Isabelle


 * Zoo's Advantages, Disadvantages, and Limitations:**


 * Zoo as a place for animal research, reproduction, animal protection, and tourism. **


 * Advantages || Disadvantages/ Ethical Concerns || Limitations ||
 * Tourism
 * To learn the basic features of a certain animal
 * Can connect with animals || Overcrowded area that animals must adapt to
 * Not enough space for each animal
 * Heat is created easily
 * Too much reproduction || Not enough money to own enough land for animals
 * If there is not enough land, then slowly the sizes of the cages will decrease
 * If cage sizes decrease, the animals will start going wild ||
 * Reliable food source
 * Animals will not worry about catching food
 * There will always be enough food for animals || Animals get lazy
 * If Zoo shuts down animals may need to live in the wild, the animals will not know how to survive without given care || Not enough money to hire a vet
 * If animals get sick they can die easily
 * The Zoo doesn’t have the right kind of information on how to treat the animals
 * Sickness’ can spread more easily ||
 * Education for Humans
 * To study how animals react when they are not in their natural environment
 * Can learn how animals react to newcomers
 * How fast it takes for animals to become dependent on humans || Hygiene
 * Too many animals to clean at least every other day
 * Animals do business whenever they want, can not always keep cage clean
 * Zoo will start smelling, and tourists will not visit anymore || Rules
 * Rules for tourists, that may upset them
 * Animals need to be trained and tamed, which might make them disturbed ||
 * Animals don’t get killed as easily
 * Live for a longer time || Not enough space to keep all animals
 * Not enough space to keep all animals, therefore might kill older animals


 * Animals will be put in same cage and might go crazy || Distance
 * There needs to be enough distance between the animals and the humans
 * There isn’t enough distance and space between each animal ||
 * Safe environment
 * Don’t need to be concerned about predators
 * No sudden changes in weather patterns || Not enough animals of the same species to interact with
 * For some animals, the zoo may only have one of that kind, therefore there is no reproduction, or communication between the animals. || Reproduction
 * For certain species there are not enough animals to reproduce or make friends with
 * Some cages may have too many animals, therefore they will be forced to reproduce ||

My animal that I am choosing is a Great White Shark...





Definition: A system of interlocking and interdependent My animal that I am choosing is a Great White Shark.
 * Food Web:**

**Food Chain:** Definition: A series of organisms, each dependent on the next as a source of food.
 * There are more then one food chain in our world
 * When food chains are combined, they make a food web
 * If a food chain is broken because of deaths, then the whole entire system surrounding it will crash or get out of control

**Food Web:** Definition: A system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.
 * There are 3 main elements to a food chain: Producers, Consumer, and Decomposers
 * 1) Producers: Producers make their own food and energy using photosynthesis. They are the largest part of food webs and they are at the bottom of food chains, creating food for other consumers.
 * 2) Consumer: A consumer is a living being that eats others as a source of food and energy.
 * 3) Decomposers: A decomposer is an organism that decomposes organic material for food and energy.

Below is a picture of my food web poster:

**Decomposer:** Role of a decomposer: When a plant or animal dies, it leaves behind natural nutrients and energy. Animals can feed on the remains of the animals, but they will not clean out everything. Decomposers complete this process by breaking down this remaining organic matter. Decomposers eventually turn all this into carbon dioxide. This releases raw nutrients in a form that are usable for plants, which incorporate them in their own cells. Although decomposers are at the bottom of the food chain, they are very important because they help maintain the eco-logical balance in our environment. If decomposers were not in our eco-system waste and dead matter would pile up.

Pictures of Decomposers:

Earthworm Fungi



Millipede Ant Bacteria

Great White Sharks live in coastal and offshore waters, at temperatures around 12-25 °C, with greater populations in the United States, South Africa, Australia, and Japan. In the open ocean it has been recorded to be around depths of 1,220 meters. Great White are non-territorial animals, so they change habitats frequently. Sharks will migrate thousands of miles to find food to eat. If Great White's can not find food from their current location, they will travel anywhere to find food. As many other fish, female shark's do not need to take care of their eggs. Great White Shark's are ready to take care of themselves from the moment that they are born.
 * Environment of a Great White Shark:**

Living beings in a Shark's environment:
 * 1) Shark
 * 2) Fish
 * 3) Dolphins
 * 4) Sting Rays
 * 5) Humans (Occasionally)
 * 6) Algae
 * 7) Seaweed
 * 8) Kelp and other small organisms

Non-Living beings in Great White's environment:
 * 1) Rocks
 * 2) Water
 * 3) Salt
 * 4) Disolved Gasses
 * 5) Seas Shells
 * 6) Oil/Trash (Occasionally)

Great Whit Shark in South Africa's ocean

Great Whit Shark in ocean with surfer

The plants and animals that are found in a particular location are referred to as an eco-system. These animals and plants depend on each other to survive. In a special balance, these lifeforms help to sustain each other in a regular patterns. Disruptions or breakdowns to an eco-system, can be disastrous to all organisms within the eco-system. Different eco-systems have their own special type of animals and plants that cooperate together to stay alive. Eco-systems are categorized often by the amount of rainfall and sunlight that they receive.
 * Eco-System:**



Shark's play a very important role in the eco-system of the ocean in a way that an average fish does not. Great White's are at the top of the food chain in virtually every part in every ocean. In that role, they must keep every other fish healthy, and make sure that their are proper proportions for their eco-system. Great White's ten to go for the old, slow, fish to keep the population young and healthy. Great White's as well as other sharks groom the ocean's population to the right size so that those prey species don't harm the eco-system by becoming too populous.
 * Great White Shark's role in an eco-system/ Eco-system of Great White Shark's:**

Great White Shark's amongst other species in Eco-system


 * Adaptations of a Great White Shark:**

Definition of Diurnal: Of, or during the day.
 * Diurnal or Nocturnal?:**

Definition of Nocturnal: Done, occurring, or active at night.

Great White Shark's are diurnal animals. Their body has adapted to daylight and day time. Most of the activities that Great White's participate in are done during days. Sometime shark's will hunt at night, but only if absolutely necessary. One of their most common adaptations to this is their keen sense of smell. Their eyes are week so they use their smell to get them around.

Below is a picture of the shark's nose:

Great White Shark's experience different seasons depending on where they live. The oceans seasons and temperature's change depending on where it is located. Therefore, if a Great White lives in a place that has 4 seasons, then they will experience those 4 seasons.
 * Seasons:**

Common Places in which shark's live in:

California: California experiences 4 seasons but their seasons are not as vivid as somewhere like Tokyo. Therefore, the oceans that the Great White lives in might not be so different from summer to winter.

South Africa: Like California, South Africa experiences 4 seasons. Their seasons are more varied. Each season is different to the other.

Australia: Australia does not experience 4 seasons. Instead they have a 'wet' and 'dry' season. Sometimes the ocean is more humid than other times. The ocean might also have different levels of clearness.

Japan: Japan does experience 4 seasons. Like South Africa, their seasons are vivid. Therefore, the ocean can change temperature regularly.

- []

So, depending on the location that the shark's live in, their seasons might vary.

Great White Shark in summer ocean

Great White Shark in Winter Ocean

What does symbiosis mean? A symbiotic relationship is when two species live in close contact with each otehr. There are 3 main types of symbiosis relationships.
 * Symbiotic Relationship, Parasitism, Mutualism, Commensalism:**
 * Parasitism
 * Mutualism
 * Commensalism

Parasitism: One species grows stronger by harming another Mutualism: A symbiotic relationship that benefits both species Commensalism:
 * Doddler Vines sucking out the nutrients of a tomato plant
 * Great White Shark eating a dolphin
 * Bees pollinate apple trees
 * Pilot fish eats inside remains of a shark while shark gets cleaned
 * Barnacles on a whale
 * Lives in water but doesn't harm water

Below are pictures of a Great White Shark's Symbiotic Relationship:

Parasitism Relationship

Mutualism Relationship

Commensalism Relationship

These are the features that identify a great white shark as it's own species.
 * Features of a Great White Shark that identify it as a species:**
 * Streamlined Body
 * Grey colored skin
 * Pointed Nose
 * 5 gill slits
 * Pointed dorsal fin
 * Small and week eyes
 * Wide mouth
 * 3 rows of teeth

Great White Sharks are individual predators. They hunt alone unless they are mating or are in need of help. Mothers do not need to take care of their children and eggs. Once Great Whites are hatched, they can automatically take care of themselves. Great White Shark's are diurnal species as they hunt and do almost everything during daylight. Great White Shark's are independent from the moment that they were born.

Variations of Sharks: - []
 * White tip reef shark
 * Wobbegong Shark
 * Zebra Shark
 * Whale Shark
 * Sandtiger Shark
 * Nurse Shark
 * Mako Shark (Similar to Great White)
 * Hammerhead Shark
 * Goblin Shark
 * CookieCutter Shark

Note: There are 360 different types of sharks know to man

Below are pictures of the features of a Great White Shark:


 * How are variation inherited or caused by environment?**


 * Classifying the Organisms:**
 * What are some of my body's adaptations:**



Works Cited “Great White Shark’s.” Shark’s #1: n. pag. National Geographic. Web. 30 May 2012. . Petersen, Isabelle. “Seasons?” Message to Christian Petersen. 13 May 2012. E-mail. “Typical Shark Characteristics.” Shark Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2012. .
 * Citations:**




 * Task 2:**