Causes of Plant and Animal Distribution
Developed by Alexis Aguilar

Assignment
The distributions of most species of plants and animals are dynamic and always changing. Select one of the species you wrote about in the first formal writing assignment. Write a short paper (800-1000 words) where you describe its past and current distribution and the causes for that distribution. You will incorporate the information you wrote about in the first formal writing assignment, but you will need to conduct additional research into other important factors that have helped determine the distribution of your species both in the past (distant or recent) and the present.

Response Plan
This is your final paper. You should incorporate the suggestions I made in your first formal writing assignment. I will grade it as per the criteria below. If you’re satisfied with your grade, this will be your final grade on the paper. If you would like to resubmit for an improved grade, I will look at your paper again and provide comments on how to improve it. You’ll have a week to resubmit it and you will receive a new grade. If you do resubmit, your final grade will be the result of a combination of the grades you received in your original submission (33%) and the grade you received in your final submission (67%).

Grading Criteria (Rubric)
• Is the paper correctly formatted, clearly organized, well written, and grammatically correct? (15%)
• Is the paper written in your own words and properly cited and referenced? (20%)
• Does the paper make clear logical arguments? Are claims, assertions, and conclusions supported by evidence (e.g., specific examples, case studies, expert testimony)? (25%)
• Does the paper properly address the main factors behind the distributions of your species and show in-depth thought and analysis? (40%)