EOL Project Exploration (Lab) I’ve been following the EOL project since prior to 2012, as it was first developing. In November of 2018, its website had had a big overhaul. Several positive changes wer

EOL Project Exploration (Lab)

I’ve been following the EOL project since prior to 2012, as it was first developing. In November of 2018, its website had

had a big overhaul. Several positive changes were made, at that time. However, I regret that some of the old information

about ELO (that was available since its inception) is no longer available. For instance, the "What is EOL?" page

is much shorter than it used to be! In order for you to answer some of the following questions about the origins of the

EOL, please see use these additional resources:

1) The following wiki page has some information about the founding of EOL. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopedia_of_Life

2) More historical and general information about the EOL program is found here: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/eol

The EOL continues to grow -- as does its value to the community of biologists as a whole! Overview:

Through this WebQuest-like activity you will learn more about a massive biological undertaking on the Internet. It is

called the Encyclopedia of Life and presently resides at http://www.eol.org . This collaborative effort will produce a

vast catalog of information about living organisms. The database is free and easily accessible by both experts and

novices in the biological sciences as well the general public.

Some details:

Use the information at the above links and in the “What is ELO?” section of the website to briefly answer the

following questions. Each answer is worth 5 points, except for question 8.

1) Summarize what the developers of the Encyclopedia of Life seek to accomplish.

2) Is there an intention for the EOL to also include extinct species? (see wiki)

3) When did the EOL go live? (see wiki)

4) What impact could the EOL have on science? ...on the public at large?

5) Fill in the blanks from this sentence in the wiki: “The initiative relies on indexing information compiled by other

efforts, including the Sp2000 and ________, _________, _________ and the Assembling Tree of Life project of _______,

AmphibiaWeb, Mushroom explorer, microscope, etc.”

6) According to the information at https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/eol , who is currently leading the EOL?

7 & 8) Even if you are not a scientist, how can you contribute to the ELO? (10 point question)

9) How do you search for a species?

Try it out:

To answer the following questions, use information presented in Module 6 along with what you discover on the EOL.

To search the EOL, enter the name of the organism in question using the search box at the top of the webpage. (5 points

each)

10) Of the taxonomic domains you learned of in Mod 6, in which would Solanum lycopersicum L. be found?

11) What is the common name for the organism with the scientific name, Solanum lycopersicum L.?

12) What is the scientific name of the Death Cap Mushroom?

13) Name 3 countries where the Death Cap Mushroom has been found.

14) In what taxonomic domain would Wolbachia pipientis be found?

15) Distribution: In what host might you find Wolbachia pipientis?

16) Besides killing the host, what is one of the potential effects of Wolbachia on its host?

17) What is the common name of Dictyostelium?

18) To what taxonomic kingdom does Dictyostelium belong?

19) What is the scientific name (Genus species) of the Peregrine Falcon?

Personal opinions (5 points):

20) Briefly comment on your personal opinion about the EOL project. You may include answers to any or all of the

following questions. (There are no wrong answers, here.): Is this project something you consider important? Why or

why not? How, if ever, might you use this resource? If you had the opportunity, would you want to contribute to the

EOL project? If so, how?