. At least one threat MUST BE caused by humans- Example: clearing of land for agricultural crops is a human-caused threat.

The second threat can be a result of natural phenomena - Example: dry grasses in a drought period coupled with a lightning strike produces wildfires.

6. Using the plants and animals from items 3 and 4 above, construct a food web of the community. Be sure to indicate who are the primary producers, who are primary consumers/secondary consumers/tertiary consumers/decomposers (if you have chosen any that fit that category) etc. This can be done using words or photos - your preference.

7. Include pictures or photos (and credit their source alongside the picture/photo!) of at least plants/fungi/animals from points 3 and 4 above. These can be part of the food web, but must somehow be used in your design. You also need to include a map showing the biome location.

8. Collect your references for a "References Cited" section. Use at least 3 references in addition to your textbook.

Wikipedia is not considered an acceptable reference - go to the original source.

See the Rubric on the following page for how scoring will be done.