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How invasive species affect ecosystems
Thesis on management and control of invasive species
Thesis on management and control of invasive species
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European Rabbit
The common name of a current invasive species found in California is the European Rabbit. The scientific name is the Oryctolagus cuniculus. European rabbits are grayish brown with commixed ebony, brown and reddish hairs on its back, light brown to beige fur on its underside, a beige ring around its eyes, and long ebony-tipped ears. It ranges from 13.5 to 20 inches (34-50 cm) in length and has a diminutive bushy tail that is 1.5 to 3.75 inches(4-8 cm) long. It ranges in weight from 2.25 to 5.5 lbs (1-2.5 kg), so it's a deceptively diminutive and cuddly-looking rabbit. The European rabbit looks homogeneous to a rodent in many ways. In addition, it genuinely belongs to the order of lagomorphs, along with hares and pikas. European
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rabbits are affecting ecosystems in California, Europe, Australia, and Africa. Oryctolagus Cuniculus prefers a mixed habitat of Mediterranean oak savanna or scrub-forest, or areas with around 40% cover for shelter from predators and open areas that support their diet of grasses and cereals. Cuniculus builds warrens in soft soil, but find shelter in scrub in rocky areas, though the predation risk is higher above ground dwellings.The rabbits are territorial and tend to live and forage in colony groups of up to 20 adults.The European's first experience with non-local regions is a verifiable mystery. The general population initially in charge of its development was the Romans, who, having seen it in its local Iberian promontory (which was then piece of the Roman Empire), took it back to Italy for nourishment. In 1066 the Normans vanquished England and presented the rabbit there. Through the medieval times the rabbit continued spreading all through Europe. Amid the period of investigation, it was conveyed to numerous islands by boat groups and wreaked ruin in the islands' little, restricted biological communities. However, in a most obliterating blow for a mainland, the European rabbit was acquainted with Australia in1859 by a rich British landowner named Thomas Austin. Mr. Austin was living in Winchelsea, Victoria and missed the chase from back home. So honestly enough, he purchased 24 rabbits and had them transported to his bequest in Australia. He set them free on his grounds and continued to have some good times. The European rabbit causes biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
The rabbits are herbivores. They eat grass, seeds, roots, wood, stems, plants, etc. Because they were not meant to live in California, they affect the animal population because they are eating the food that were meant for the other organisms whose natural habitat is the place where the European Rabbit is adapting to. Although they are not preying on other species, they are limiting the amount of food for the other species and turns food into a competition. Biological impacts of our invasive species is that it competes against other species for the search of food. They eat the food that was not meant for them because they are invasive and the food is only enough for the species that are native to California. In addition, there are more than 156 species threatened by the European rabbits. For instance, the feral rabbit is directly affected by the European rabbit because the has a relatively same diet as the European rabbit. “Grazing by feral rabbits could cause species, populations or ecological communities that are not threatened to become threatened.” European rabbits affect the endangered plants. The Europeans eat most plants that they are left with and because the other animals ate the non endangered plants, they are left to eat the endangered ones. Other ecosystems could completely fall because of the European rabbit. The ecosystems would have more animals, which would affect the animals
whose habitat is the area. The animals would have to adapt to the new area because the European rabbits have taken over all their resources. European rabbits affect human resources, They affect the economy and our society. Because they graze on fields and they are herbivores, they ruin pastures and prevent the seeding and reproduction of plants and crops. In addition, rabbits damage lawns, gardens, golf courses, sports-grounds, and parkland reserves. They also can undermine buildings, garages and sheds. This causes human-wildlife conflict. The European rabbits also cause disease transmission and health concerns. European rabbits cause many economic impacts to California. Because they graze on native pastures, they feed off their plants and vegetables/fruits. They also cause a competition on farm livestock. The livestock dies because of the harsh competition, which cause the economy to fall. In California, the rabbits cost the agriculture $206 million in loss each year. There are many different methods used to decrease the population of European Rabbits. The US Government started destroying rabbit burrows in order to get rid of the rabbits. "Using poison, deep ploughing and then fuming burrows was highly cost effective [in] reducing rabbit numbers," (Mutze) Scientists also developed a disease called Myxomatosis. When the rabbit is infected, it’s lesions fill with mucus. The mucus accumulates under the rabbit's skin, which causes internal swelling. The rabbits usually die within 10 days because seizures. 99% of European rabbits have died in southern California, but it was not as effective. Destroying burrows is an effective way to approach problems with European rabbits. Our economy does not need a large budget to fund burning burrows. It is cost-effective for everyone. Our society helps the government by burning burrows nearby. With scientific concerns in mind, burning and poisoning burrows is highly effective. People could use household chemicals such as bleach or Pine-Sol to destroy rabbit burrows. Burning burrows is highly effective because it does not cause health risks to environments. As long as a human does not consume the chemicals used to destroy burrows, the human population is safe. The least effective solution is using Myxomatosis. Myxomatosis spreaded from rabbits to mosquitos. When the mosquitoes were affected, human health was highly at risk of this disease. When a human got bitten by a mosquito, they could be infected with Myxomatosis. The effectiveness of developing a disease to kill a species is ineffective. The economy was affected because the government had to find a way to stop this disease from spreading. In addition, the disease affected our land quality and ecosystems were harmed. The disease eliminated many organisms from the food chain. Because many organisms died, the food chain had a big competition. More animals died because they could not receive resources and very little survived the challenge. In addition, science constraints were difficult at the time. Scientists were very busy trying to find cures for humans and other organisms affected.
In the rabbits, the invaders come to take over the land that did not belong to them to use it for there own use. A very similar theme is in avatar, the humans only come to Pandora to mine a very rare rock that is worth a lot of money. The humans have no appreciation or tolerance for the natives and their cultural. In the book there a large uses of size and position to show the power of the white man with his guns and machines as opposed to the Aboriginals with just their spears to protect them. The illustrator chooses to use a double page spread to construct a picture of the British ship arriving at the beginning of the story. He exaggerates the size of the ship and the white rabbits in uniform to show how they overpower the tiny numbat creatures on the shore which have been made to look tiny in comparison. This exaggeration gives the viewer an idea of how powerless and terrified the natives must have felt to see the first white men invade their
In the film Rabbit Proof Fence by Phillip Noyce there is a relevance to the present and past days of society. The relevance is shown through the strong judgment of racism between the white Australians and the Aboriginal people, and the actions that had been taken and only in the past 40 years changed. The race of people is still judged today in current society, Rabbit Proof Fence makes the viewer aware of the racial discrimination then and now.
U.S. Department of the interior, National Park Service. (2013). Endangered Species. Retrieved from website: http://www.nature.nps.gov/biology/endangeredspecies/index.cfm
Making of Rabbit Proof Fence, The. Dir. Darlene Johnson. Jabal Films Pty. Ltd., 2002. Film.
Racism is defined as, “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races” (Merriam-Webster). Director Philip Noyce conveys Webster’s definition of racism in his 2002 film, Rabbit-Proof Fence, by examining Aboriginal racism of the 1930s through the eyes of three young girls: Molly, Gracie and Daisy who are forcefully taken from their mothers by the Australian government; and a man, Neville, who believes that giving half-castes a chance to join his “civilized society” is the virtuous thing to do, even if it means stripping them of their family, traditions and culture. The film follows the girls as they escape from the Moore River Native Settlement, an indentured servant training camp for half-castes, and walk 1,200 miles back to their home in Jigalong. Noyce weaves story progression and character development throughout the film to demonstrate the theme of racism and covey the discriminations that occurred to Australia’s stolen generation and Aboriginal people during the 1930s.
The Rabbit-Proof Fence to some was a source of employment, others was a division to keep rabbits from continuing to reproduce but “For the three runaways, the fence was a symbol of love, home, and security” (109). These three runaways were half-caste children, meaning their mothers are Aborigines and their fathers are white. The Australian government believed they were doing the right thing by removing these half-caste children from the Aborigine community, and stripping them from their families. The half-caste were sent to schools that were at comparable levels to a prison, and the purpose behind this was to train and teach the children to either become a house servant typically for females. While the males on the other hand trained to be
Throughout every human’s life in the United States, there will portably come a time when they take a trip to an aquarium or zoo. Do not get me wrong; it is incredible to see all those beautiful creatures up close and personal, but most people do not realize what actually is going on. Typically, when the day is spent at the zoo or aquarium, the day usually follows a schedule like this: You spend the day roaming the grounds, moving from habitat to habitat, break for lunch, and then once you’ve seen everything you want to see you return home and are free to do whatever you want to do. The harsh reality of these places is that while it is cool to spend the day there, you would never want to spend your entire life there. The animals are taken from
Review of Rabbit Proof Fence by Phillip Noyce Introduction In the 'Rabbit Proof Fence', Phillip Noyce, the writer, takes into account the conflicting opinions over the 'stolen generation policy'. This was an Australian policy which involved taking half-caste aboriginals away from their families and homes, to be brought up in a white society. The policy was in operation between the 1930s and the 1960s.
They will always be the first Australians is a poem written by Francis Duggan and The Rabbits by Shaun Tan and John Marsden; both texts contain similar themes and key ideas on colonisation yet differ on perspective. Both text types examine the crucial idiom Might= Right, or in the poem "The majority rules that's how it is and 'tis always been that way" which proves this idiom was imposed on the Indigenous owners of the land. The Rabbits explores a variety of themes through detailed illustration and dialogue, from the perspective of the Indigenous people, opposed to the poem which has been written in third person with conclusive opinionated language and facts. There is a mention of the Europeans bringing with them commodities and epidemic diseases
In “My Favorite Holiday Movie Involves a Giant Rabbit”, Boylan discusses her favorite Christmas movies and how their meanings have influenced her during the holidays. Through the use of allusions, metaphor, and imagery, Boylan argues that the holiday season is really about believing and practicing internal virtues to uplift oneself and one’s life. For example, Boylan makes several allusions to popular Christmas movies, like “The Snowman”, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, and “It’s a Wonderful Life”. However, her most prominent allusion throughout the article is to “Harvey”, which “on the surface… is not a Christmas movie at all but the story of a man whose best friend is a six-foot-tall invisible rabbit”. At first, Boylan’s choice to reference
United States. Invasive Species: Plant Invaders. Vallejo, Calif: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, 2012.
Everyone has a family member, friend, or beloved pet so sick you were not sure if they would live or die, and you find out about a new surgery procedure or medicine available to save them. Have you ever wondered where these new surgery procedures or medicines come from? When you think about all the major medical advancements over the last few decades and beyond, it has depended on animal research. As research moves into the future, we need to understand how the body works and how diseases progress. We need to find ways to treat, cure, or prevent disease and disability. The use of animal research is providing us with new technologies and medicines, which are benefiting both humans and animals in treating and extending lives.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit was a fictional story for children written by Beatrix Potter. The main character of the story was Peter Rabbit, who had three sisters by the names of Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail. The four bunnies lived with their mother, Mrs. Rabbit, underneath a huge tree in the woods. All the characters displayed the element of anthropomorphic because they are dressed in human clothing and display human characteristics such as walking straight up on their hind legs. The three sisters were wearing a pink to reddish cloak, Peter Rabbit a blue jacket with brown shoes, and the mother a blue chambermaid dress. While Peter Rabbit’s sisters were obedient little bunnies who gathered blackberries, Peter Rabbit was a naughty, disobedient and mischievous young rabbit who gave into temptation rather than to listen to direction.
For years studies and observations have been made on the relationship between body size and physical orientation of an animal. In 1847 Carl Bergmann was one of the first to do observations with this phenomenon (Dictionary of Theories 2002). Bergmann noticed that warm-blooded animals living at climates high in latitude are bigger in size than those living in climates of lower latitudes (Dictionary of Theories 2002). Research has shown there is a correlation of surface area to volume in animals that are located in different parts of the globe. Animals living in a cooler climate have a larger volume, but decreased surface area to retain as much body heat as possible. The inverse is true for animals living in warmer regions; these animals have a smaller volume and larger surface area to allow the body to cool efficiently (McNab 1971). Bergmann’s rule has brought valuable insight into the study of character traits and how we identify where animals originated. One example that I came across is with the Andean passerine bird, a study was done in 1991 by G. R. Graves. He noticed the size of ...
One of the big causes of extinction or the endangerment of species is foreign species entering a habitat. This species that are not native to the land can disrupt the food web in that community. These species take control of the food web and endanger some of the other species. The native species become endangered and over the course of many years they either adapt to their new way or life, the foreign predator leaves or is killed off due to the different environment, or the species is killed off and becomes extinct. Organizations like the “World Wild Li...