From: Andy Soos, ENN
Published February 14, 2013 04:16 PM
Published February 14, 2013 04:16 PM
Biodiversity Richness
Picture: This is an ecosystem very rich in
biodiversity with many different species. They all work together and depend on
each other. Their individual survival depends on their neighbor.
Summary: This article was about the major causes of biodiversity. Biodiversity does rely a lot on climate. An example they used in the article was the tropics and the Polar Regions. The tropics generally have a higher biodiversity because they can support more species, while the Polar Regions can support few. Many of these scientists thought and theories have come from their work in Australia. In Australia, people have shown that its rich plant life was long ago destroyed by the ice ages. A common thought is evolution impacts a change in biodiversity, while they proved that extinction causes more changes. It is because of “five major mass extinctions and several minor events that have led to large and sudden drops in biodiversity.” A quote used in the article, “Traditionally scientists believed some places have more species than others because species evolved more rapidly in these places”, is proved wrong because scientists are figuring out that extinction causes more change than evolution. In Australia, scientists found out that any plant species that survived the ice age is now stronger and can stand a bigger climate change then many people would believe. On the other hand, the plants in other regions with more diversity may not hold up as well to dramatic climate changes.
Opinion: I found
this article very interesting. When I always thought about different species in
an area, I believed it was because each species had evolved, causing the
difference in richness. Now I know that it was probably due to extinction of
other species. I believe scientists should really pay a lot of attention to biodiversity
because if we can figure out how a climate change would affect an ecosystem, before
it happens, we could help. Also, if extinction is causing a change in
biodiversity, we should do whatever we can to help endangered species, before
it is too late.
Questions:
1. What do you think would be the best way for scientists to
see how strong an ecosystem is?
2. Do you think extinction is a bigger factor in
biodiversity change than evolution? Why or why not?
3. Other than try to reduce climate change, how might people
be able to help with biodiversity?
-Natalie Laurito
Expand on the Topic:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=tropical-biodiversity-can-thank-ste-10-07-21
I found a podcast article relating to what was said about tropical areas having more biodiversity richness than polar areas. Scientists believe that this is not only caused by the fact that tropical locations are generally warmer than arctic locations, but by the fact that temperatures in the tropics stay consistent year round, as opposed to fluctuating. Through these studies, it has also been found that the global climate today is much steadier than it was fifty-three million years ago. The scientists are now reevaluating their thought process on what aids biodiversity—they believe that it is not just the warm temperatures that allow biodiversity to thrive, but the steady climate of the earth as well.
1. What do you think would be the best way for scientists to see how strong an ecosystem is?
ReplyDeleteI think the best way for scientists to see how strong an ecosystem is to measure its biodiversity richness. As we found out through our mini experiment in class, the higher the biodiversity, the stronger and more stable the ecosystem. Basically to do this, the number of different species needs to be recorded because if the are more species, more disasters can be survived and the ecosystem will be stronger.
2. Do you think extinction is a bigger factor in biodiversity change than evolution? Why or why not? I do not think that extinction is a bigger factor. I think that extinction and evolution both are factors in biodiversity change. I believe this because both greatly affect the species in all ecosystems. Of course, as said in the article, extinction during the ice ages may have wiped out plants and new, stronger ones may have come about after that that were able to withstand more, but as the world is evolving with things such as global warming, species are changing and having to adapt to new things just as much. I do not think it could be said that one is/has changed biodiversity more than the other.
3. Other than try to reduce climate change, how might people be able to help with biodiversity?
People could help with biodiversity by refraining from clearing out lands, by using less plastic bags, by recycling, by using little to no pesticides or fertilizers, by not interfering with ecosystems such as by paving roads, and by planting plants or trees. The ones I listed were only a few. There are an endless amount of ways people can help with biodiversity.
Opinion and questions
ReplyDeleteI found this article very interesting to read. I thought that evolution would have a greater impact on biodiversity than extinction would. I also thought the richness in an area was because species had evolved to make it easier for them to live. It was interesting to learn that the plants that survived the ice age were now stronger. It would seem to me that an area with more diversity would hold up much better than an area without much diversity.
Questions
1. Do you think the polar regions or the tropics would hold up better to a large climate change?
2. Do you think we could help save some of the regions with more biodiversity? If yes, how?
Max Griffith
Invite a Professional
ReplyDeleteI invited Professor Arne Mooers, who is a Professor of Biodiversity at Simon Fraser University, to view and possibly comment on our science blog. I chose to invite him because Biodiversity is his knowledgeable field, and it would be great to hear his opinion on how biodiversity affects our lives. It would also be nice to have his knowledgeable incite on our blog.
My e-mail to him:
Dear Professor Arne Mooers,
My name is Kelsy Hopkins, and I am a ninth grade student currently taking Honors Environmental Science. In class right now, we are learning about biodiversity, and why it is so important to preserve. My classmates and I have set up a blog discussing topics related to Environmental Science. Since Environmental Science is your knowledgeable field, it would be amazing if you could share and comment your ideas on our current post about preserving biodiversity. Our blog is named "Brainy Bloggers 101", and can be found at http://brainybloggers101.blogspot.com/2013/02/biodiversity-richness.html. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hopefully hearing from you on our blog!
Kelsy Hopkins
Hatboro-Horsham High School