Ecology is the study of relationships among organisms and the environment within an ecosystem. (Hoefnagles, 2012) In other words, ecology is all living things together in a specific environment, such as the plants and animals of the rainforest, and how they interact. Mankind has had many impacts on the ecosystem – rapid development, depleting natural resources, overhunting, and pollution of various kinds- all of which have resulted badly for other species within our world. There are also natural occurrences which can affect species – acid rain, natural selection, predators, disease, and asteroid/cosmic radiation. Without ecology, we would not know the affects many of these factors play for species or the balance of ecosystems as they function. For the purpose of this paper, we will focus on the animal kingdom and the interactions many species have within the ecosystems they live in.
There are many factors which go into any ecosystem. When talking about extinction and endangered species of the animal kingdom, we need to look at all factors. When humans dump waste products into rivers and streams it endangers the species living in that environment. The waste is considered an abiotic factor, as it is not living. (Hoefnagles, 2012) Other abiotic factors which can alter the sustainability of a species are sunlight, rainfall, terrain, etc. With many developers looking to the rainforest and mountains to build road, railways, and infrastructures, many species are losing their natural habitat and having to seek refuge elsewhere – adapting to new surroundings. The loss of a habitat is a biotic factor, as the habitat is full of plants, animals, insects, etc. (Samuel, 2010) The study of ecology allows us to better understand the s...
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...om National Wildlife Federation: http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Conservation/Endangered-Species-Act.aspx
Samuel, L. (2010, September 12). Principles of Ecology (Powerpoint Slides). Retrieved from Interactive Biology: http://www.interactive-biology.com/1106/principles-of-ecology-powerpoint-slides-chapter-2/
US Fish and Wildlife Services. (2005, July). Why Save Endangered Species? Retrieved from US Fish and Wildlife Services: http://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/pdf/why-save-endangered-species.pdf
World Wildlife Fund. (2011). Jovan Rhinoceros. Retrieved from WWF Global: http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/rhinoceros/asian_rhinos/javan_rhinoceros/
World Wildlife Fund. (2012). About Species. Retrieved from WWF Global: http://wwf.panda.org
World Wildlife Fund. (2013). Giant Pandas. Retrieved from World Wildlife Organization: http://www.worldwildlife.org
Disease, pollution, and limited distribution are factors that threaten various plant and animal species. Also, if the current rate of forest loss continues, huge quantities of plant and animal species will disappear.
Ecosystem instability is a problem that we can no longer put off to the side. We are being confronted with this problem and we need to find ways to resolve the present situations. The forms of confrontation are through foriegn invaders and lack of apex predators (to name a few). We must realize that through research as well as changes in lifestyle we can save our planet. These changes must occur individually for them to be a true success.
The topic that I chose to discuss is one that every state has adopted due to the acts that have been taken to preserve and protect our environment, so I chose the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act prohibits activities affecting threatened and endangered species. There are many organizations in place to enforce the authorities of this act and a couple of the main groups are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The National Oceans and Atmospheric National Marine Fisheries Services. In this assignment I will elaborate on the Parks and Wildlife efforts and policies on the Endangered Species Act. To put this Act or Law into order, there were strong actions that were threatening the environment for those that research and treat the animals. Since the 1960’s there have been motions to protect animals and in 1966 Congress passed the Endangered Species Preservation Act and bought its first endangered species habitat in Florida. Once again it was revised in 1969 and 1970, but in 1972, President Nixon declared that conservation efforts in the United States aim to prevent the extinction of species that brought together the 93rd Congress to develop comprehensive endangered species legislation. Congress responded and on December 28th the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 was signed and put into order.
The concept of ecological niche can be considered as one of the most important theoretical background in ecology. This was developed over several decades by various researchers in the world. The development process of the niche concept primarily tried to answer basic observational questions such as why does an organism perform as it does? why does it live where it lives? why does it eat what it eats? how do organisms interact with one another? which organisms can coexist with one another? why are some species abundant and others rare? why are some species widespread and others localized? what determines how many kinds of organisms will coexist through space and time? how do ecological interactions influence a species’ evolutionary routes? what consequences does the presence of a species have on ecosystem-level process and function?(Chase & Leibold, 2003), are several questions out of many others. Although, answers to above questions clarified through various researches have been done all around the world, the niche concept remains one of the most puzzling, and yet important subject in ecology.
The next topic for discussion in this paper is ecology. This will include, preferred habitats and interactions with abiotic and biotic elements of the environment.
In the past 50 years, we have drastically changed the environment to meet our growing demands. These alterations are causing major problems in several ecosystems. Living unsustainably, changing natural order, and reversing the degradation of ecosystems are the three main problems we face.
Landscape fragmentation contributes to loss of migratory corridors, loss of connectivity and natural communities, which all lead to a loss of biodiversity for a region. Conservation of biodiversity must include all levels of diversity: genetic, species, community, and landscape (CNHP 1995). Each complex level is dependent upon and linked to the other levels. In addition, humans are linked to all levels of this hierarchy. A healthy natural and human environment go hand in hand (CNHP 1995). An important step in conservation planning, in order to guarantee both a healthy natural environment as well as a healthy human environment, is recognizing the most endangered elements.
are at a very high risk of extinction. There are over 3000 endangered species around the world due to many factors including over-fishing, hunting, destruction of habitat, climate change and a decrease in food supply. As the number of endangered species are increasing quickly it is very important that action is taken to preserve them for a number of reasons. If endangered species are not preserved it could easily lead to the species becoming extinct which could upset the food chain and lead to further extinction of other species. This could have not only negative effects on there predators but would eventually lead to having negative effects on species further up the food chain including the human species. Over the years researches have come to discover and find that all species play an important part in looking after our ecosystem and extinction could cause a big hole in the system.
Humans are destructive. Not a lot of us think about how what we do affects the world around us. We almost act like we are the only ones on this planet. We go around polluting and destroying our world with no regard for our actions. The things that live out in the wild are paying the price for it. Every day that passes there is another animal or plant that is placed on an endangered list. This is happening at an alarming rate. Because of man’s desire to expand and conquer their surroundings, there are animals and plants that are on the brink of extinction that will not be around for our kids and future generations to enjoy if something is not done about it now. This problem has been going on for hundreds of years. There are animals and plants that can only been seen in paintings or early photography. It is because of our early ancestors that we have this problem today and we have to do more to prevent more animals and plants from disappearing forever.
How would u feel if someone came in your neighborhood and destroyed your homes? So how would you expect the Sumatran orangutans to feel?
Many of the issues of biodiversity loss can be traced back to human interaction to the environment. One of the issues is alteration and loss of habitats. A lot of this issue is based on the destruction of habitats and for the land to be used for human consumption. The land is either used up for agricultural use or for neighborhoods. Destroying habitats and building them for our own use can have a positive impact on our way of living but a negative impact on the environment. We would gain land for building land for crops and communities to be built. The habitat for the animals would be destroyed and the species local to the land would either relocate or die. There are restrictions to deforesting land and there are organizations to help protect the land.
The degradation of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity is increasing at an alarming rate every year. Humans are certainly not the only reason for this, but they are the main contributors. The well-being of ecosystems affects our everyday lives - consumption and consumerism depend on natural resources. Everything humans use is derived from them, in seemingly indirect and direct ways. Yet despite the fact that humans are destroying the environment, many continue to and neglect to take important measures to protect it.
According to World WildLife Fund, many ecosystems around the world are being destroyed, eliminating many plant and animal species that inhabit them (“Pollution”).
Scientists have begun to say that we have to do more to protect our ecosystem, because our very existence is depending upon it. When the ecosystem is not functioning properly the continuation of plant, animal and human life ecosystems would be impossible. Life cycles can not function without ecosystems. The ecosystem provides us with clean air, water, habitats for fish and other services. They also aid in the mod...
One of the reasons for loss in biodiversity is alteration of habitats. A habitat is the natural environment in which a species of living organism lives. If the habitat of a species is changed, it will cause the species to die or migrate to other places where it can find its natural habitat. There are many ways in which the habitat of plants and animals can be altered. One of them is land use changes. Since the beginning of human life, human beings have been changing land use for farming. Large areas of forests have been cleared by humans to increase the area of farming to satisfy their growing needs. Many biodiversity-rich landscape characteristics have been lost due to intensive farming (Young, Richards, Fischer, Halada, Kull, Kuzniar, Tartes, Uzunov & Watt, 2007). For example, traditional farming was replaced by private farms in Europe after the First World War causing an immense change in land use patterns. Another major proble...