Suggested Ecology Paper Outline

I.

II.

III.

Introduction/Thesis
a. Tell the reader what an invasive/keystone species is based on which category your
organism falls
b. Give a brief overview of your organism and their impact on the environment your
thesis statement.
i. For example: In the Pacific Northwest, sea otters are a very important keystone
species that enables the organisms of the environment to live harmoniously together.
Removal of the otter population in the area would result in various negative
environmental impacts including overpopulation of sea urchins, a kelp shortage, and
an overall disruption of the ecosystem.
Body Paragraph I
a. Tell the reader all about your organism! Here are a few suggestions:
i. What is it?
ii. Where specifically does it live?
iii. Scientific name?
iv. Diet
v. Size
vi. Coloring
vii. Anything interesting about them?
viii. Give the facts about the organism!
Body Paragraph II and III (maybe even IV)
a. Discuss the reasons why your organism is an invasive/keystone species
i. Be specific, give details
ii. Let the reader know why its labeled as it is (keystone or invasive)
iii. Focus on a particular location, tell the reader about that location
iv. Tell the reader about the things its impacted other species of animals, plants,
etc. and/or abiotic (water, soil, air, etc.) components within the location youve
selected
1. For example: the wolves of Yellow Stone feed on the elk population. Tell me
why thats so important. What do elk do to the environment? How would a
decrease in population of the elk be beneficial?
2. Another example: Jaguars feed on 80+ different species; tell me why thats
important. Tell me some things about those species it feeds on.
v. Data must be included in the form of appropriate charts, graphs, tables, etc.
1. Your data will be comparing and analyzing the affected factors
a. For example: with the wolves of Yellow Stone, elk populations and
wolf population size across various years to see if any correlations
exist

b. Another example: with sea otters in the Pacific Ocean, you could
compare sea otter and kelp population sizes across various years;
you could even look at oxygen levels present when sea otter
populations decreased the options are endless!
IV.

V.

VI.

Body Paragraph IV
a. Talk about how humans have impacted this species (because its humans who are
introducing invasive species and decreasing keystone species populations)
i. Did we introduce it?
ii. Are we over-hunting it?
iii. Human impacts on the species play a huge role in biodiversity; if we are
overhunting it then we are impacting the biodiversity. If we introduced it, the
same thing is happening.

Body Paragraph V
a. Solutions
i. If you are writing about a keystone species:
1. What would happen if we took the species out of its environment?
2. What could we do to fix the problem of it being missing?
3. Is it being over-hunted? Could we fix that somehow? (Laws, bans, rally,
raise awareness, etc.)
a. You MUST be specific in this particular section. Just saying make a
law means absolutely nothing. Describe the law and tell me why
you think it will solve the issues at hand. How will you get the law in
place? Who will you contact? How will you contact them?
b. If you are holding a rally or creating/supporting an awareness group,
what does this do for the species? How are you getting involved?
How are you getting others involved? What does your involvement
mean for the survival of this species?
ii. If its an invasive species:
1. What can we do to get rid of the species?
a. If you are suggesting that we kill/remove it, are there laws in place
to prevent that from occurring? Can you get rid of it by yourself?
Will you need help? How will you get rid of it specifically?
iii. This can be your unique suggestion of a solution, but it would be good to have a
resource to site especially if you are suggesting solutions that are already in place
iv. What could we do to counteract/mitigate the problems it is causing?
Conclusion
a. Give a clear and concise wrap-up for your paper
i. Summarize your findings
ii. Present a take-away message for your reader that will really stick with them!