Monday, February 13, 2012

Unit 1 Compilation

*Problems & Opportunities
* Diversity In Our Ecosystem
*Biological Dependency
* Biomes of the World


By: Crystal Klinger

Problems & Opportunities


With a fast growing population we find resources running out and the quality of life slowly diminishing for future generations. As the war on hunger and clean water seems never ending many parts of the world, people in more fortunate parts are wasting more than 96 billion pounds of food every year!(Good Lifestyle- The United States is a Food Wasteland; 2/11/2012; http://www.good.is/post/the-united-states-is-a-food-wasteland/ )





Contaminated water in many countries continues to cause diseases and infections that are responsible for the causes of many deaths. Undeveloped countries lack the resources and education necessary to over come these obstacles without assistance. If facilitation of such resources is not provided then the problem will continue to grow and could spread causing death and disease around the world.


Diversity In Our Ecosystem
The chain of life involves many cycles to meet the needs of all species in our ecosystem. Taking any ONE part out of the equation can severely devastate that particular environment. Each environmental system consists of different trophic levels beginning with primary producers such as plants and algae. Then we have herbivorous consumers which feed off the primary producers such as rabbits and insects. As we move up the food chain we have first, second, and third level carnivorous consumers then the top carnivores ending the food chain on top. Below you can see an example of the different trophic levels in an ocean's ecosystem and how each species relies on one another to fulfill the cycle of life.


Biological Dependency
All relationships in nature involve dependence on another species in one way or another. Sometimes species are so closely linked that the survival of one depends completely on the survival of another. All environments rely on a keystone species and a prefect example of this would be the wolf experiment at Yellowstone National Park. When the wolf was taken out, all of the habitat began to suffer. Elk over populated the area and found comfort in knowing they didn't have to hide from the wolf so they settled in one area and began to over graze the area killing off many producers. When the wolves were re-introduced the animals began to migrate to hide from the wolves which in turn allowed the plants to re-grow. Wolves also feed off the weak and ill in the herd which helps keep the elk herd healthy and strong. Every ecosystem depends on a food chain and keystone species to keep the systems cycle going.

Biomes
A biome is a large geographical area made up of distinct plants and animals. The different types of biomes consist of forests, deserts, grasslands, aquatic environments, and tundras. Within each biome we find animals and plants that can survive only in that particular environment. Each plant and animal plays an important role in stabalizing that community and the world as a whole. Hidden within these biomes are potential medicines and many thousands of undiscovered species. Forests also have a global climate-buffering capacity and their destruction could have a large affect on global climate. Aquatic biomes are important because they contain the water which is the basis for all life.