3/6: Unit 8 "Big 4"

Human Impact:

Pollutants have been introduced into the water because of urban, industrial, and agricultural sources.

Environmental Impact:

Water into the harbor has been changed because of over-pump of groundwater for irrigation and drinking.

Economic Impact:

The pollutants negatively affect the fish population by reducing biodiversity as well as its habitat, decreasing potential economic benefits from fishing.

Government Legislation:
In 1992, Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) was formed to declare the area a Community Redevelopment Area. BCC also declared themselves the Community Redevelopment Agency in charge of overseeing the redevelopment of the area.

2/15: Zoo Blog

Are zoos good or bad for animals? Account for influences on biodiversity, research, loss of habitat, and the current state of their ecosystem.

I think that zoos are bad for an animal on an individual basis. What tiger would want to spend its life pacing back and forth in front of a glass window? However, zoos positively influence animals, in that they provide further research and awareness of our ecosystem. Through the sacrifice of a few tigers, the entire tiger population is probably better protected out in the wild. Because of this, personally, I am ambivalent about zoos. But in the big picture, the audience of zoos is usually children, so by increasing awareness of wildlife to the younger population, zoos benefit our world in the long run, since more people become aware of and passionate about our ecosystem.

2/1: Famine Discussion

Why is the distribution so unequal?
Resources are not spread out equally in the world. As a result, different forms of government and economy arise, causing more goods to be distributed in one place than another. Also, different cultures call for different wants, demanding more goods of one than another in a certain region.


What are some of the systems of government that do not allow or do not provide incentives for people to gain wealth?
"Democratic Republic" (Dictatorship), Monarchy, Aristocracy.

Do you believe there are some nations or citizens who endorse such philosophies, and why or why not?
An example is North Korea, whose government takes the form of dictatorship. Since the country is ruled by one individual, its government favors the power of that individual over the wealth of the citizens. The citizens most likely may not endorse this philosophy, but some may (usually older, conservative), favoring such powerful control of the government over themselves.

Selfishness:
What can we do about it?
We can constantly remind ourselves of the unequal distribution of resources in the world to at least be aware of this global issue.
Why might we be more aware of the situation as a result of this activity?
Realistically, I do not believe there is an immediate solution to our over-consumption; what we can do is simply to be aware of the problem and hopefully make small, everyday changes (such as eating less) that may snowball in the future into an actual solution.

Be thankful:
How many of the group members complained about rationing or equality? How do you think this relates to real world issues?
Everyone except for two groups (North America, Europe). This relates to the real world because the group members who complained represent the rest of the world facing the negatives of unequal distribution.

Use abundance wisely:
Brainstorm ways to be resourceful with our current resources. What are ways we could educate citizens of the U.S. and other developed nations on this current issue?
We can teach the younger generation (elementary school students) about the nation's over-consumption and its effect on the world. This way, awareness of this issue is wide, eventually favoring less consumption in our habitual behavior.

1/20: Unit 6 Blog

1. Plate tectonics form igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. When they diverge, the lava after a volcanic eruption results in igneous rocks. Inside the volcano, metamorphic rocks form under the pressure of the plates. When they converge, sedimentary rocks are formed, resulting in layers. 

2. Physical weathering is the wind's breaking down rocks. Chemical weathering is reaction of oxygen in water with the metals in the rock. These form soil because the rocks are broken down and down until they are small particles of soil. 

3. The largest sized particle is sand, and its soil permeability is high and water retention is low, since water goes through sand easily and cannot be held my sand well. The smallest is clay, and its soil permeability is low and water retention is high, since clay absorbs and holds water well. Silt's soil permeability and water retention is in between those of sand and clay. 

11/21: Hot Spot Activity

Western Ghats and Sri Lanka (#21)

1. Location of the hotspot and type of ecosystems found there.
1. Location: Western Ghats (Southwestern India), Sri Lanka
2. Type of ecosystems: Lowland rainforest, montane rainforest, monsoon rainforest

2. Describe at least one endemic plant species and one animal species found there.
1. Plant species: Dipterocarpus zeylanicus (tree)
2. Animal species: Latidens salimalii (bat)

3. Describe the socio-economic conditions  (pre-industrial, transitional, industrial, post-industrial).
1. There are many socioeconomic constraints protecting forest reserves in Sri Lanka, such as the Sinharaja, one of which is encroaching cultivation. (Specific information regarding pre-industrial, transitional, industrial, post-industrial conditions could not be found.)

4. Human induced and/or natural reasons why species biodiversity is decreasing in that region.
1. Planters and farmers increasingly use protected forests to cultivate, with agrochemicals.
2. Forest products, such as timber and medicinal plants are being extracted.
3. Animals are poached.
4. Invasive species pose threats to aquatic species.

5. What is being done to protect this hotspot?
1. Approximately 13.8% of the area is under official protection.
2. Western Ghats is protected in 20 national parks and 68 sanctuaries.
3. Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are being identified; the identification in the Western Ghats started in 2003.
4. Sri Lanka is officially protected by the Forest Department and the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

6. Any interesting information you found about the area.
1. The island of Sri Lanka has been repeatedly connected with India between successive interglacials by a 140 km-wide land bridge until about 7000 years go.

11/16: Unit 4 Blog

1. Explain in your own words the difference between species evenness and species richness.

Species evenness is the closeness of the number of each species in an area, whereas species richness is the number of species in the area.

2. List and describe four random processes that can cause evolution.

Random mating is breeding in which the choice of partner is not influenced by the genotype.

Genetic variation provides the basis of natural selection.

Genetic recombination produces a new combination of alleles.

Genetic mutation is a permanent change in the DNA sequence.

3. Summarize in your own words allopatric speciation.  Give an example.

Allopatric speciation is the formation of a new species, caused by geographic isolation. An example is the Galapagos finches.

4. What factors determine the rate of evolution?

A factor that may determine the rate of evolution is the kind of species: r and K selection. R species would allow for slightly higher rate of evolution, since offspring are produced more in quantity and higher in frequency, and K species would allow for a lower rate, since offspring are produced less.

5. Do you agree with the statement below?  Why or why not?

“We are currently experiencing a sixth global extinction.”

Yes, I agree with the statement, because so many species today are endangered, close to extinction.

6. Give an example of each of symbiotic relationships/terms below.

Predator/prey: Lion eats zebra.

Competition: Sea anemones compete for territory.

Mutualism: Plover bird cleans crocodile's teeth and obtains nutrition.

Commensalism: Cattle egrets eat insects that are found in the land the cattle disturb as they move in herds.

Parasitism: Mosquito feeds on blood from human.

Keystone species: The sea otter feeds on sea urchins, controlling their population. The urchins would otherwise eat up the entire kelp population.

K-selected species: Humans.

R-selected species: Rodents.

7. In your own words explain the difference between primary and secondary succession in terms of cause and the types of plant species that begin to grow in each.  Give an example of each.

Primary succession occurs in areas that lacked vegetation prior to the disturbance, whereas secondary succession occurs in areas previously supported with vegetation. Primary succession also involves a greater disturbance such as a volcano eruption and pioneer species such as hardwood trees, while secondary succession involves comparatively smaller disturbances such as forest fire and non-pioneer species such as grass.

11/5: Bean Lab

1. The average value is about 16% lower than the value of 50, which is the population size. The value is not very close.

2. Random sampling can only be so accurate. Although 10 trials were conducted, this method is not the most reliable regarding an exact value.

3. There may be trouble marking the animals and even catching them to count or make marks. This simulation obviously does not account for these kinds of troubles.