Effect And Consequences Phenomena Of Habitat Fragmentation Biology Essay

Effect And Consequences Phenomena Of Habitat Fragmentation Biology Essay Habitat fragmentation is currently one of the most concern topics in threatening process of biodiversity. It is a natural process which a particular habitat is separated and divided into smaller pieces due to physical barriers such as mountains, rivers and other landscapes. This process takes place within a long period of time, and speciation occurs through it. However, the interference of human activities has increased the rate of habitat fragmentation. The activities include rural development, agriculture, and urbanization; and habitat destruction caused by these activities happened in short period of time. Species are unable to adapt to the rapid changes of their surrounding, subsequently some species are endangered and eventually go extinct. In this essay, an overview on the effects and consequences, and the solutions of habitat fragmentation will be explored. Over centuries, people especially prospective developers have been debating on the issue of the protection and conservation of habitat. What is the important of habitat and why do we need it? This is the most common question people asked. Despite human gain profit from the natural environment, we seldom appreciate and understand the need for taking care of it. A habitat is a place which consists of biotic and abotic factors that favor the survival of various species in a particular area (Miller Hobbs 2007). Each species plays an important role to the environment and formed a biodiversity. Correspondingly, we obtain many natural resources through biodiversity. For example, medicine, food, woods, and water are sources that come from the natural environment. Furthermore, habitat is essential for future resources such as new cure for diseases from a plant species that are not yet discovered. Habitat maintains the genetic diversity of species and supports life; therefore there is a need to protect the habitat so that it continues to support life. Effect and Consequences Phenomena of habitat fragmentation Habitat fragmentation begins when there is a decrease in the total area of habitat due to habitat loss. The fragmented habitats areas are smaller and separated with further distance from each other. Similarly, the species population is also divided into smaller groups but increase in the number of patches. As a result, isolation of species occurs and prevents breeding in different areas. The flow of gene remains in the same population and are not allowed to exchange to a broader area. The genetic diversity of a species eventually decreases and the gene variation become lesser. Habitat loss The loss of habitat caused limited resources for the species to survive. There will be less food source and nesting site. Furthermore, species have higher chance of getting expose to their predator. For example, the reproductive rate of forest bird was affected by high level of nest predation and parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) in highly fragmented forest located in the Midwestern state of United State (Sanderson Moulton 1999). This can be assumed that the loss of habitat provide insufficient nesting sites for the forest bird to reproduce. On the other hand, cowbirds can easily find and target the nests of the forest bird. Eventually, this factor contribute to high mortality rate while low reproductive rate of forest birds. Edge effect Habitat fragmentation also leads to habitat  ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½edge ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, which is a boundary formed between the habitat and the disturbed environment. The zone formed prevents species to migrate from place to place, thus limited the abundance and distribution of species in certain area. The risk of breeding failure is higher for species which live in a small fragmented forest due to small population, compared to the species in large habitat ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s size. In addition to that, the habitat  ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½edge ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ acts as a physical barrier to the species in small fragmented forest, hence they are unable to cross over to other larger fragmented area. Consequently, this factor has increased the loss of species. For instance, a research has conducted on the study of species-area relationship in a threatened monkey community (Marshall et. al. 2010) and found that the habitat area has the greatest contribution to the abundance and diversity of monkey species. L ikewise, a small habitat does not favor in species diversity. Impact to human Some people think that habitat do not affect much on the human society, nevertheless habitat destruction brings massive negative impacts on human being. First of all, the loss of habitat indicates that the loss of biodiversity and this further implies on the loss of many bioresources which is essential to us. Habitat destruction also leads to imbalance on ecological cycles such as nitrogen and carbon cycle. The natural habitat plays an important role on converting nitrogen in air to nitrogen-contained compound which can be used by living organisms, as well as reduces level of carbon in the atmosphere. The disruption of these cycles by human eventually leads to many unfavorable situations such as acid rain, climate change, etc. Moreover, habitat destruction also increases the occurrences of natural disaster such as flood and landslide as habitat serves as a protection from it. Solutions to Habitat Fragmentation Habitat Restoration Habitat restoration refers to the action that contributes to the re-building process of a habitat. The purpose of habitat restoration is to restore biodiversity by protecting and improving the damaged habitats. Strategy used for habitat restoration depends on different situations. Figure 1.0 shows the determination of conditions before developing the goal for habitat restoration. Figure 1.0 Requirement for the development of habitat restoration strategy (Miller Hobbs 2007). Agri-environmental schemes are introduced by the British government in order to maintain the vegetative structure and prevent further habitat destruction by agriculture. Research (Moro Gadal 2007) has showed that the relationship between the abundance and diversity of small terrestrial mammals and the restored fragmented forest have a positive association. It indicated that habitat heterogeneity provides more vegetative structures, thus more small mammals species can cope with their surroundings. Challenges in habitat restoration Despite conservation of habitat becomes one of the concern topic globally, there are still others problem that must be solved and these problems have opposite direction to habitat restoration. The rapid growth of global human population is the main factor of all. The increase in human population size requires more land for urbanization. Food crisis is also another factor contribute to deforestation for farming in order to supply more food. Therefore the government should project a suitable plan in order to maintain the balance between human need and the biodiversity of the natural environment. Conclusion In summary, habitat fragmentation caused by human activities leads to negative effects on the biodiversity as well as to human benefit. The problem of habitat fragmentation should be aware by the public so that actions can be taken and stop the continuing of habitat destruction.?

Creating Tension throughout Red Room by Nicci French :: Red Room Nicci French Gothic Novels Essays

Creating Tension throughout Red Room by Nicci French This gothic story is about an arrogant man who has heard of the â€Å"Red Room† and believes he is above the caretakers. He makes his way through the house, commenting on his surroundings. When he arrives at the room he is less confident than he was before. He sits waiting with his revolver at the ready, expecting something solid to attack him. When the candles start to extinguish, he is suddenly unnerved. He panics and falls unconscious and awakes to find himself in the presence of the caretakers with several injuries. A gothic story is a type of romantic fiction that predominated in English Literature in the 1800’s, the setting for which usually a ruined gothic castle or abbey. The gothic novel, or romance, emphasized mystery and horror and was filled with ghost-haunted rooms, underground passages and secret stairways. The â€Å"Red Room† conforms to the gothic genre because it is about an ancient castle under the ruling of some elderly people who are terrified and have not yet visited the â€Å"Red Room† In this particular story the narrator seems to speak with an air of superiority â€Å"‘I can assure you,† said I, â€Å"that it will take a very tangible ghost to frighten me’†. He believes he is above the caretakers and is sneering at them. â€Å"‘And I stood up before the fire with my glass in my hand’† The narrator feels the elderly are beneath him and speaks condescendingly to them. There is tension between the narrator and the elderly: â€Å"If I see anything tonight I will be so much the wiser† He is unbelieving of the caretaker’s theory of a ghost’s presence and does not care to show them kindness. The narrator is scathing towards the caretakers and refers to them ruthlessly. â€Å"More bent, more wrinkled† It shows his lack of respect towards the caretakers and that he sees them as hideous monsters. The narrator is assertive and speaks to the caretakers with pomposity, â€Å"it is my owns choosing,† The elderly caretakers are hostile to one another from the beginning of the story, such words as â€Å"positive dislike† and â€Å"took no notice of his arrival† suggest this. The narrator is distant with the caretakers and is unfavorable, â€Å"wrinkled†, â€Å"bent† and â€Å"withered† illustrates this. The narrator sees the custodians as monsters showing them little respect. When the narrator tries to ask for directions to the room he is ignored many times by the elderly; this implies that there is tension between the custodians and the narrator. As he begins his journey he becomes startled and paranoid along with the feeling of fear towards the house â€Å"I stood rigid for half a minute

Marijuana: a Gateway to Self Destruction

There has been substantial research which provides information on how Marijuana is not addicting itself, but the way it sakes you feel can be the breaking point to trying other addictive drugs. Research shows, adults who are addicts admit their first time of use and first drug of choice was when they were an adolescent and smoked Marijuana. Until today, many argue for or against legalizing marijuana throughout the united States, and it is still a struggle for some to overcome. As of 2011, Marijuana became legal in 16 States in the united States (Anabas & Cohen, 2011).According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (OWNED, Bibb there has been Increasing efforts to legalize marijuana which can cause marijuana to rope In price and Increase the use of the drug (OWNED, 2013); keeping It Illegal keeps the price of marijuana up keeping the use rates low. According to Carbon. Org, (Bibb marijuana can be purchased In almost any neighborhood In any city or state In the U. S. , thus con tributing to the pervasive nature of the drug. It is also considered a drug of convenience because it is easily concealed, both for transport and use.This is why it has become widely popular with adolescents or young adults who have a lot of authority figures involved in their lives. Most marijuana users or those with Arizona in their possession do not go to prison. According the OWNED, a survey by the Bureau objectifies Statistics showed that . 7 percent of all state inmates were imprisoned for marijuana possession only because they had pleaded down from a more serious crime (OWNED, 2013). By States legalizing medical marijuana, it makes marijuana more easily obtainable for teens and normalizes It making It seem okay to use.Between the ages of preteen and teens, any disruptions In normal brain development, including chemical disruptions and/or changes can make physiological and psychological changes that can last a lifetime. According to Anabas & Cohen (201 1), early-onset drug use is the single best predictor of future drug problems in an individual (P. 8. 13). Children, whom experiment with any drugs or alcohol, including marijuana, before the age of 12, are four to five times more likely to have major addiction problems than those who wait until after 18 years of age (P. . 13). Adolescents contain less body fat and water content than adults and have immature enzyme metabolism systems. They also â€Å"manifest the condition shortly after beginning use if genetically vulnerable to addiction,† (8. 13). Adolescents are more vulnerable to environmental stress and drug availability and had less time to develop life skills and healthy coping mechanisms (8. 13). Marijuana can have negative effects on the body and makes a person more susceptible to colds, flu, and other viral infections.ETC can lead to â€Å"enhanced growth of tumors, including those response. Marijuana smoking also damages the lungs and other respiratory tissue (Anabas & Cohen, 2011). The legalization of marijuana is making the drug easier to acquire and because of this more and more adolescence are using this drug. With he vulnerability of the young human brain the impact of marijuana can be extremely sever. Legalization is making the use of marijuana a social norm which is slowly leading users to try other drugs, causing marijuana to be a gateway drug.

Learn the Basics of Earthquakes

Learn the Basics of Earthquakes Earthquakes are natural ground motions caused as the Earth releases energy. The science of earthquakes is seismology, study of shaking in scientific Greek. Earthquake energy comes from the stresses of plate tectonics. As plates move, the rocks on their edges deform and take up strain until the weakest point, a fault, ruptures, and releases the strain. Earthquake Types and Motions Earthquake events come in three basic types, matching the three basic types of fault. The fault motion during earthquakes is called slip or coseismic slip. Strike-slip events involve sideways motion- that is, the slip is in the direction of the faults strike, the line it makes on the ground surface. They may be right-lateral (dextral) or left-lateral (sinistral), which you tell by seeing which way the land moves on the other side of the fault.Normal events involve downward movement on a sloping fault as the faults two sides move apart. They signify extension or stretching of the Earths crust.Reverse or thrust events involve upward movement, instead, as the faults two sides move together. Reverse motion is steeper than a 45-degree slope, and thrust motion is shallower than 45 degrees. They signify compression of the crust. Earthquakes can have an oblique slip that combines these motions. Earthquakes dont always break the ground surface. When they do, their slip creates an offset. Horizontal offset is called heave and vertical offset is called throw. The actual path of fault motion over time, including its velocity and acceleration, is called fling. Slip that occurs after a quake is called postseismic slip. Finally, slow slip that occurs without an earthquake is called creep. Seismic Rupture The underground point where the earthquake rupture begins is the focus or hypocenter. The epicenter of an earthquake is the point on the ground directly above the focus. Earthquakes rupture a large zone of a fault around the focus. This rupture zone may be lopsided or symmetrical. Rupture may spread outward evenly from a central point (radially), or from one end of the rupture zone to the other (laterally), or in irregular jumps. These differences partly control the effects that an earthquake has at the surface. The size of the rupture zone- that is, the area of fault surface that ruptures- is what determines the magnitude of an earthquake. Seismologists map rupture zones by mapping the extent of aftershocks. Seismic Waves and Data Seismic energy spreads from the focus in three different forms: Compression waves, exactly like sound waves (P waves)Shear waves, like waves in a shaken jump rope (S waves)Surface waves resembling water waves (Rayleigh waves) or sideways shear waves (Love waves) P and S waves are body waves that travel deep in the Earth before rising to the surface. P waves always arrive first and do little or no damage. S waves travel about half as fast and may cause damage. Surface waves are slower still and cause the majority of the damage. To judge the rough distance to a quake, the time the gap between the P-wave thump and the S-wave jiggle and multiply the number of seconds by 5 (for miles) or 8 (for kilometers). Seismographs are instruments that make seismograms or recordings of seismic waves. Strong-motion seismograms are made with rugged seismographs in buildings and other structures. Strong-motion data can be plugged into engineering models, to test a structure before it is built. Earthquake magnitudes are determined from body waves recorded by sensitive seismographs. Seismic data is our best tool for probing the deep structure of the Earth. Seismic Measures Seismic intensity measures how bad an earthquake is, that is, how severe shaking is at a given place. The 12-point Mercalli scale is an intensity scale. Intensity is important for engineers and planners. Seismic magnitude measures how big an earthquake is, that is, how much energy is released in seismic waves. Local or Richter magnitude ML is based on measurements of how much the ground moves and moment magnitude Mo is a more sophisticated calculation based on body waves. Magnitudes are used by seismologists and the news media. The focal mechanism beachball diagram sums up the slip motion and the faults orientation. Earthquake Patterns Earthquakes cannot be predicted, but they have some patterns. Sometimes foreshocks precede quakes, though they look just like ordinary quakes. But every large event has a cluster of smaller aftershocks, which follow well-known statistics and can be forecasted. Plate tectonics successfully explains where earthquakes are likely to occur. Given good geologic mapping and a long history of observations, quakes can be forecasted in a general sense, and hazard maps can be made showing what degree of shaking a given place can expect over the average life of a building. Seismologists are making and testing theories of earthquake prediction. Experimental forecasts are beginning to show modest but significant success at pointing out impending seismicity over periods of months. These scientific triumphs are many years from practical use. Large quakes make surface waves that may trigger smaller quakes great distances away. They also change stresses nearby and affect future quakes. Earthquake Effects Earthquakes cause two major effects: shaking and slip. Surface offset in the largest quakes can reach more than 10 meters. Slip that occurs underwater can create tsunamis. Earthquakes cause damage in several ways: Ground offset can cut lifelines that cross faults: tunnels, highways, railroads, powerlines, and water mains.Shaking is the greatest threat. Modern buildings can handle it well through earthquake engineering, but older structures are prone to damage.Liquefaction occurs when shaking turns the solid ground into mud.Aftershocks can finish off structures damaged by the main shock.Subsidence can disrupt lifelines and harbors; invasion by the sea can destroy forests and croplands. Earthquake Preparation and Mitigation Earthquakes cannot be predicted, but they can be foreseen. Preparedness saves misery; earthquake insurance and conducting earthquake drills are examples. Mitigation saves lives; strengthening buildings is an example. Both can be done by households, companies, neighborhoods, cities, and regions. These things require a sustained commitment of funding and human effort, but that can be hard when large earthquakes may not occur for decades or even centuries in the future. Support for Science The history of earthquake science follows notable earthquakes. Support for research surges after major quakes and is strong while memories are fresh but gradually dwindles until the next Big One. Citizens should ensure steady support for research and related activities like geologic mapping, long-term monitoring programs, and strong academic departments. Other good earthquake policies include retrofitting bonds, strong building codes and zoning ordinances, school curricula, and personal awareness.

Pesticides Essays - Pesticides, Environmental Health, Biocides

Pesticides Essays - Pesticides, Environmental Health, Biocides Pesticides Pesticides effects on humans Pesticides are chemicals that make our produce perfect, and our yards free of pests. However, this perfection comes at a price to many different people. Pesticides are poisons with the sole purpose of killing. They are intended to kill weeds, insects and fungus. There are three types of pesticides called herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. Every pesticide has an active ingredient, and an inert ingredient. The active ingredient is the poison that kills he pest, and the inert ingredient is the carrying, or spreading compound. (Honey pg. 2) Pesticides were once thought of as a miracle cure for hunger. They were supposed to keep crops free of pests, and misquitos under control. People were not aware of the dangers that these poisons possessed. DDT* was supposed to be a, benefactor for all humanity(Honey pg. 2). There were few regulations on the use of DDT use. It was even sprayed where children played. It was intended to kill misquitos, but it ended up poisoning, even killing people. (Honey pg.2) Elizabeth Rollings says that one of her teachers, Mrs. Keller, had a sister that died from DDT poisoning when Mrs. Keller was a child. People came to her house that sprayed the bushes with DDT to control misquitos, and when Mrs. Keller and her sister played near the bushes they were exposed to the deadly poison. Now a days the U.S. has seen the dangers that pesticides possess and banned many kinds from use in this country. However, the U.S. has yet to ban them from being made here and exported to foreign countries. In fact, 25 tons are exported every hour. (Honey pg. 1) There are three main problems with this: the regulations are very low in the places the U.S. exports to, many of the people in those places are unaware of the dangers, and the pesticides can return on the produce that the U.S. imports. A specific example of how unaware the people are is an incident in Costa Rica. The field workers in a sugar plantation were not told of the dangers of the pesticides that they applied, and they were not given any protective clothing. Many of them went shirtless, and in tennis shoes with no socks. They had used this pesticide for several days when many began to complain of headache and nausea; some began to vomit blood. One man died, but fortunately the problem was discovered in time to treat the rest of the workers before they died. Another of the problems that arise from pesticide exportation is getting it back in the produce we import from these countries. One third of the poison banned in the U.S. returns in what is being called the circle of poison, which is when pesticides that are exported and used on produce that return on the produce, back to the people it was being meant to keep away from. (Scanlan pg.1) To avoid this, many people are shopping at health food stores where pesticides have not been used on the food. There is a basic progression that occurs when the body is poisoned by a pesticide. First there is a biochemical inactivation of an enzyme. Next this biochemical change leads to cellular change. Then the cellular change causes symptoms of poisoning seen or felt in the particular organ where the enzyme that was deactivated was. All this changes a body's homeostasis*, and when homeostasis can not be maintained or restored, disease occurs. Most effects aren't permanent, but may take a long time to completely recover from. However, some do cause permanent damage. The damage of pesticide poisoning varies. It can effect just one particular organ system, or it can effect a number of organ systems.( GTI. Manifestations of Toxic Effects. pg 1) Another problem that pesticide poisoning possess is detection. A history of being exposed to chemicals can cause illness that can be hard to distinguish from a viral infection, such as the flu. One might go to long without treatment thinking they have a virus that they will eventually overcome, when in reality they have been poisoned by pesticides, which can lead to worse and worse damage over time. People who handle chemicals frequently in the course of

What Happened to the Mayan's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What Happened to the Mayan's - Essay Example Maya civilization reached its civilization peak around 750 A.D. After two hundred years, Maya civilization disappeared and collapsed in a mysterious manner. Several theories got made to explain the collapsing of the civilization. Some people believed that the ritual warfare between the Mayans and their neighbors caused their downfall (Childress, 1992). The Mayans flee their homes for survival due to lack of food and the raging war. This also led to another theory of corrupted and faulty officials in their system of power. Others believed that the downfall was as a result of deterioration of their agricultural system. The mystery gets well elaborated by this theory. Mayans relied heavily on agricultural activities. They believed that their ever increasing population resulted to high demand of food and shelter. The worn out soil was not able to support the demanding population. Hence, people got forced to leave their homes in pursuit of greener pasture. Apart from soil deterioration, the region experienced a massive drought (Scholl, 2009). A direct proof of showing that Maya areas experienced a massive drought during the ninth century got discovered at Yucatan region in Mexico. A team of researchers from the University of Florida conducted research at Lake Chichancanab and found reliable evidence to proof Gill’s theory. The scientists got concerned in past climates, and carried their research by extracting mud from the bed of the lake. Shells and seeds got removed from the mud and taken to laboratory for further analysis (Scholl, 2009). The findings in the laboratory indicated that Maya experienced a massive drought during the ninth century. Hence, it provided the much needed evidence in Gill’s theory of drought in

Comparison of training and development programs implemented in Research Proposal

Comparison of training and development programs implemented in National Oil Corporation & Arabian Gulf Oil Company for the fresh graduate nationals - Research Proposal Example The research is intended to be a qualitative one that will answer the research question based on focused group interviews with the respondents. The answers obtained from the primary research will be compared and contrasted with the previous research work of other researchers to improve the validity of the results. This research will be helpful for both the oil and gas companies of Libya by allowing them to understand the effectiveness of the training programs in terms of improving performance of the employees. Broadly speaking all the companies of the energy sector in Libya can benefit from this research. Human resource challenge remains one of the most pertinent challenges faced by developing countries and hinders their progress and growth relative to developed countries. Researchers have pointed out that the industrial sector of the developing countries is characterized by lower levels of productivity and efficiency compared to the developing countries. The works of Agnaia (1996) had revealed that developing countries are in extreme need of training and development programs of management. Training and development programs help in improving the skills and knowledge of employees and enhance their productivity levels. This paper deals with two major oil corporations of Libya. The National Oil Corporation is a part of oil and gas industry and is an oil company of Libya. The oil industry of Libya is dominated by this company and even along with its small subsidiaries accounts for almost 70% of the total oil production of the company. The company recruits qualified and bright candidates to form a part of their executive cadre (Inkpen and Moffett, 2011). The Arabian Gulf Oil Company is another company in the oil and gas industry which have their operations in Benghazi, Libya. The company mainly deals with natural gas and crude oil. The operations they include are production, exploration and refining. It is a subsidiary of the