Dinosaur Success - Project Blog (11/12-11/16)


Summary


There are many factors that have contributed to dinosaur success. Dinosaur success was mainly influenced by traits shared by many other modern species, such as birds and crocodilians. These features helped dinosaurs survive and rule the world for 65 million years. Over a long period of time, many dinosaur traits have evolved to be more fit for their environment.  It is unsure at what time dinosaurs started to evolve into the dinosaurs we know and hear of today, however, it is most likely that they evolved during the late Permian period, and coexisted with therapsids, which were mammal-like reptiles at the time. However, it is very clear that dinosaur had evolved by the beginning of the Jurassic period.

Dinosaurs were very successful for many reasons. One major reason is the shape and position of the dinosaur legs. Dinosaurs had their legs beneath them, making it much easier and more efficient to travel quickly. With their feet beneath them, dinosaurs were able to run faster and more efficiently. This allowed them to hunt prey faster, or run away. Another reason dinosaurs may have become so dominant is the rate of their growth. This may have been because of the structure of their bones. Their bones are fibrolamellar, meaning they have many layers of collagen fibers. If species are able to grow faster, they are able to quickly become strong and fight to survive. Finally, dinosaurs have an unusual method of breathing. When dinosaurs breathe in, the air does not go directly to their lungs but instead goes to an air sack in their abdomen. This means that their lungs never have to pause to exhale, they constantly have oxygen in their blood. 

Backward-Looking

How much did you know about the subject before we started?

Before we started, I knew a little bit about evolution and how species can change over time, however, I did not know about the different mechanisms for evolution and how they can affect an entire population. I also did not know about how evolution can affect the success of various species. Overall, I feel like I knew a little bit about evolution, however, I did not look at how it impacted the organisms and how it can affect a population. After doing this project and unit, I have learned a lot more about evolution then I knew before.

Inward-Looking

How do you feel about this piece of work? What parts of it do you particularly like? Dislike? Why? What did/do you enjoy about this piece or work?

I feel pretty good about this piece of work. I feel like I put a lot of time and effort into working on it. I also worked on it both in class and at home so that this project would be a success. During this project, I liked that we had a lot of freedom to choose a project that we wanted to do and whether we wanted to do it individually on in a group. I enjoyed working on this project because we could use a lot of creativity and our imagination to make our final product. This was a very fun project, and I really enjoyed working on it.

Outward-Looking

Did you do your work the way other people did theirs? In what ways did you do it differently? In what ways was your work or process similar?

Overall, I feel like everyone did their work differently, as we were allowed to chose one out of three different projects. We also had a lot of imagination and creativity, so most of the projects turned out differently. However, some groups that were doing similar projects had a similar process because the end product was still the same. I feel like some of the work was similar if groups chose similar projects to research about, however, there still was some originality in all of the final products. Overall, I feel like most of the projects were different and original, however, some of the processes may have been similar.

Forward-Looking

What would you change if you had a chance to do this piece over again?

If I had a chance to do this piece over again, there is not much I would change. I feel like I did well on this project and completed it with my best effort. However, I did feel that towards the due date, I was rushing, so during the next project, I will manage my time better. That way, I will be able to finish on time and add final touches before the end of the due date. Overall, I feel that I did a good job on this project, however, if I did have a chance to change it, I would manage my time better.

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