Chestnut Blight and American Chestnut Trees Since the early 1900's a disease known as Chestnut Blight has infected many American Chestnut trees and causing their removal from forests. A greater look at the history of this fungus as well as the mechanisms of action will allow us to learn on how to preserve the American chestnut. At one point, the American chestnut was virtually eliminated. With the help of government acts and conservation agencies, the American chestnut is slowly growing back in
organisms was the American chestnut. The American chestnut once inhabited the Eastern portion of North America from Maine to Florida. The great tree was once a dominant species that inhabited the Appalachian Mountains. The tree provided a staple diet to pre-colonized North American inhabitants and the immigrants of Europe. The great tree which dominated the overstory deciduous forest would soon meet its demise from a foreign invader by the mid- twentieth century. The American chestnut was not only an important
I am an ambitious person, whose attitude on life is of absolute optimism. Throughout my 17 years, I have experienced many difficult situations. Those situations have helped me to appreciate the small things of life that people usually take for granted. Many of which have shaped who I am today. I come from a family in which my parents have struggled to give me a delightful life; we came to America looking for a better future. I come from a place between rivers, and mountains with an amazing sunshine
genes are used on humans, “the same technology used to edit human genes can be used on animals. This could mean protecting a species like the Tasmanian devil, now endangered by an infectious cancer, or engineering the East Coast's chestnut trees to resist the chestnut blight that has devastated their growth” (Weintraub, 2015, para. 20). The world is currently at the sixth mass extinction, where multiple species are dying out at an uncontrollable rate. Though this should not be the first response to
Metaphors of Fear “Resistance to science is born of fear. Fear, in turn, is bred by ignorance. And it is ignorance that is our deepest malady.” (Lunsford 241) This quote from “Enemies of Promise”, by Michael Bishop, clearly illustrates why people are so opposed to scientific progress. The fear of the unknown causes chaos, and begins people on a downward spiral of misinformed conclusions opposing scientific discovery until no logical thought remains. Leaving nothing but pure fear to cause
Vermont's Non-Timber Forest Products Introduction Across the world people rely on the natural environment around them for many things: food, medicine, crafts, shelter, etc. Although in the Western world we are quickly forgetting the importance of the natural resources that nature provides us with, many people still rely on nature for their basic necessities. Non-timber forest products are gathered all over the world, both to serve the individual, and to sell on a larger market. People from
Influence on ecosystems range from human causes like the bulldozing of a forest to natural causes like a fire or a flood. In recent times, the introduction and spread of invasive species has transformed native communities rapidly and, in some cases, created irreversible damages. In the Earth’s history, changes have often occurred in the ecosystems. For example, glaciers and the retreat of glaciers cause wide-spread changes. However, although change is a constant in ecosystems, animals and habitats
Presently, the rate of species extinction is occurring several thousand times faster than has been observed over geologic time. (Purvis, E., & Mace, 2000) Though they represent a minority of all species, island species make up 75% of animal extinctions since the 16 000's. Because of traits inherent to islands, including isolation and small geographic range (Purvis, E., & Mace, 2000), islands are more susceptible to extinction than the continents. This results in a disproportionate ratio of island