It is the year 2015, and you and your research team are respected experts at the esteemed Microbiology and Micropaleontology University. You are fully aware that living organisms are influenced by internal cues and by external cues, such as change in the environment. You know that each plant and animal has a different structure that serves unique functions, and there are millions of species of animals, plants, and microorganisms today and in the earth's history. Scientists have noticed a sharp decline in the population of radiolarians, a kind of microscopic ocean organism, and are asking the U.S. Congress for funds to study this phenomenon. Your expertise is about to be called upon for a task of international importance.