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Climate change impacts on the natural environment
Climate change and its effect on the environment
Effects of climate change on the planet
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Populations contain very delicate and reactive relationships between species. These populations can be largely impacted by small changes such as weather or climate. Most populations stay relatively balanced by predators or limited food sources. Populations are sometimes directly correlated to each other and when one gets too large they either get killed by the other or starve from competition over food. Our experiment was designed to answer the question, which factors affect the stability of a predator-prey population size relationship? This shows how populations balance each other out. Our claim was that if there is a higher amount of time needed for the re-growth of the grass, the amount of sheep, and therefore wolves, will go down. To
There have been many different models proposed to describe the processes operating on populations influenced by wolf predation. Some of the proposed mechanisms include the predation limiting hypothesis, the predation regulating hypothesis, the predator pit hypothesis, and the stable limit cycle hypothesis (Boutin 1992). The purpose of this paper is to assess the empirical data on population dynamics and attempt to determine if one of the four hypotheses is a better model of the effects of wolf predation on ungulate population densities. The predation limiting hypothesis proposes that predation is the primary factor that limits prey density. In this non- equilibrium model recurrent fluctuations occur in the prey population.
Populations of the white-tailed deer have increased in great numbers. These will increase if the death rate is low and the food supply is high. A single doe can reproduce every year until they die (7). Because of this, the average herd can double in size every two to three years (3). Deer are also adaptable to the changing ecosystem around them. The growing suburbs provide open lawns, the summer gardens, varieties of shrubs, and patches of forest cover. The population cannot be controlled naturally because natural predato...
One example that shows that the wolf and moose population on Isle Royale are not stable are the constant temporary disturbances that cause the populations to fluctuate. The graph in Case Study Update #2 shows the wolf population at its peak in 1980 with 50 wolves on the island. However, in the same year a wolf disease was introduced to the island accidentally by humans, canine parvovirus, causing the population to drop and reach 14 wolves in 1982. Then in Case Study #3 another disturbance took an effect on the wolf population. In 1998, a new wolf that wandered from an ice bridge to Isle Royale was introduced to the local wolves. The new wolf, no.93, made itself at home and started breeding with other wolves resulting in many births and increased the population to 29 wolves. Unfortunately, the lack of food caused the population to drop down again to 17 in 2003. With these constant disturbances a few years after another, the wolf population does not look stab...
Coyotes and bears are a common sight in the woods. These animals, along with others, are predators that help to control deer population but also decrease the amount of land allowed to the deer. In Western NC, deer rates have fallen and bag limits have been reduced. In Pennsylvania, biologists have conducted a lengthy study to determine fawn mortality and predation. Predators killed 46% of fawns, (Hart). A study about coyotes in Ohio found that even though they kill numerous fawns, the population of deer continues to grow, (Hart). It would be critical to maintain...
People today use hunting as a sport. Of course, not everyone agrees with hunting, but those who like to hunt justify their actions by saying that they are helping with the overpopulation of animals, like deer. The truth is that we are affecting the population of animals. Animal overpopulation can be due to the loss of an animal’s natural predator. Predators are extremely important in an ecosystem, and they are nature’s way of controlling the animal population. In William Stolzenburg’s book, Where the Wild Things Were: Life, Death, and Ecological Wreckage in a Land of Vanishing Predators, he addresses the importance of predators in an ecosystem. He discusses an experiment done by a zoologist named Robert T. Paine. Paine decided to do an experiment to see what happens when one disrupts an ecosystem. He conducted his experiment on rocks along the shore in which a species of starfish was the top predator. Paine’s experiment consisted of grabbing the starfish off the rocks and throwing them into the ocean. His results showed that one single species has a tremendous effect on its ecosystem. After getting rid of the top predator, about half of the species that
Thousands of animals are put to sleep each year due to not having any available homes for them to be adopted. According to Jennifer Sexton and Tom Warhol in Domestic Animal Overpopulation, “The average female cat can produce two litters of six kittens per year, a female dog can produce one litter of six or more puppies per year, making pet overpopulation a significant problem.” Animal overpopulation is costing money and you can help the pets with spay and neutering programs. A new solution is mandatory contracts for breeders and spay and neuter programs. This paper will talk about spay and neuter programs, contracts for breeders, and why some people don’t think animal overpopulation is a problem. Thankfully there are solutions to this issue of animal overpopulation.
Throughout history, mass populations of mammals have become extinct. Despite their large size being an advantage when considering the likelihood of species becoming prey, populations have gone through significant periods of reduction (Kolbert 224). In recent years, species of bears, elephants, rhinos, large cats, and other mammals have become labeled as vulnerable or endangered (Kolbert 223). While these declining populations relate to natural processes that mammals go through, human activity remains one of the greatest threats to the extinction of these significant species. In some circumstances, human efforts are the only hope for reviving mammalian populations, by correcting behavior
They show the three different habitat zones, forest, transition, and farmland. The graphs are done over a 30 year time period that shows the abundance of wolf, coyote, and foxes in the three habitats. The year to year change was observed between coyotes and foxes while being influenced by the presence of wolves. The time frame was the independent variable while the population of the three populations was the dependent variable. In figure 1B they show that for a while the fox and coyote population was all over the place because wolves were being hunted and then in 1996 wolf hunting started to slow down and the population of foxes and coyotes started to stabilize. In figure 1C they show that in the transition habitat the populations are all increasing over time until about 2004 when the fox population fell below the coyote population. In figure 1D they show what happens in farmlands where wolves are not present. Coyote populations are pretty low compared to the fox population until sometime between 1996 and 2001 where things dramatically changed and the coyote population was way higher than the fox population. In figure three they made a food web that shows that wolves negatively affecting coyotes. Then coyotes negatively affect foxes. This could be due to niche overlap and competition, by the wolves negatively affecting coyotes they are positively affecting
When the reintroduction of wolves began in the state of Wisconsin, a goal of 350 wolves was set, and this number was reached successfully in a short amount of time. Once this was reached, however, the population continued to rise dramatically and exponentially, and is now in the upper 600s (Allen). The problems now come down to a few simple questions that have complex answers. Will a regulated hunt get out of control, and a repeat of the past begins? Are the wolves posing any sort of threat in the present? Who or what would a hunt benefit? First, the issue of the past must be addressed. Back in the earlier years of the United States, wolves roamed free, and when farmers moved their livestock into what was then the wolves' territo...
Imagine, a large trout you brought home for dinner with your family is infested with sea lamprey bites. What are sea lampreys? They are a perfect example of a type invasive species, which is an organism that is not native to a specific location (otherwise known as an introduced species). They have a tendency to spread quickly, and can cause negative impacts on things like the environment, human economy, or human health. They are becoming an increasing problem as the population of invasive species such as zebra mussels, sea lampreys, and carps are rising at an alarming rate.
The number of prey is limited by the number of predators that feed on them. The size of predator and prey populations depend on each other. Students ran a simulation using spoons and beans to represent a predator and prey relationship. Students determined that the population of predators and population of prey depend on each other. When the predator population falls, the prey populations increases.
Krebs describes one of these difficulties by relating population to black marbles in a large urn. At the moment of studies being conducted, there is only that one group of black marbles to analyze. Extensive time and research is dedicated to examining that handful of black marbles. Inevitably, over time, the scenario morphes into a new framework. In the beginning, it was inferred that all the marbles were black but now, new marbles have appeared and taken their place in the urn. Changing these variables into realistic populations, we discover that the tropical population did not show self-regulation but instead was overrun by
Studies show that wolves play a significant role in maintaining healthy ecosystems, and could even help stave off some of the effects of climate change. They help keep large animal herd populations in check, which can benefit numerous other plan...
A biological community is all the populations of organisms living together and potentially interacting in a particular area. A community has its own properties, just as a population has certain characteristics, such as density and dispersion pattern. Its defining characteristics are its diversity, its prevalent from of vegetation, its stability, and its trophic structure. The variety of different types of organisms make up the diversity of a community. It is consisted of two components.
Our world is too small for our ever rapidly growing population. One day resources will run dry and vanish, which will bring death and loss to all nations on this planet. Many researchers and scientists have confirmed that the population will reach 10 billion by the end of the century and will continue to stream upward. There are many different ways in trying to decrease population to contain global warming and assist our environmental changes. The only way to steadily succeeding, families must be the regulators of their fertility and future. Environmentalism can head in a negative direction, which may result in population control and even anti-immigrant policies. Can the developing effort of ‘population integrity’ protect our world while recognizing birth moralities?