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Global impacts of wetlands
Ecological impacts of wetlands
Effects of the destruction of wetlands
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Literature review One of the most important factors influencing amphibian decline is habitat loss. In an attempt to mitigate the adverse effects, new wetlands and vernal pools are created to make up for lost natural ones (Denton, R. D., & Richter, S. C., 2013). However, vernal pools and wetlands can be extremely difficult to replicate because of their hydroperiods and their complex ecosystems (EPA, 2009). In addition, numerous variables must be thought of in advance in order to ensure stability. Many studies have taken place to investigate the efficacy of these constructed wetlands and pools, particularly related to their effect on their inhabitants. While the creation of anthropogenic wetlands/vernal pools is difficult, studies did find some positive results when comparing pools. One such study looked at the number of egg …show more content…
F., Calhoun, A. J. K., & deMaynadier, P. G. (2006). The significance of hydroperiod and stand maturity for pool-breeding amphibians in forested landscapes. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 84(11), 1604-1615. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220513124?accountid=34939 Denton, R. D., & Richter, S. C. (2013). Amphibian communities in natural and constructed ridge top wetlands with implications for wetland construction. Journal of Wildlife Management, 77(5), 886-896. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.543 DiMauro, D., & Hunter, Malcolm L.,,Jr. (2002). Reproduction of amphibians in natural and anthropogenic temporary pools in managed forests. Forest Science, 48(2), 397-406. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/197680121?accountid=34939 Environmental Protection Agency, A review of literature on issues regarding restoring, creating, and mitigating vernal pools., Doc., at 1-14 (2009). Petranka, J. W., Harp, E. M., Holbrook, C. T., & Hamel, J. A. (2007, June). Long-term persistence of amphibian populations in a restored wetland complex.
Tackett, J. L., Lahey, B. B., van Hulle, C., Waldman, I., Krueger, R. F., & Rathouz, P. J. (2013).
Hyla versicolor, commonly know as the Gray Tree Frog or the Eastern Gray Tree Frog, is an amphibian that is referred to as the “Chameleon of the Frog world” (Craighead, 2004, p.1) because of its ability to change colors. “This frog was once thought to be the same species as the Cope’s Gray Tree Frog”. They can only be distinguished by their calls and the fact that the Cope Gray Tree Frog is diploid while the Gray Tree Frog is tetraploid (NPWRC, 2004). The Gray Tree Frog is classified as follows:
Tadić, A., Wagner, S., Hoch, J., Başkaya, Ö., von Cube, R., Skaletz, C., ... & Dahmen, N. (2009).
Zhang, Y. B., Harwood, J., Williams, A., Ylänne-McEwen, V., Wadleigh, P. M., & Thimm, C.
The aim of this study was to 1) determine how the proportion of habitat patches occupied influenced the change in patch incidence and 2) investigate how the extinction and migration rates influence the amount of patches occupied.
Peckersky, Barbara, Freshwater Macro invertebrates of North America, Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1990. Pennak, Robert W., Freshwater Invertebrates of The United States, 3rd Ed., Protozoa to Mollusca, New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc. 1989
Salamanders are nocturnal creatures that prefer to live in water or as close to it as possible considering their skin requires constant moisture in order for them to stay alive. Due to the destruction of wetlands and habitat degradation it poses big threats to biodiversity, especially among amphibians. [11] Considering that salamanders aren’t usually bigger than a few inches long, they do not require huge amounts of food. Salamanders can get by eating insects such as spiders, bugs, worms, etc. Their biggest predators are crayfish and just fish in general that are bigger than the salamanders usually try to eat them.
This paper introduces the environmental concerns of the loss of coastal wetlands. The paper will discuss the significance of wetlands and the devastation that is occurring because of human activity. Wetlands are an essential element of our environment both ecological and societal; conservation will be essential for the preservation of these precious ecosystems.
In this week’s assignment I will provide a brief summary of the species I selected and an outline of the topics I will be covering on the final paper. To start things off I will talk about the different names the American Alligator is known by and where in the world we can find this animal. Following this I will discuss some of the stages of the life cycle, to include the variables of the sex and what they eat to how big they can get and how long they live. I will also briefly talk about two of the alligator’s main systems – the reproductive system and the digestive system. Finally I will discuss some of the different extinct species that evolved into what the alligator we know today is and some of the various species in the crocodilian family.
In the world, there are approximately 4,740 species of frogs that can most likely be found in warm, tropical regions near the equator (). Frogs mostly remain near water or moist areas because they are amphibians. Frogs breathe and absorb water through their skin to collect vital nutrients that they need to survive. A frog is important to an ecosystem because they serve as a predator and prey, but what will happen to the ecosystem if all the frogs are extinct? Over 100 different species have gone extinct, and approximately 287 species of amphibians around the world have been detected with the newly found fungus known as Chytrid ().
Australian Reptiles take advantage of their environment. Their success is dependent on external heat source. Reptiles are ectothermic creatures, they require light and warmth for their daily survival. The external heat both enhances a reptile’s digestion and rejuvenates their energy enabling them to feed more often. (Life History Evolution In Reptiles). Reptiles in arid ecosystems have a greater temperature regulation whereas in cooler climates reptiles face a more difficult battle of survival. Adaptions to the dry land of Australia and their ability to tolerate such a habitat will be investigated.
They have learned to survive and evolve over intense global changes and geographical changes. Amnh.org says, “Like all amphibians, frogs are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperatures change with the temperature of their surroundings. When temperatures drop, some frogs dig burrows underground or in the mud at the bottom of ponds. They hibernate in these burrows until spring, completely still and scarcely breathing.” Without a survival mechanism these animals would be here and like said before it would take a toll. Being able to adapt and survive to is a big part to have an evolution of species. In the front of my pongs just a few feet from the pond we would see tiny holes that soon would be covered with dirt. We also emptied the pond during the winter so it wasn’t frozen throughout the winter. At the bottom we would always see little burrows into the mud. Its extraordinary that frogs learned to do this to stay alive during the cold
In another case study relating to amphibians, scientists exposed species tolerant Bufo americanus (American toad) and the not tolerant Rana sylvatica (wood frog) to pond sediments in laboratory microcosms. Microcosms are experimental ecosystems created to simulate and predict the behavior of natural ecosystems under controlled conditions. The ecosystems had elevated sediment metal levels and chloride water concentrations. The reason for this experiment was to look at issues in rapidly urbanizing areas and the potential impact of stormwater runoff to natural bodies of water. Roof tops, roads, and parking lots are just a few examples of the typical urban and suburban areas that collect a wide range of pollutants such as metals, salts, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (Councell et al., 2004; Davis et al., 2001; Marsalek, 2003; Pitt et al., 1995; Van Metre and Mahler, 2003). The stormwater ponds are a common feature in stormwater management plans, and are designed to detain (detention ponds) or retain (retention ponds) stormwater runoff, allowing pollutants like metals, sediments, and nutrients to be removed from the runoff and reducing the impact of flooding on natural bodies of water (Novotny, 1995; US Environmental Protection Agency, 1991). Since stormwater ponds often have plants and vegetation, they are important in that they often provide habitat for
Instead, research is often focused on a convenient and tractable subset (usually a taxonomic subset) of a particular community or a series of communities. One of the most basic descriptions of an ecological community is a species abundance distribution (SAD), which describes the abundance (number of individuals observed) for each different species encountered. When plotted as a histogram, the hyperbolic shape of the SAD seems to be universal, as communities consistently contain very few abundant species and many rare species [5]. Studies on communities of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals have already improved our knowledge of the relationship between biotic and abiotic factors and of how species coexist in communities
These are the main threats to biodiversity around the world. Very often large scale construction occurs in ‘fragile areas’, for example, wetland drainage and infilling. Habitat destruction changes the conditions needed for particular plants and animals to