1. Use the website (http://www.cepf.net/resources/hotspots/Pages/default.aspx or http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/150569/) to find one of the 35 biodiversity hotspots on our planet. First, give a general definition of what you read on the Geog 30 website or another site about what a biodiversity hotspot is. Next, use the website to choose one of the hotspots and explain the losses that the area has experienced over time. Use this website and other sources to explain possible reasons why this area has become so endangered and was placed in the category of a biodiversity hotspot. Use the acronym H.I.P.P.O to determine which (if any) of the major threats is a possible reason for the hotspot. (This section should be around 150-250 words.)
2. Next, use module 10 and any other resources to determine whether there are any threats to biodiversity in your hometown. If you cannot find any threats to your hometown, use another area near you or in your state. Determine the threat, consequences (feedback loop), and ethics of the biodiversity issue. Tell about the future problems that could occur to humankind, other species, and the environment if this threat were to continue. Then describe a way that your hometown could reduce or reverse this threat. (This section should be around 250-350 words.)

• A biodiversity hotspot is defined as an area with a high variation and richness of living organisms that is heavily influenced negatively by human activity. Out of the 35 hotspots, I chose to write about the Cerrado savanna region of Brazil because it is the most extensive woodland savannah in South America. This area makes up about 21% of the entire country and it is mostly a tropical grassland savanna. This area has lost around 20% of its vegetation with 44% of its plant species, 20% of its birds, and 14% of its animals all being endemic. The reason why the Cerrado is considered a hotspot is due to habitat loss such as agriculture and industrial activities. In the late 1900s, the Brazilian government has been actively using the land to incorporate it into the national economy by using the resources found here. There are crops, such as soy beans, and industries, such as the charcoal production for steel, using the natural resources of the land at a large scale rate. Less than 2% of the savannah is protected by conservation projects. Now, there are some initiatives in place in order to have sustainable farming, improve soil and water, and increase profitability.
• I live in Northeast Philadelphia and couldn’t find any biodiversity issues in my specific area. But, there is an issue in the whole state of Pennsylvania that causes a threat. Population growth, the letter “P” in the H.I.P.P.O. acronym, has become a pressing issue as the number of people per area increases at a steady rate over the years. Just in Philadelphia, the population has rose around 100,000 people in just 9 years. People use the resources from the land around them which leads to pollution and habitat destruction. The more people will lead to the more space needed, more food needed, and more resources needed. This leads to a negative feedback loop where there are more people than the resources can provide for, which will make the species and organisms endemic. Humans should be ecocentric when thinking about how much of the resources we use rather than how much we should conserve. In the future, this will lead to loss of plants and animals and eventually humans after all of the resources are depleted. I don’t personally think it is possible to control population by monitoring the amount of children each person has, but I do think we could be more aware of what we are using, where it is coming from, and how this decision will affect other species. Pennsylvania has already tried to fix the biodiversity problem by creating a biodiversity conservation plan, which implements strategies in order to make the environment better, and a wild resource conservation plan, which provides knowledge to citizens about other wild life issues and plans. Overall, I think these are good ways to reduce the cause and effects of the biodiversity in the whole state. I think once people actually see that resources don’t last forever, they will understand the importance of conservation projects like these.

Resources

http://ecologia.ib.usp.br/ecovegetal/leituras/Cerrado%20charac%20and%20threats%20Ratter%20et%20al%201987.pdf

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/southamerica/brazil/placesweprotect/cerrado.xml

http://www.cepf.net/resources/hotspots/South-America/Pages/Cerrado.aspx

http://www.iconservepa.org/whyconserve/resourcesindanger/biodiversity/index.htm

1. Explain the concept of biodiversity, and relate it to other course concepts.
   1. 1. “Biodiversity is a measure of variation and richness of living organisms at a particular scale.”  This is the definition of biodiversity given from the module 10, and it talks about how there is a lot of variety on Earth, especially in all of the living organisms that are present.  Scientists estimate that there are about 50 million species alive in the world today, with that number increasing every single day.  Biodiversity is a very important concept to civilization, and it helps establish the world we live in.  If there was no biodiversity, our world would not be able to advance to what it is today. The module discusses anthropocentric and ecocentric reasons as to why biodiversity is important to us.  Biodiversity is important for anthropocentric reasons such as that all of the different organisms can provide us with important scientific information like medicine, food, and more.  Biodiversity is important for ecocentric reasons such as, benefitting from knowing that it exists, and benefits our society.  Biodiversity can exist in other things other than just organisms such as parks, plants, trees, and more.  These are all important things to protect so that they can stay established, and continue being a major part of our world.  Biodiversity can influence other aspects of geography like human environment interactions, individual and collective action and more.  There are also many factors that can influence biodiversity such as disturbance, longevity of the system, diverse habitats, and more.  Diverse habitats can contribute to biodiversity by because the variability leads to differences in environments, rather than just having a uniform environment.  Disturbance also influences biodiversity by creating many different habitats, and creating evolution.  All in all, biodiversity can be described in many different ways and talks about the difference and variety in life on earth.
2. Draw a concept map of the factors that deal with biodiversity.
   1. 
3. Talk about a relevant example of biodiversity in some aspect of your life, and explain if it is more ecocentric or anthropocentric.
   1. There are many different aspects of biodiversity that exist in my life, but the one that I think is most prominent is the different varieties of people.  From race, to gender, to age, to knowledge, to other characteristic traits, these aspects of humans create a lot of biodiversity.  These aspects also are what help the world continue to evolve into the intricate system we currently live in.  Through out all of the different races of humans we have, there are many different habitats that we all live in.  Culture is a main aspect that can help determine our diverse habitats, and in my life personally there are a lot of different habitats that people live in.  From the suburbs, to the city, to the country, to the beach towns, I know a lot of people living in different areas which contributes to biodiversity.  Following that, there are large areas that encompass all different kinds of individuals which is another aspect of biodiversity.  In my point of view, I think that this example is both anthropocentric and ecocentric.  I think that it is anthropocentric because all of the different kinds of people can provide different scientific evidence for how we evolve as humans, and how each individual physiologic components are similar or different from the next.  I also think that it is ecocentric, because it is enlightening to know that there are many different kinds of people in the world.  It would be very boring, and dissimilar if we were all the same so adding biodiversity into the world contributes an interesting factor.  Finally, it is very important to have all of the different kinds of people in the world contributing to biodiversity, and this biodiversity is increasing every single day.

Biodiversity First part of the assignment.

2. In 200-250 words, describe the biodiversity in your hometown and its biggest threats.

Though New York City is known as an extremely populous area, heavily urban/industrialized and the financial powerhouse of the world, it also holds a great variety of habitats and rare wildlife. It’s a very popular stop-over habitat for migratory birds, fish and butterflies and there are many plant and animal species that reside there. Though New York City (Manhattan in particular) is occupied by a vast amount of skyscrapers, it’s also an extremely green city that encompasses many diverse geological areas and open space. The famous undeveloped Central park is known as the iconic recreational green space of the city. This park is home to the famous peregrine falcons as well as almost extinct American elm. Also, once you get out of the heart of New York City, there is much more green life and unaltered ecosystems. A major threat to New York City’s biodiversity, in my opinion, is human population. The growth and boom of New York City’s population brought about the extinction of native plant species in just the last century.

1. Create a systems diagram that links HIPPO to the loss of biodiversity.
2. In a paragraph of 200-300 words, explain the ideas behind your diagram.
3. In another paragraph of 200-300 words, draw on concepts from this module and others to determine what we can do to decrease the loss of biodiversity.

In my systems diagram, I illustrated how the concept called H.I.P.P.O. impacts the loss of biodiversity. With the large increase in population over the last two-hundred or so years, there has been an increase in many industrial activities. Through this, there has been an over-harvesting of many plants and animals just to feed the population. This action has led to the endangerment and extinction of many animals. Mainly because they are being killed but because their habitats are being taken away. Since there is a huge loss of habitats, many animals are dying off because they do not have a place to live. Another setback of industrial activities is the increase in pollution. This increase in pollution has lead to many things such as bioaccumulation which impacts many of the animals that are higher up in the food chain because they are consuming other animals that have been impacted by pollution. Bioaccumulation also leads to a larger loss in biodiversity. Pollution also leads to a huge increase in climate change which aids in the destruction of habitats. Another impact that climate change has is the migration of animals to different parts of the world. Since many parts of the world are getting warmer, more species that can migrate large distances are finding their way to said places. Because they are new to these places, the species that are already there are not used to some of them. These new species can have a detrimental impact on animals leading to a larger loss in biodiversity.

There are many things that we can do to impact biodiversity. When looking at the previous module, we can take what we learned about different ways climate change has impacted the world and try and find ways to decrease it. Climate change happens for many reasons, most of them are because of the greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere. By looking for different ways to cut down on them, we as humans can help save biodiversity. Although we can not undo what we have done, we can move forward and make a huge difference in the animal kingdom. A major thing that we can do is to stop destroying habitats and start building them again. By planting trees in the rain forest, we can preserve the homes of the animals that live there. Through using less fossil fuels, we can stop releasing so many greenhouse gases into the air which will help with the issue of global warming. This can help preserve the home of those animals that live in the arctic and need a cold climate to live in. We can help developing countries towards their goal of a better standard of living that way they can stop the harmful things they may be doing to the environment such as cutting down trees to fuel their homes. If we all work together as a team, we can help save the planet and the biodiversity that comes along with it.

In 250-350 words, first define what H.I.P.P.O. means. Then using the biodiversity threats that have been described, compare any which apply to your own hometown. Then, use a diagram to link the biodiversity threats to how they affect your hometown. State College students use your home address not State College. Be sure to use information from the module in your response.

1.

H.I.P.P.O. is an acronym used to describe the many threats to biodiversity today. The acronym stands for Habitat Loss, Invasive Species, Pollution, Human Population, and Overharvesting. My hometown of Wilkes-Barre, PA can be related to many of these topics. The first being habitat loss. The definition of habitat loss from the module is when an area is converted from usable to unusable habitat. Two of the contributors for Wilkes-Barre would be agriculture and mining. The outskirts of Wilkes-Barre are known to have farms and large fields where crops are grown, which takes away from the habitat to be used seeing as it is already filled. Wilkes-Barre is also known for its coal mining many years ago. This has left polluted waters which are also unusable. Wilkes-Barre is also guilty for its pollution. Between the crowded inner city with cars and trucks, and the industrial factories which produce things such as steel or junkyards melting metals, Wilkes-Barre is far from an eco-friendly city. Not many ride bikes because they do not share the streets with cars. Aside from pollution in the air, there is also fertilizers which are polluting river runoffs. This is resulting in bioaccumulation as discussed in the module. Bioaccumulation is when chemicals become increasing in animal tissue as they move up the food chain. This can be seen in our river where fish are exposed to the toxins of fertilizers and coalmine runoff. Should another animal eat any of these fish, they obtain all of the persistent organic pollutants, or POPs. This is a growing concern that the citizens of Wilkes-Barre need to be aware of and take action.

Directions

1.Create a systems diagram showing how one of the HIPPO threats can be a danger to biodiversity. You may choose any one of the threats to focus your diagram on, or even combine two of the threats and show how they are related.

2. In a paragraph of 150-250 words describe the key ides behind your diagram.

3. In a paragraph of 150-250 words, describe what you could personally do to help lessen the affect of the threat that you created your diagram about. Ideas can consist of physical actions, ways to get people aware of this issue, or ideas of how to contact people in higher positions who can implement changes.

2.

My systems diagram shows how two threats of biodiversity: human population and overharvesting are connected and how they hurt the biodiversity of the Earth. The human population has been growing and continues to grow with every generation. When the population grows, we need more resources to sustain ourselves such as more places to live and more food to eat. Therefore, we build houses on open land that previously belonged to great numbers of different species and ecosystems and if they are not resilient enough, they will die out and become extinct. With more people humans also need more food to eat. However we do not look at all plants and animals as options to eat, only a small percentage of these things make it into the human diet. This is disastrous because if humans continuously eat a lot of the same animal or plant, then eventually we will kill them off, and have no replacement. In the end, the human population and use of overharvesting come together to show that both of these things are related and they are both hurting biodiversity all over the planet wherever humans are present.

3.

Unfortunately, when talking about the actions of the whole human population, there is not a lot that one person can do to change everyone’s actions right away. However that does not mean that we are powerless. I can not slow down the rate of growth that the human population as, but I can help to make sure that everyone is aware of the individual impact that they are having on biodiversity. I think the major problem is that most people do not think about this issue in their everyday lives even though it is very important. I want to start a biodiversity club or organization in my hometown in New Jersey that will help spread the word of this important issue. We would set up fundraisers and different events to hopefully make the whole town aware of biodiversity and how they affect it. I would also contact the town council and the higher government officials and make sure they have plans to protect areas of land in my town. I live very close to New York City so often times there are apartment complexes built in areas that used to be woods to fit more people in my town. I will make sure that this stops happening because it will help protect the biodiversity of my town, which I’m sure, has already lost so much due to the growing human population.

Assignment: Explain in 200-250 words how invasive species are bad for Biodiversity.  Include a systems diagram.

Invasive species are one of the sneakiest threats to biodiversity out of all of the factors. The reason is because total wildlife population may stay the same, while one single species is taking over.  Say we have a small lake with a certain fish’s population skyrocketing.  Most people will see this and think it’s good news, more fish means more biodiverse to those who are uneducated.  In reality, this one kind of fish is taking up all the food, space, and other resources in the lake, while the other fish get less and less.  After awhile, you will be left with only the one kind of fish, unless a major change happens.  Suppose this one fish is also a fierce predator to the other fish.  This means that as its population is going up, more and more other fish are getting killed at an exponential rate.  This can happen to any kind of animal, not just fish.  There had been a species of bird living in Guam for years, until World War II when a cargo ship accidentally carried over a deadly snake.  These snakes continued to kill every bird, until they were nearly extirpated from the area.  This is one example of why we must be mindful of what animals we are taking to what places

.

1.) Briefly, using a diagram, choose any of the course terms/events learnt in the past modules and link them to biodiversity.

2.) Now, explain your diagram in detail (250-350 words).

My diagram refers to Module 9- Climate change and briefly hints how it impacts the biodiversity of our world. As we learnt, increased emissions which cause change in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere lead to mostly an overall increase in temperature, which is also termed as Global Warming. The diagram explains some of the changes due to Global Warming which affect the biodiversity of our world. Firstly, it causes the Arctic sea ice to melt, which means the reflecting ice surface is replaced by dark sea water. This leads to an increased rate of heating for the sea and the air which further affect the salinity and temperatures of seawater where an entire biome resides. The species composition of the entire biome is adversely affected due to changes in their habitat. Secondly, climate change increases the ocean heating rate all over the Earth and increased level of CO2 emissions in the air also increase CO2 in the ocean which lead to ocean acidification. The temperature change along with the chemical change (ocean acidification) of seawater affect the plants and animals living in the habitat. While temperature leads to changes in species composition as certain species adapt to certain temperatures, chemical change affects the abilities of the plants and animals in various processes. Thirdly, temperature changes affect other natural habitats such as mountains, forests, grasslands, deserts and tundra regions. Temperature shifts across the Earth alter the temperatures over these habitats. This leads to change in the habitat conditions, affecting the abilities of the plant and animal species in those areas to adapt. Fourthly, temperature shifts also lead to increase in extreme weather events such as flooding and draughts due to change in patterns of rainfall and melting of mountain glaciers. These then lead to significant impact on biodiversities of the areas affected by such events. Overall, we learn how food chains, species composition, adaptation and resources including water and medicinal from the flora and fauna are affected, leading us to believe that biodiversity of all the above mentioned areas is threatened by climate change in various ways.

3.) Lastly, identify threats to biodiversity in your hometown it has or had in the past. give suggestions on how to prevent them or explain how they were overcome? (150-250 words)

My hometown Jaipur is the capital of the desert state of Rajasthan in the western part of India. Being a desert state, about two-thirds of the state is desert and one third is plain land with approximately 9% forest cover. Hence, biodiversity plays an important role in the state’s existence. One of the most major threats to the biodiversity is increasing population. We observe from the map given in the module-10, that the state is overly populated. Increasing population leads to people clearing even more land for other purposes causing an irreversible damage to the biodiversity of the state, hence habitat loss is another threat the state faces. Apart from this, the temperature shifts are affecting the state’s habitat as well, affecting the abilities of the existing species to adapt. All these issues highlight the importance of addressing them right away as further delay would lead to further irreversible damage, harming the state’s biodiversity extensively and increase ecological pressure on the state. In my opinion, being residents of the state, it is equally our duty as much as it is the state’s government’s. Together we should adopt more sustainable ways such as using barren land and putting it into use rather than destroying usable habitats, raising awareness and educating people about the topic by campaigns and workshops, protecting all the species of plants and animals in the area, in order to protect the biodiversity of the state. The government should implement rules for such protection and the public should corporate with government and follow the rules. The state’s biodiversity board can also adopt ways to preserve and increase the biodiversity by planting more seeds of the same species and of different non-invasive species along with protection of the fauna in the state, in order to allow them to increase to beneficial number as well.

1. With the increasing rate of species extinction over the last several billion years, a closer examination of the multiple threats to biodiversity are required. Although this module looked at various threats to biodiversity, including growth of human populations, consumption levels, and mobility, it is important to note that the negative consequences stemming from human actions are normally unintentional. For the most part, the negative impacts are correlated with the human desire for an “increased quality of life”. After reading this module, choose two different threats to biodiversity that were discussed and provide a brief summary. In addition, provide outside research from at least one credible source for each.

1. Invasive Species

An invasive species can be extremely hazardous as they eventually serve as a threat to the formerly established biodiversity in a particular area. The species that previously occupied an area are impacted by the introduction of a non-native animal, plant, or microbe. Such an invasive species usually does not go unnoticed. Often they introduce parasites to the native species, as well as prey upon them. In addition, an invasive species may hybridize with the native species, which leads to several complications leading to hybrid zones and reproductive barriers. Invasive species increase the competition for food as there are more individuals taking up a single area. Finally, an invasive species can introduce diseases leading to the modification and disruption of a habitat. In a February 2016 article, Stephen Carpenter described the ways in which invasive species represent a “largely unquantified threat to ecosystem services” (1). The impact of an invasive species is also evident in monetary terms. Carpenter has quantified that the degradation of an important ecosystem service, water clarity, caused by invasion of a water fly has led to some astounding costs. He found that the costs of restoring the service would be between 86.5-163 million dollars (1). The cost of restoring a habitat after it has been overwhelmed by an invasive species increases with an increasing environment as well.

1. Pollution

Pollution is a term that is often used as a “catchall” label; however, there are concrete examples of the ways in which pollution serves as a threat to biodiversity. For example, the release of toxic synthetic chemicals and heavy metals into the environment has negative impacts on the resilience of a species. More often than not, such pollution harms the species and they end up on the endangered species list, or worse, extinction altogether. A common misconception is that a “natural” substance will not pollute an environment. However, even a natural substance will threaten the biodiversity in an area when it becomes increasingly abundant. A common example of this compromise is evident through the use of nitrogen and phosphorus for plant growth. These chemicals, when used in moderation, are harmless, but eventually they lead to pollution when used as fertilizers. Fertilizers can run off into water systems and lead to a “dead zone”. Carbon dioxide is another example of a “natural” substance that damages the atmosphere when released in abundant amounts by human activities and greenhouse gases. Bioaccumulation is another cause for concern when speaking about pollution because eventually, it threatens biodiversity. Bioaccumulation includes the process by which chemicals become increasingly concentrated in animal tissues as they move up the food chain. A recent study regarding the spread of bioaccumulation illustrated that concentrations of eleven elements were found in five marine species from different trophic levels of the food web. These trophic levels include algae, mussels, shrimp, and fish (2). The trophic levels listed are representative of species found in shallow coastal waters as well as species that serve an important role in the commercial food industry (2). So, just as bioaccumulation results due to increasing concentration in the food web, the impact of bioaccumulation on humans and their environment also increases as more and more species become affected by it.

2. A hazard is an extreme event that has a harmful impact on humans. Therefore, a human extinction hazard is an event leading to the extinction of humans. In this module, various human extinction hazards were discussed. Choose one human extinction hazard from the module and provide a brief summary. In addition, provide outside research from at least one credible source.

Nuclear Warfare

Nuclear warfare is an example of a human extinction hazard as it is a type of arms race, which includes a positive feedback loop. An example of the human extinction hazard stemming from nuclear warfare is the Cold War. The Cold War involved an arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union, which lead to worldwide destruction. Although the Cold War is an event of the past, many of the weapons used still exist and other countries around the world show great interest in pursuing the potential use of nuclear weapons. Nuclear warfare would lead to global destruction and a period of darkness where there is little to no sunlight present. This is known as a “nuclear winter”. The concept of a nuclear winter is obviously frightening to society, so scientists have done much research on this global atmospheric and climate consequence by using models of volcanic eruptions (3). The research has shown that the possible scenarios resulting from nuclear warfare are very serious and widespread. In an article from Science Magazine, scientists have noted that, “Large horizontal and vertical temperature gradients caused by absorption of sunlight in smoke and dust clouds may greatly accelerate the transport of particles and radioactivity from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere.” (3). In addition, scientists hypothesize global destruction caused by the nuclear blast, rapid spread of fires, and initial loss followed by increased solar ultraviolet radiation due to ozone depletion (3). Overall, the probable human exposure to cold, dark, and radioactivity is a very real situation that will threaten mankind as a result of bioaccumulation that ultimately leads to a nuclear winter (3).

3. In reading through all ten modules from this semester, it is clear that many complex interactions between humans and their environment have an impact on sustainability and biodiversity. Make a systems diagram that illustrates these relationships in regards to sustainability and biodiversity. Include at least three components, from any of the modules this semester, which flow in a logical order.

1. In this module, there are many different factors that are addressed that can connect to biodiversity – many of which we have discussed in previous modules. Create a system diagram connecting biodiversity to the other things discussed in the module that you find most important.

2. In 150-250 words, briefly describe the overview of your diagram.

In my diagram, what I decided to do overall was to put “Biodiversity” in the center and put the biggest points from the module going off of it. The biggest ones were hotspots, threats that biodiversity can bring about, globalization, conservation efforts to protect from loss of biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience. Many of these things are brought about by the destructive actions of the human population. This, however, is ironic because these destructive human actions can lead back to the potential extinction of humans. I addressed this in the diagram through ecosystem resilience. This describes how if one species is eliminated, it can affect the whole ecosystem, even if it’s just a little bit. Biodiversity can also pose a lot of threats to the environment. The main ones include habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, human population, overharvesting, and climate change. And to conclude, since biodiversity loss is such a huge problem, there needs to be conservation efforts to help prevent from this loss.

3. In this module, there are many connections to how humans can have an impact on the environment. These actions can have potentially damaging effects on the species in the environment. In 150-250 words, describe what actions you can take in your own life to help prevent the loss of biodiversity.

After going through this whole course, it seems to be a pretty recurring theme that our actions as human beings can play an extremely crucial role in the health and stability of the environment and world that surrounds us. With this being said, we need to be very aware of our actions and how we could be affecting the world. Even if we can’t always see the consequences of our actions face to face every day, that doesn’t mean that they are not happening. Biodiversity is one of those things that could be greatly affected by our actions. The threat that biodiversity can face that really stuck out to me as being cause by human actions was pollution. So many people, myself included, are adding to the problem of pollution, sometimes without even knowing it. One example of a way that I can help reduce pollution in my own life would be to cut down on the amount of times that I drive my car. Luckily, being at school is nice because I can walk almost everywhere that I need to go, which cuts down on the emissions being released by cars; however, when I’m home, I should really try to walk more places, carpool, or use more public transportation. In addition to that, I can recycle more often. I do recycle a good amount, but definitely not enough, and only really when it’s convenient. I should make a conscious effort to recycle always.

1. Observe the biodiversity in a particular area in your hometown using the small scale technique. How do these individual organisms affect the biodiversity of the ecosystem as a whole?

Measuring the biodiversity of a particular area is impossible to do with the human eye. Rosevalley lake is located in my hometown of Montoursville, Pa. During the majority of the year the lake is swarming with a variety of different organisms. From a kayak I can observe different fish species, bird species, amphibians, and plant species. If I were to uproot a plant, or lift up a rock, I might find various worms, beetles, and invertebrates in the soil. Although you can not visibly observe the thousands of macro and micro organisms inhabiting the lake water, a microscope would give you entirely different perspective of all the life supporting this small ecosystem.The birds and other large mammals prey on the fish. The fish feed on various worms, microorganisms and other insects. The insects rely on plants for survival. The plants could not survive without the various organic macro and micro nutrients they retain from the soil and the different pollination practices occurring from insects. Each organism in this area is interconnected to one another and plays a key role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

2. List a specific threat to biodiversity in the area you chose for question 1. How could this threat be prevented?

Pollution is a big threat to the biodiversity of Rosevalley lake. Hydraulic fracking has become very prominent in Northeastern Pa and within the past five years there has been an increase in development. There are now over five gas wells surrounding the lake, Fracking is not only a very unsustainable form of development, it is also very hazardous to our environment. As mentioned in module 10, a discharge of toxic synthetic chemicals and heavy metals into the environment has a major impact on biodiversity. Not only does fracking have the potential to contaminate ground waters, the toxic substances are evaporated into the atmosphere creating contaminated air and acid rain. If these toxic substances were to leak into the lake there is also a big risk of bioaccumulation in animal tissues. Rosevalley is very popular game lake in my area. Not only does it feed the surrounding carnivorous populations, many people rely on these fish to help feed their families. If the lake were to become contaminated, humans would be at a direct risk of impacts from bioaccumulation of toxins as well as different mammals and avian species. Many mammals also use this lake as a source for drinking water. Contaminated water could not only affect the local community but it could negatively affect migratory species as well. The chemicals could have a potential to create a dead zone that is completely uninhabitable for fish and other wildlife. The only way to  prevent the lake from becoming contaminated is to eliminate hydraulic fracking entirely. Fossil fuels used for energy are becoming progressively scarce and there are more sustainable, environmentally friendly methods to this downside of development.

3.Choose a current event in which invasive species have negatively affected biodiversity. What does Biodiversity mean to you? How can it be sustained?

Invasive species introduced to nonnative habits are causing declinations in native species. For example in New Caledonia, fire ants or (Wasmaiinia auropunctata) were accidentally introduced to the island through travel. Although these ants are tiny in size, they are having a substantial effect on the ecosystem. Fire ants create supercolonies that can cover miles of land area. These tiny ants have a lack of natural enemies, therefore causing a demographic surge. Fire ants prey on crustaceans, insects, seeds, floral nectar, snails, and worms. They’re able to inject a powerful venom, driving potential competitors from existing resources. Studies have shown these powerful ants have made a decrease in the density and diversity of native arthropods since they were first introduced to the island. Reptiles, birds and other species rely on arthropods for food. The loss of native arthropods is causing the reptiles numbers to decline which is also causing other species numbers to fall. Furthermore, these insects are known to indirectly spread a variety of plant diseases, which negatively affect the health of the ecosystem. Additionally, invasive fire ants are causing implications on agricultural activities, economy, and the welfare in the community of New Caledonia. The preservation of biodiversity is crucial to the sustainability of life. Each organism has it’s own specific contribution to maintaining a healthy ecosystem. This vast network of genetic, and ecological biodiversity is what makes life livable on earth. Habitat degradation, pollution, invasive species, destruction and climate change are some of the many man made factors negatively impacting biodiversity. Ecocentric ethical views are critical to the preservation of healthy ecosystems. Being environmentally aware and conserving land for its own benefit could ultimately preserve all life as a whole. Biodiversity is the root to all life. Without biodiversity, life simply would not exist.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-14432401

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0067245

In 150-200 words, analysis how your hometown or a place you are familiar with is affected by biodiversity. You can use any source you want, and you need to cite.

My hometown is located in southeast of China, where is the main area to fish and grow rice. We heavily rely on the water system around us. Water hyacinth, which named “Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solme” academically, now is considered to be an extremely destructive plant in my country. It originally grows in the Amazonian basin, and it is a warm water aquatic plant (this is why it only could survive in southeast of China but cannot spared to North). Water hyacinth used to be imported as pig feed decades ago. However, due to its productive character, it reproduces rapidly and densely. As a result, other aquatic plants and animals die because of lacking oxygen, sunlight, and nutrition, which propagates extremely serious ecological, economical and social problems in my hometown. Large area of died water hyacinth decay, and it will pollute local water system. According to the data, before 1960’s there were about 16 species of plants and 68 species of animals existed in this area, but just after 1980’s, only 30 species plants and animals survived. In addition, it is very difficult to wipe all of them out, it has threatened local native species diversity and changes the local environment dramatically.

Aboul-Enein, Ahmed M., Ahmed M. Al-Abd, Emad A. Shalaby, Faten Abul-Ela, Amr A. Nasr-Allah, Ali M. Mahmoud, and Hany A. El-Shemy. “Eichhornia Crassipes (Mart) solms: From water parasite to potential medicinal remedy.” Plant Signaling & Behavior. Landes Bioscience, 01 June 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3218481/

“Water Hyacinth.” Baidubaike. Web. 13 Apr. 2016. http://baike.baidu.com/link?url=kDU3oSMO4RyYo3DM9M2y5GKfvMebb37xOGI2DFL3fc53VLyTkwzwjXSTyRKCv4kLXhS3wI1P4hCpqwo_eEwZqa

Draw a system a system diagram about what you have discussed before.

In 150-200 words, please provide at least two methods you think of to maintain biodiversity of the place you described, and analysis both their advantages and disadvantages.

In order to maintain biodiversity, several renovate ways have been developed. First, introducing water hyacinth’s natural enemy species. The benefits of this method are that new species can restrain water hyacinth growth naturally and ecologically. Once it integrates into local area, it will balance the whole ecosystem without destroying anything. However, this method is highly risky. Water hyacinth is an invaded species, and if people introduce a new species, this new species may also become a harmful invader. Second, reduce nutrition in water. The main reason why water hyacinth grows uncontrolled is eutrophication in water. If people can reduce nutrition in water system, water hyacinth can be controlled. However, water eutrophication is due to fertilizer overusing. People need to develop advanced technology to grow crops, but it is costly and will not achieve in a short time. Third method is using laborers to salvage. It is the safest way and cost less, but it is time consumption and inefficient. In short, until today people haven’t come up with a perfect method to solve water hyacinth in the city.

Assignment Instructions:

• Research a threat to biodiversity that is located anywhere in the world, be sure to investigate the causes as well possible or current solutions to the matter. Include any other information that will lend a hand in shaping the situation (200-250 words). Next, find another biodiversity threat that is local to your hometown.  This threat can be a part of a large scale issue, but make sure it differentiates from the threat you researched earlier in some way.  Lastly, compare and contrast the two threats.  Be sure to draw course related topics into this analysis (200-250 words).
• With the local biodiversity threat, or the previous investigated threat, draw a systems diagram that shows how personally, or as a community, actions that led to the threat, and the steps to resolve the matter.

In the last two hundred years, the continent of Australia has seen a dip in their biodiversity.  Australia is a unique region for biodiversity, because of the isolation of being essentially cut off for thousands of year from the rest of the continents of Earth.  Because of this separation, many species have a chance to evolve in or on this isolated continent.  For instance, according to The Wilderness Society’s website, documented in December 2015, Australia is the habitat for a huge number of endemic species, which resoundingly outnumbers the number of these species in other global regions.  With all this in mind, in the last two centuries, there has been an influx of the human population in Australia.  This increase in humans, comes with the increase of urbanization; which has put much strain on the environment as less land is available for flora to inhabit.  As humans do best, we also pollute and poison the soil, air and water which further constricts the growth of biodiversity.  Some possible solutions to this problem, is to educate the youth of today to respect and appreciate nature and the different environments across Earth.  With this, future lawmakers, activists, businessmen/women, and voters will have a better respect for the land, and make sure conservational ideals permeate throughout society.

After doing some research, a local biodiversity threat I found was in the Allegheny Watershed, but in particular, the Upper Allegheny Basin. Located for the majority in the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania, this area is home to a plethora of wildlife and vegetation.  I chose this area because I spend much of my time in this area hunting and fishing at my family’s camp located in Forest County.  From personal experience of spending a lot of time in the woods, including residential and state game lands, I began to see different petroleum extraction outposts pop up over the last ten years.  Once I took the time to research, the basin was facing threats from mineral extraction, insufficient agricultural practices, as well as ill-managed floodplains which allowed rain runoff to negatively affect tributaries and eventually altering the hydrology of the Allegheny River.   Both the Australian and the Upper Allegheny Basin’s biodiversity afflicted by human-caused threats.  In fact, both have threats that originate from industrial means.  On the other hand, Australia is dealing with a growing population (1.8% growth rate) that forces development to encroach on native lands of many species.  In the Upper Allegheny Basin, the situation seems to lie with out of date infrastructure, i.e. the inadequate floodplains, as well as toxins leeched into the earth from poor agricultural practices.Mod10Biodiversity

Assignment: In 200-350 words, explain what H.I.P.P.O. means. After that, pick two or three of the threats to biodiversity today and explain how each of those are affecting the environment around the world or the environment around you.

 H.I.P.P.O. refers to the threats that biodiversity is facing today. H.I.P.P.O. is an acronym that stands for Habit Loss, Invasive Species, Pollution, Human Population, and Overharvesting. These are the biggest threats that are talked about in this module.

Habitat loss refers to when a particular area is converted from usable to an unusable habitat. One of the examples from the module that causes habitat loss is mining. I live in an area known for coal (Carbondale). My hometown is build on top of old mines. This area use to be very unsafe to live in because of all the mining that went in. Thankfully now that s not a major issue, but it could have been. If the mining continued like the way it use to, Carbondale may have become unusable and people would not have been able to live here anymore.

An invasive species is a plant, fungus, or animal species that is not native to a specific location. It has a tendency to spread to a degree that can cause damage to the environment around them, or even human health. If a new species gets introduced to a new area, the new species can parasitize or predate upon the residents, bring unfamiliar diseases, and modify habitats. This can affect the environment because the environment is not use to these new species. It can harm the environment causing the existing species to suffer and eventually die due to new conditions they must live under.

Human population is a major threat to biodiversity. Humans are taking over the planet and changing the environments to fit the needs for them to live there. We cut down trees and harm the environment with pollution. Eventually we will run out of trees to cut down and we will do too much harm to the planet. The more and more the number of people increase, the bigger the threat to biodiversity.

Describe the biodiversity of your hometown in 150-250 words.

Like many other posts we have done I think a good place to start is in your hometown. Having lived in Rochester, PA since I was two years old I am very familiar with the amount of biodiversity in the town, or lack thereof. Covering a land area of approximately five square miles, Rochester does not scream biodiversity. Not much of those five square miles is even wooded areas, I could not find any numbers, but from what I know I would estimate that approximately 1.3 square miles are wooded. Furthermore, there is no farmland in Rochester. If you go to the neighboring towns of Freedom, New Sewickley, even New Brighton, you will be in a much more biodiverse area with farmland and wooded area. The human population of Rochester has steadily been declining since the 1930’s. It is predominantly urban area that was built up in the 1900’s to accommodate the larger population; human population definitely had an impact on the biodiversity in the area.

Describe the biodiversity of your college campus.

Penn State Behrend for those of you who may not know is an arboretum. For those who do not know what an arboretum is, it is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a place where trees and plants are grown in order to be seen or studied by the public.[1] Every tree on campus has a little placard planted at the trunk of it telling you the name and species of the tree. On the reverse side of the campus maps all around campus you will find a satellite image of the campus with all of the different trees numbered and their name and species listed at the bottom. There are more than 200 different species of trees on campus for the students to observe and enjoy.[2] Also, located on the western side of the campus is the Wintergreen Gorge. The Wintergreen Gorge is a densely wooded area with a shallow stream running through it. There are numerous amounts of different trees and plants in the Gorge, it is a great place for students to take a break from their studies and enjoy a nice hike when the weather is nice.

Compare the two entries.

While Rochester is a small town in the center of Beaver County, Penn State Behrend is a not necessarily a town of it’s own. The buildings are more spread out, allowing greater usage of the land between them for things such as plants and trees to grow. The campus is in full swing for nine months of the year, but the increased population during those nine months does not have an affect on the ecosystem. The more urban nature of Rochester gives the ecosystem little to no chance of increasing biodiversity. A potential way to begin increasing the biodiversity in Rochester would be to start tearing down abandoned buildings, then planting trees or other plants in their place. This would not be a cheap task however and the population may not be able to afford the increase in taxes to make it happen.

[1]http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arboretum

[2]https://psbehrend.psu.edu/about-the-college/the-arboretum-at-penn-state-behrend

Examine the “hometown” you included in previous learning activities, considering whether or not it has been affected by loss of sustainability. Look back two hundred years and compare that “hometown” to what exists today.  

My birthplace of Newark, N.J. has the third-smallest land area of the major cities in the Unites States. The city is essentially a large basin which flows into the Passaic River. It is bounded on the east by large marsh areas. Two hundred years ago Newark had a number of small farms and undeveloped areas with a great deal of wildlife. Obviously, there were no automobiles, its population was measured in the tens of thousands and much of the “city” was unspoiled with little pollution

When I first considered this question I thought I would look back 100 years, but I found that even at that point Newark was starting to have difficulties. First, a few things that were done properly.

Newark hired Frederick Law Olmsted in 1867 to design and build Branch Brook Park, 360 acres of parkland, with now 4,000 cherry trees (largest collection in the US.) and a 24 acre lake. A very fortunate oasis. Newark also set aside land for several large parks in what is now the ‘downtown’ area. Though much of these parks are “lawn,” mown grass, a good portion is left ‘natural’ – with diverse habitats, and supports a good deal of wildlife.

How has it changed and what caused that change?

Beginning in the mid 1800’s unfettered industrial development created massive amounts of pollution – both of the ground and waterways. Over time Newark saw the following substances dumped: dioxin (which in many cases has not been removed, but ‘capped”) Agent Orange, oil (from the huge Exxon Bayway refinery) mercury, and other chemicals used in the factories which lined the Passaic, which was once thought of as the first ‘dead’ river in the country, having been thought to be past its point of resilience. Much of this pollution was, and still is, experienced in the poorer sections of Newark. Many people, even today, live literally on top of polluted sites. Certainly an example of environmental injustice. This situation, coupled which incredibly dense development (New Jersey is the most densely populated sate in the nation) results in a loss of non-human habitat, a loss of vegetation, poor air quality and enormous environmental health hazards.

Imagine what your “hometown” will look like, in terms of sustainability, and biodiversity, one hundred years from today. What actions, individual or community, would lead to this new reality?

We have a choice, don’t we? We can choose to be willfully ignorant of the effects of ‘our’ actions (the actions taken many years ago to cause this situation are an example of ignoring procedural justice and sustainability) and continue on this path, or we can take action to correct problem.

A multiple billion dollar cleanup project has just been announced for the Passaic River. A good start but certainly much more is needed. We can advocate for the recapture of “greenspace” through conversion of abandoned property.. Newark has lost population and there are a great many empty lots. These can be converted to urban farms or other types of greenspace, habitat for animals, birds, etc. “Green roofs”  are a particularly interesting idea for this densely developed city. Also to be considered are infrastructure changes and a change from an automobile-centric lifestyle to mass transit. What is needed is intelligent development which balances human and non-human needs and long-term sustainability. Only if drastic action is taken will we have a ‘livable’ city in another one hundred years.

How will we get all of this to work? The primary ingredient is an educated, involved citizenry!

Mike Evangelista

Explain the purpose of a biosphere reserve and then describe one found somewhere in the world. Then discuss the effects of climate change on this area. Please discuss this in paragraphs of 200-250 words and cite any sources used.

Biosphere reserves are protected areas of land where its purpose is to protect the biodiversity of the area. As biodiversity can vary from small to large scales, it is important to protect as many areas as possible so that these ecosystems can stay around for long periods of time. To be considered a biosphere reserve it needs to have three different “zones” within it. One zone must be a core area where the government restrict all human activity except for scientific purposes, one zone must be a buffer zone where tourist recreation and local resident usage is allowed, as long as their activity does not affect the core area, and a third area must be a transition are where more intensive uses of the land are permitted. By having these three “zones” in a biosphere reserve, human interactions with nature are limited and this helps to preserve biodiversity in these areas. One biosphere is the Great Sandy biosphere reserve in Queensland, Australia. UNESCO designated it in 2009 as an area with great amounts of biodiversity. This biosphere reserve includes Fraser Island, the oldest and largest unconsolidated sand mass in the world, the largest and highest dune lakes in the world, the RAMSAR wetlands, and coral reefs. Many varieties of birds and other marine life also inhabit this area.

Climate change can have harmful effects on this area. Since this area varies greatly in its biodiversity, many different plant and animal species can be affected. Through the Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management website, I found that there are many conservation efforts being implemented to conserve this environment and they would be greatly affected by climate change. Some of these efforts are aimed at reef system repairs, shorebird conservation, and maintaining coastal environments. The emission of greenhouse gases increases the temperature of the troposphere and this, then, influences climates around the world. If the climate in the Great Sandy biosphere changes drastically, then plant and animal species that have lived in this area for long periods of time would need to adapt in order to survive. If species begin to die out, then the ecosystem would become more and more fragile and this can create an unstable ecosystem.

Source: http://www.bmrg.org.au/our-programs/community/great-sandy-biosphere/

1. In Module 4, we discussed individual and collective action. Now reading about the biodiversity problems, describe what you do on an individual level to hurt biodiversity?  What do you, or your family, do to help biodiversity?
2. What is your community and town is doing to hurt biodiversity? What about helping with biodiversity?
3. Research one invasive species that is affecting your area and discuss the problems that it is causing.

Several years ago, I got into gardening ornamentals.  I then proceeded to become addicted to rose gardening and joined many clubs and associations.  The gardening clubs were dedicated to bringing beautiful and fragrant roses to people’s gardens.  It involved a lot of time, maintenance, and chemicals.  At the time, my goal was to create the perfect rose garden and it seemed like the thing to do – of course the soil needed additives and of course weeds needed to be killed and of course chemicals needed to be added for the flowers to go bigger, brighter, and more often.  Unfortunately I did not realize that the chemical to kill the dandelions was also poisonous to many of the frog species that traveled through my garden.  I did not give it a thought that the sprays to kill Japanese beetles also hurt good species of insects.  I unknowingly was slowly killing the biodiversity in my garden, all in the name of nature and gardening.  Thankfully work and school came along and I stopped focusing on my hobby so much.  During the break, I learned a lot about the harm that I was doing.  When I got back into the hobby, I stopped killing the weeds, and instead planted helpful plants such as milkweed for the Monarch Butterfly.   I also started planting more native plants and made sure to not plant any invasive species.

The community and town is hurting biodiversity by growing a limited species of crops.  Most of the farms around my home grow corn and soybeans and through discussions at the local feed mill, it sounds like many of the farmers grow at a maximum of three or four different breeds of each crop.  Therefore, any problems that arise will hurt most of the crops in the area and therefore biodiversity is not very present.  However, my particular neighborhood has a lot of people expanding into home gardening and farmettes.  We are zoned agricultural and many people are taking care of the small stream that grows through the area, letting the tree areas on their lands grow, and adding animals to their land.

As for an invasive species in the area, the multiflora that was planted throughout the county in the 1980s as a natural barrier for farms and cattle is not becoming a large problem.  There has been an explosion of Rose Rosette Virus and it is using the multiflora as a host to spread.  The virus attacks roses among other crops such as peaches and similar species.  The virus causes ugly red heavy growth on the plant and eventually kills the plant.  There is no cure for the virus.  While gardeners are on the lookout for the virus and are regularly removing plants infected by it, the problem is that this multiflora is infected and no one keeps up with this invasive species.  Therefore, the virus infects this multiflora that grows, the wind then picks up the virus from the infected multiflora and passes it on to other plants and hurts other crops.  Multiflora was once used as a species that could solve the farmers’ entire problem in the area and now has become a threat to other crops in the area.

For this learning activity pick two threats to biodiversity that are seen in you local community. Describe what they are, and what can be done to prevent loss of biodiversity. Finally, compare the scale of the threats in your community to the bigger scale of the world.

I am from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, which is a small rural town in Central Pennsylvania. Here there is a sufficient amount of biodiversity due to the habitat provided by the area. However, there are threats to the biodiversity in this area.

Two major threats to biodiversity in Huntingdon are the logging being done for farming and housing development due to more people moving into the area.  The nice wooded areas are quickly diminishing as local farms are expanding. With logging being done, habitat loss is occurring and the local wildlife are losing the areas that they lived in. With more people moving into the area more houses are being built in other areas that are being logged. With a greater human population in the local community theres is going to be a greater impact on the biodiversity in the area.

In order to prevent loss further loss of biodiversity in my local community many steps can be done. The first is farmers could consider a way of expanding that doesn’t involve logging our local woods. Also the neighbors of these farms could refuse to sell their land to the farmers in order to preserve the woodland located there. It is hard however to stop people from moving into the community, but there are still ways that these people could move here without causing such an impact on the environment. The first option is for these people to buy a house that is for sale rather than building a new one in a growing housing development.

Due to the small town nature of Huntingdon, the scale of loss of biodiversity is happening on a much, much smaller scale than other places in the world. Even with new people moving into the community the population is very small compared to major cities. Also logging one acre of land versus an entire forest is also insignificant. However, when taking into consideration how often the small scale threats occur they add together and become much more significant.

1. The assignment I was thinking of doing deals with biodiversity hotspots. It deals with researching a biodiversity hotspot. The summary of the research should include the areas location, commonly found species in the area, and factors which lead to biodiversity loss. Then after the summary I was thinking of going to IUCN Protected Area Categories and determine which category would apply to the area and why I think it falls in this category. The response I think should be more than 250 words and less than 600 words. I also think that including the links that were used is mandatory.                                                                                               The location that I chose was the Caribbean Islands. In the Caribbean Islands there are about 13,000 species of plants and 6,500 single-island endemics. Also there are more than 600 bird species, in which 160 of them are endemic in the Caribbean Islands. Another thing that the Caribbean Islands have is nearly 90 mammal species. The Caribbean Islands is rich in the reptiles with over 500 species and which 470 of them are endemic. About 170 species of amphibian which include the four families of frogs, such as the Bufonidae, Dendrobatidae, Hylidae, and Lebtodactylidae. The Caribbean Islands also has more than 160 species of freshwater fish, in which 65 are endemic to the islands. Since the arrival of humans in the islands about 4000 years ago, the environmental degradation started to occur. The first wave was the deforestation of sugar cane plantations. The second wave was the impact of human settlers which introduce alien species to the area. Some examples of this is the agouti, a land tortoise and the white-tailed deer. According to the IUCN Protected Area Categories, the Caribbean Islands have about 13 percent of the hotspot protected. There is a need for better management, monitoring and enforcing the protected area in the Caribbean Islands. A lot of local organizations promote the conservations efforts of the Caribbean Islands. Some of them include the group of citizens and scientists in the Dominican Republic, in which they help support and manage Jaragua National Park. This is one of the largest land and sea parks in the hotspot. Another group that helps out is the Foundation for the Protection of Marine Biodiversity, in which they work with the fisherman and the government to promote maintainable use of the country’s marine resources.
2. 
3. I think that biodiversity is important because every living thing was created and exists for a reason. The reason is anthropocentric because all lifeform have some kind of use on our planet either it could be small or large they all deserve to live here. We need biodiversity to survive because without plants and animals we would not have food or air to breathe. The plants could give us oxygen in turn we give them carbon dioxide to breathe. The animals provide us with protein through their meat source. We also have to be careful on how much we hunt for food because we do not want any species of animals to become extinct in the process.

Research and describe a topic related to biodiversity affecting a location in your home state, preferably one on close proximity to where you live. Attach a system diagram illustrating the inter-connectivity of the some of the components in your chosen location. Cite any sources used.

Reed Canary grass. Scotch bloom. In Kitsap county, and most of western Washington, these two plants have nearly become household names. Both are non native species that were introduced into the region in hopes to improve habitat for livestock or garden aesthetics. Reed Canary grass was first introduced by farmers in the Clear Creek valley who were looking for a cheap, easy to grow food source for livestock. The problem with reed canary grass was that the livestock would not eat it. It quickly took over native vegetation and crowded out nearly all other grasses and native species. This is still a large problem along clear creek and throughout the valley. It is resistant to herbicides and because of its close proximity to clear creek and its watershed, most can not be sprayed regardless. Manual removal is very labor intensive and costly. Recent attempts to kill off the reed canary grass by covering it with a thick layer of mulch has been shown to be only marginally effective. Scotch bloom is another difficult non native species in my area. First introduced as a garden ornamental, it quickly escaped gardens and established a strong foothold across the region. Scotch Bloom reproduces and spreads quickly, choking out native vegetation, including smaller trees and undergrowth. It also has no known consumers, at least not native to this area. Its pollen is very irritating to most people, especially those with seasonal allergies. Like canary reed grass, it is also very resistant to herbicides and must be removed by hand. Manual removal is very difficult and costly as they are deep rooted and grow several feet tall.

These two non native invasive species have caused a significant amount of native habitat loss in Kitsap county, with reed canary grass being especially prevalent throughout the clear creek watershed. It is currently unknown as to the full extent and range of losses attributed to these plants, but the effects of local wildlife are more easily noticed. As typical forage areas for wildlife are taken over by these invasives, more wildlife are seen foraging closer and actually in town. While having black tail deer and rabbit in your yard may seem innocent enough (not taking eating your plants into consideration), their predators, which follow them in, are causing concern for many residents. Over the last several years, black bear, coyote and cougar sightings inside city limits have grown significantly. As their typical food sources move closer to town, they too, will move closer to town. It is always a little shocking to see the results of tampering with an ecosystem. By adding a new species, just as much damage can be done as if you took a species away. The biodiversity can be radically changed, sometimes irreversibly.

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In 250-350 words I want you to discuss any “biodiversity hotspot,” where it is in the country, it can even be your hometown.  Then I want you to remark on how it impacts that local town and that particular areas habitat.  Then finally I want you to discuss how this biodiversity hotspot can benefit both humans and the wildlife in that area.

In Wellsboro there is a National Monument called the Pine Creek Gorge, which is 47 miles long and sits in around 160,000 acres inside the Tioga state forest. What I wanted to accomplish in my own learning activity would be talking about the benefits this natural monument brings to both humans and various animals.  Now for starters I want to talk about the economic benefits of the Pine Creek Gorge to Wellsboro.  Every year thousands of tourists visit Wellsboro to see the Pine Creek Gorge either to walk the trail from top to bottom, or canoe or kayak through the gorge along pine creek, or to see the leaves change colors during October. This tourism brings a lot of people which in turn brings a lot of potential business for the townspeople of Wellsboro.

Secondly I want to talk about the biological benefits of the Pine Creek Gorge.  The Gorge provides an excellent habitat for all kinds of migratory birds which include wild turkeys, woodpeckers, mourning and black-and-white warblers.  I have also seen several different families of Bald Eagles.  With a large stream full of trout, and bass its great conditions for a large bird such as the Bald Eagle.  Also with 160,000 acres there is a great habitat for all kinds of wildlife, I personally have hunted for both bear and white tail deer in the state park.

Lastly there are hundreds of trails throughout this state park for both biking, running/jogging, and even horseback riding.  I personally have run 25k trail races hosted in the state park that takes you on vigorous trials with beautiful views along the way. This is a classic example of ecosystem protection coupled with human recreation.  With several combined efforts of the USGS, DCNR, and State Park Rangers.   I hope with limited human tampering this state park can continue to serve both humans and wildlife for many more years of come.

Choose two threats to biodiversity to research further and relate there problems to your hometown. Choose one from the modules and one to research on your own. 

1. The first threat to biodiversity I will be focusing on is overharvesting. Overharvesting has been a problem in this country for a long time in multiple ways. One example of this from the module that I thought was interesting was about deforestation in Pennsylvania. This was a historical problem where the clearing of the woodlands in Pennsylvania was used to supply fuel for iron furnaces. Also people liked the cleared spaces, so they removed the trees. The problem with this is that they did not account for how it would grow back. When new forests grow, they usually will not have the same biodiversity that the previous forest did. Overharvesting trees caused unnatural changes to the environment which negatively impacted all the animals and plants that were living there and forced them to find a new environment. Since this problem occurred in Pennsylvania, something like this could impact my hometown. Doylestown, PA has multiple forests and many species of wildlife living there. Recently an acre of forest near my home was burned down and that would definitely have a negative effect on the animals and plants that live there as they are forced to find a new place to live.
2. Another threat to biodiversity I chose to research was water pollution. There are multiple types of water pollution and all involve putting something into the ocean that is not meant to be there. One of the main types of water pollution is eutrophication which is putting substances into the ocean that affects the chemical nutrients in the water. Too much of these nutrients can cause algae to grow excessively which leads to them blocking sunlight for fish or plants. Fish cannot reproduce without sunlight and the ocean plants cannot go through photosynthesis. Also when algae grow they use a lot of oxygen that is in the water leaving less for other fish. This leads to fish moving around to find better oxygen or if they are not very mobile they could die. My hometown is not close to an ocean, but there are multiple small bodies of water. From personal observation, I know that people lazily throw their waste into the water. This water pollution can have very bad effects on the marine life there especially because in a small body of water like a pond or lake there is nowhere to completely escape the pollution. Both overharvesting and water pollution are evident in my hometown and hurting the biodiversity in the area.

Info from: http://www.edurite.com/kbase/effect-of-water-pollution-on-biodiversity

1.Find a protected area anywhere in the U.S. and tell us why it’s protected

A protected are that I found is the Badlands National Park located in South Dakota. This national park is filled with striking geologic deposits, which contains one of the world’s richest fossil beds. This was once the home to mammals such as the rhino, horse, and saber-toothed cat but now the park’s 244,000 acres protects an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets live today. A quick look at the Badlands will reveal that they were deposited in layers. The layers are composed of tiny grains of sediments such as sand, silt, and clay that have been cemented together into sedimentary rocks. It’s said that biologists have identified more than 400 different plant species growing in Badlands National Park. Each plant species is adapted to survive the conditions prevalent in the mixed-grass prairie ecosystem. The climate here is one of extremes, ranging from hot, cold, dry, windy and stormy, with occasional blizzards, floods, droughts, and fires.

2.What level, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), would your found protected area fall under and why?

The level that the Badlands National Park would fall under is Category 2: National Parks. Under this level, these areas are intended to balance ecosystem protection with human recreation. The Badlands National Park serves to protect it’s rich mixed-grass prairie, along with serving as a campground to humans. One problem with national parks in many developing countries is that there is little or no enforcement of regulations. I find this to be very true because while looking up this parks rules and regulations, all that they had listed was that as of February 22, 2010, a new federal law allows people who can legally possess firearms under applicable federal, state, and local laws, to legally possess firearms in this par. Then they mentioned that Federal law also prohibits firearms in certain facilities in this park; those places are marked with signs at all public entrances. Therefore, they have little regulations, as there is only one listed on their entire website.

3. Compare your found protected area with one of the protected areas mentioned in the module.

Yellowstone National Park, was the first national park in the world and was established in 1872. It provided habitat to the only wild bison herd during that era. Its model for protecting nature was to draw a boundary around a particular area and restrict human uses within it. The Badlands National Park is similar to Yellowstone National Park because they both are national parks, which means they’re both level 2, according to the IUCN. Also, both National Parks provided habitat to bison at one point or another. As stated in the module, National Parks can be very effective for conserving biodiversity, but it also raises questions of social justice. Although I agree with the concern of social justice, I believe that National Parks such as Yellowstone and Badlands are anthropocentric. I say this because many people “value” biodiversity for the sheer fact that these protected areas provide recreational benefits to them as well. hese National Parks are intended to balance ecosystem protection with human recreation

1.In 150-200 words, how would you categorize the level of biodiversity in your own hometown? What factors cause these levels to be so high or low?

I have been living in Athens, Pennsylvania all my life and have encountered a fairly high share of biodiversity. I live in an area full of farms, hills, forests, and protected parks which expose me to many species of birds, plants, trees, and other forest based life due to the habitat that surrounds me. The Susquehanna River flows through my town and additional creeks, lakes, and streams which means there is a variety of marine biodiversity as well. As the weather changes with the seasons I am fortunate enough to see a variety of diverse species come out during different times of the year. Looking out my back door I come across a variety of different birds chirping, deer wandering past, and I can hear coyotes howling during the nighttime. Over the years I have come to learn that several of the species that were once living in Pennsylvania have gone extinct due to many factors such as habitat loss, invasive species, climate change, human population, ect which saddens me quite a bit.

2. In 150-200 words, explain what are some ways you can protect the future of biodiversity in your hometown?

In order to protect the future of biodiversity in my town we can start by setting more strict laws. There are a lot of activities that should be regulated in order to stop nearby lakes and rivers from getting polluted and wiping out the marine life. These activities include gas drilling, motor boating, or even spreading manure. The run-off of gas, chemicals, and even manure that are involved in these activities can lead to the killing of a large amount of animals living in the water. Gas drilling has become huge in my town which has led to my community becoming more populated. Due to the increase in population, there has been a demand for more hotels. In order to build these hotels, trees have been cut down to open up more land to build on.  If we preserved specific areas and turned them into protected areas, we could save a significant amount of forests. This could lead to potentially saving a high amount of birds, insects, plants that are located there. Such small things being done in my town could ensure the safety of biodiversity that surrounds the area.

3. Some find it hard to grasp the concept of biodiversity. In order to better understand what was explained in Module 10, find an image that represents or illustrates biodiversity and explain in a short description the habitat the species lives in. Make sure to cite any sources that may be used additionally.

In my picture above is an orange salamander that can be found around the United States. I chose this animal to represent biodiversity because I have caught many of these in the woods behind my house growing up. Salamanders are amphibians that look like a cross between a frog and a lizard and have many species. The salamander’s habitat depends on what type of salamander it is. No matter the species, all salamanders need to keep their skin moist and need to have offspring in water, so a nearby water source is critical. Most species live in humid forests, though there are some exceptions. Salamanders are typically more active during cool times of the day and are nocturnal. During the day they lounge under rocks or in trees to stay cool, and come out to eat at night. We see how many factors such as climate and water sources are required to support the lifestyle of these salamanders that may be living in the woods behind your house. This small amphibian is just one of the many diverse creatures that are trying to hold on to the habitat they live in.

Bradford, By Alina. “Facts About Salamanders.” LiveScience. October 29, 2015.     Accessed April 13, 2016. http://www.livescience.com/52627-salamanders.html.

1. Throughout the module, human influence on biodiversity was discussed. In your hometown, how do the people affect biodiversity? Do they influence it in a positive way or a negative way? Write a 150-200 word paragraph explaining this.
2. For part 2 of this assignment, create a system diagram that shows how an activity that you do influences biodiversity.
3. Look up a current event relating to biodiversity. Summarize what you learned in a paragraph of 150-200 words.

Completing my assignment:

1. My hometown is Mountaintop, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the people in     Mountaintop affect biodiversity negatively.   When I thought about this question, a lot of negative actions came to mind that Mountaintop does. For example, in my hometown there is an industrial park. In the past, the industrial park did not dispose of the waste properly and it polluted the water supply in certain parts of our town. Citizens and the surrounding habitats were affected by this pollution. Water was not the only thing that is polluted in Mountaintop though. Everyone in Mountaintop drives almost everywhere they need to go. Although everything is close together and within walking distance, no one chooses to walk, which only hurts the environment because of the CO₂ polluting the air. Along with pollution, deforestation also impacts biodiversity in Mountaintop. In recent years, Mountaintop has cut down a lot of the trees in the town in order to develop new buildings. Overall, all of these actions that my hometown affects biodiversity negatively.

3. https://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/21ebdeac214e8208539c9f0b52cd5de4.htm

In this video, titled, “Chile’s most biodiverse park threatened by climate change,” I               learned about how the climate change is impacting Omora Park on Chile’s Navarino           Island. The video stated that this park is home to the largest variety of mosses and             lichens in the world. There are very different ecosystems that are able to exist in the           area. It was stated in the video that there are very dry ecosystems in the east of that           region and very wet ecosystems in the west portion of that ecosystem. This area is             by the Cape Horn region, which has not been industrialized, and the surrounding               water is extremely clean. However, the forests in Omora Park have become very                 efficient at absorbing CO_2. Since the region is so close to the South Pole, it has been         extremely affected by the climate change. Because of this, the species in the area               need to move to cooler temperatures, but they have nowhere to go. Today, Omora             Park is being monitored to in order to monitor the impact of climate change on a                 smaller scale.

Research a biodiversity hotspot and summarize what species live there, where it’s at, if there are any threats to the ecosystem in less than 200 words. Find 4 images of the species that live there and provide a brief 1-3 sentence description. Make sure to cite where you got the images from.

I chose to research tropical rainforests. They can be found in South America, Africa, and Indo-Malaysia. There are over 50 million invertebrate species in the rain forests. Scientists have also identified roughly 2000 plant species that would aid in curing different cancers, but this makes up less than 1% of the total number of plant species in the rain forests. Monkeys live in all rainforests. Bright colors ward off predators because they have found the bright colors associate with that animal or plant being poisonous. Current threats to rainforests are deforestation. Scientists say about a football field sized piece of rainforest is destroyed every second, which translates to about 31 million football fields of rainforest destroyed each year. Deforestation is also causing species to become extinct or close to becoming extinct. Mangrove forests are also being threatened by pollutants such as crude oil, toxic waste, and sewage.

https://wildtracks.wordpress.com/world-ecosystems/forest-ecosystems/tropical-forest-ecosystem/

This is a poison dart frog and are located in South American rainforests. They eat termites, crickets, flies and ants. They live near marshes, streams, and rivers.

http://www.rainforestanimals.net/rainforestanimal/poisondartfrog.html

The jaguar is found in Central and South America. They eat a variety of animals that include turtles and deer. They can grow to be 5.5 to 8 feet long.

http://www.rainforestanimals.net/rainforestanimal/jaguar.html

This is an orchid found in Central and South America. Some can grow to be large enough that petals are 30 inches long and flowers growing to 14 feet long.

This is a Bromeliad found in Central and South America, and one in Africa. This is the similar to pineapples, they are in the same family.

http://www.ecorazzi.com/2012/02/08/ten-amazing-rainforest-plants/

1) In this module, we talked about biodiversity and how humans have been influencing biodiversity for a long time and how it has caused extinctions. So research and describe an animal or two that was a “human caused” extinction and how it became extinct. This prompt should be 150-200 words.

Humans have caused 322 animal extinctions over the past 500 years and about two thirds of those have occurred in the past two hundred years with one of the 322 being the West African Black Rhino. The West African Black Rhino was a subspecies of the black rhino. In 2011, it was declared as extinct and last existed in Cameroon. There was a survey in 2006 done that did not find any living signs of the West African Black Rhino. The West African Black Rhino became extinct because of poaching from humans because of the high demand and price paid for their horn. Another animal that was declared extinct in 2008 was the Caribbean monk seal. It was declared extinct in 2008 after a five year review and search by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service. The Caribbean monk seal was last seen in the early 1950s but have been hunted since the 15^th century. The European explorers began arriving in the 15^th century and began to hunt the Caribbean monk seal. They were hunted for their fur, meat and oil by fisherman and whalers until they became extinct.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/22/11-extinct-animals_n_4078988.html

2) In this module, we also talked about biodiversity and The Amazon Rainforest. Describe what is being done to help preserve the Amazon Rainforest and what can you do individually to help preserve the rainforest. This Prompt should be 150 – 200 words.

The Amazon Rainforest was being cut down in order to increase economic growth in Brazil. Within the last ten years, Brazil’s economic growth has continued to expand through an expanding agricultural output. All of this is being done while deforestation is being reduced. Whenever trees are being cut down, the animals of the rainforest are losing their habitats. The processes of restoring entire ecosystems are being restored and trees are being planted. Although this is just a start, without any or very little human pressure, the Amazon rainforest will recover completely in those areas after a couple of years of being left alone. Brazil has set aside more protected areas over the Amazon Rainforest so it can’t be cut down and continues to do that to this day. One thing that will can do as individuals is to not buy anything that is made with wood from the Amazon Rainforest. The demand for the wood will go down and deforestation will halt to an end.

http://www.mongabay.com/saving_brazils_forests.html

1. Find a personal favorite/particularly interesting US National Park and describe its biodiversity in a general sense. (100-200 words)

2. Create an energy flow systems diagram on Google Docs including at least five different animal species and 1 plant species. (Describe the interaction between species along the arrows of the diagram.)

3. Identify a current or potential future threat to a species in the National Park. Has there been any steps taken to address these threats? If so, please describe. If not, think of a way this threat could be stopped or mitigated. (100-200 words)

1. The Zion National Park is situated in a particularly fascinating area of Southwest Utah, and exhibits some of the most striking landscape scenery in the country. Along with its amazing views, it also houses a variety of plant and animal species. The top predators within the park include cougars, coyotes, X, and X. Bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, rock squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and many other small animals roam the park as well. The park contains bright green flora that provides great contrast to the canyon walls throughout Zion. There are a vast amount of plant species throughout the park include sagebrush, prickly pear cactus, juniper, and douglas fir. At Zion National Park, no matter where one turns, a landscape bursting with life is lying there waiting to be explored.

3. One issue that the Zion National Park has faced throughout much of its history and still to this day, is a shortage of bighorn sheep. The initial decline in bighorn sheep populations was due to the damaging effects of the settlement and development of the local land. As we have seen in this past module and others before it, human development of land has extremely damaging effects including disrupting water flows, depleting resources, and introducing new diseases through livestock. The loss of the bighorn sheep would mean a link in the food chain would be removed, undoubtedly causing damage to the rest of the species in the park. There have been reintroduction efforts ongoing since the mid-1960’s, but numbers stayed low for a number of decades throughout multiple attempts. Presently, there are over 65 bighorn sheep in the park and the herd appears to be doing well and growing. Park officials believe Zion could support at least twice as many bighorns, so hopes are up for the future of this iconic species.

1) As discussed in Module 10, species are becoming endangered daily due to biodiversity threats and changes. Using a credible source, choose one species and within 250-300 words explain why that species is threatened or endangered? If that species were to become extinct, how would that affect biodiversity? Make sure to incorporate different concepts mentioned throughout the module in your response.

When looking up threatened species, so many different types appeared online, however, I am going to focus on Pacific Salmon. This species interests me because I personally love to eat salmon and reading about the endangerment of salmon really makes me think twice about my own actions. When salmon are first born, they travel from freshwater rivers and lakes to the sea. We all know how popular Salmon is among humans and animals. It is sold at restaurants, at grocery stores, eaten by indigenous people and consumed by all types of other animals. Therefore, salmon plays a vital role within freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. Some threats that are affecting salmon are from illegal poaching, habitat destruction, different developmental activities, unregulated over harvesting and climate change. Since people constantly consume salmon and our population is rapidly growing, fisheries are over harvesting, therefore killing more and more salmon. Meaning that as humans are killing lots of salmon, other animals are also eating salmon and environmental changes are causing salmon to die. It is undeniable that the salmon population will soon go extinct if we keep up this mass killing of salmon. If salmon were to go extinct, not only would humans and animals diets change, but also some animals wouldn’t receive appropriate nutrition. Secondly, salmon are a part of the food chain, meaning that other animals would suffer from either a lack of food or they may rapidly populate because they aren’t being eaten. Therefore if salmon were to go extinct, not only would that affect us anthropocentrically, because our economy would decrease and we’d lose food options, but ecocentrically the environment would not be healthy. This can exceed resilience, ultimately disturbing our ecosystem and biodiversity.

“Pacific Salmon.” WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

2) During this module, we read an article about honeybees and the colony collapse disease. Create a system diagram representing colony collapse of honeybees and its affect on biodiversity. Be sure to include at least 5 components on the system diagram.

3) In this module, we have read about how rapidly biodiversity is decreasing due to different human-environmental threats. Imagine we are now in the year 2025, do you still think the decline of biodiversity will be an issue? Please explain why or why not using 150-200 words.

During this module, we read about how the rate of extinction is increasing because of an increase in human population, consumption levels and mobility along with habitat loss, invasive species, pollution and over harvesting. Since our population is rapidly growing I think sustaining biodiversity is still going to be an issue in 2025. Although through conservation triage and IUCN protected area categories we are trying to maintain biodiversity, as our population grows we are only going to need more and more resources. Thus meaning that we will rely on expanding industries or using even more of our natural resources to attain these necessities. Unfortunately, this is what leads to a loss of biodiversity, which can cause our ecosystem to collapse. Hopefully at this point in time, we will have more beneficial alternatives for human-environmental activities that will help keep the richness and variation of living organisms. But at the rate we’re at, our population growth along with climate change, deforestation and pollution will only keep increasing causing a loss of biodiversity.

1. Research 6 regions and make a chart, 3 containing good biodiversity and 3 lacking biodiversity from your knowledge based off of the module 10 reading.
2. Pick 2 regions, one containing good biodiversity and one containing bad biodiversity from the chart above and explain the reasons as to why the biodiversity is good or bad.
3. Think about your hometown. Would you consider it has good or bad biodiversity? Why do you think this? What are ways to improve biodiversity in your hometown for the future?

1.

2. One of the regions I researched containing good biodiversity is the Amazon Rainforest. Being one of the biggest rainforests in the world, the Amazon is home to more than half the world’s biodiversity. The amazon has such great biodiversity from both anthropocentric and ecocentric reasons. Examples of anthropocentrism in the amazon relate to creating medicines from their natural resources and using their natural crops (fruits and sugar cane) for food.   Ecocentricism in the amazon is very complex. Each relationship between species has a different outcome. Hunting, preying, and eating and reproducing are a natural and balanced activities each specie experiences, creating extreme biodiversity in the area. On the other hand, Nigeria is a region that is lacking biodiversity due to deforestation. They are one of the most specie threatened regions in the world. Over the past years Nigeria has destroyed 55.7% of its forest. This deforestation resulted from being a developing country. The trees are used for logging, timber exports, agriculture, domestic purposes, and fuel, which are all problematic factors.

3. I live in a suburban town. There are many neighborhoods and commercial buildings but there is also a bay and unused land. I wouldn’t say my town has great biodiversity but I don’t think it has terrible biodiversity. I think the buildings take away the natural land species live in, car pollution can kill species, and garbage lying around can also cause a lot of harm to the biodiversity in my area. However, the bay is extremely clean and houses many fish and the land is fairly clean and healthy. Some ways to improve the biodiversity in my town is to use less cars, stop building more buildings, and cleaning up the streets. However I think it is impossible to abandon the use of automobiles, I think it is possible to reduce the amount a person drives a car a day. I believe those three factors are the main reason for the decreasing biodiversity. There are towns that are much filthier than my town that gives me inspiration to keep my town clean and healthy to help the biodiversity stay alive.

Leaning Activity 

In this module, we learned about the threats to biodiversity in The Amazon Rainforest. As we read, deforestation is one of the largest threats to the ecological environment in tropical rainforests. Tropical rainforests in regions along the equator of South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa are critical to the world’s carbon cycle. For this learning assignment, you will use Google Earth to identify a large region of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest of South America and connect the threats experienced there to the U.S.

1. Use Google Earth to locate a deforested area in the Amazon basin (hint: look around highways, river systems, and cities). Include a screenshot of the deforested area of land you selected.
2. Do some research and identify the location. Explain why it is deforested. What is its purpose? Include any biodiversity that is threatened, or impact the deforestation has on the community. In a paragraph of 200-300 words summarize your findings.
3. Use what you have learned from researching this area and connect it to the U.S. (or your hometown or surrounding area if relevant). This threat could have occurred in the past or is one occurring now. In a paragraph of 200-300 words address this connection and explain why conservation is necessary against these threats.

Response 

1.Puerto Maldonado, Perú.

2. Puerto Maldonado is the capital of the province Madre de Dios. In the image I can identify route 30C, this is a section of the Interoceanic Highway that spans across South America and connects Peru to Brazil. The Interoceanic Highway is controversial because it is paved through the Andes mountains in Peru and the Amazon basin in Brazil. Along its path, the areas surrounding the highway are now developing. As we can see in the image, there are large patches of deforested rainforest along the route and river. Although, Puerto Maldonado existed before the highways formation between 2006 and 2011 it has become a location under increased migration of gold miners and loggers and is a hotspot for ecotourism along the Madre de Dios river. I could not find a specific species extinction due to this development, but I found excessive literature on how increased migration to Puerto Maldonado increases the threats to biodiversity. Madre de Dios is part of the emerging market between Brazil and China and a location to traffic lumber, beef, soy, citrus, minerals through to Brazil (cite). Indigenous people are the ones most affected along the highways path, and local habitats are ruined from increased mining and logging. In the Madre de Dios, 100 birds and mammal species are critically endangered (cite). As an ecotourist to this region last summer I had the opportunity to witness development along the highway, and specifically hear of the impact this development has had on indigenous people in areas outside the city.

3. While this region experiences large threats to its biodiversity, the region is surrounded by large conservation areas developed and protected by the indigenous to the area. When deforestation occurs in the Amazon, it is a larger threat than deforestation in my area because the climate is critical to the regulation of carbon in the atmosphere; it is a large “sink” for carbon, whereas forests in central Pennsylvania are less substantial to the Earth’s climatic systems and lack great biodiversity. South America’s current development is similar to the U.S. in the 1800s where most of Pennsylvania was deforested for timber in home building. A comparison of the Interoceanic Highway can be made to the U.S. The development of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1896, which increased migration from coast to coast and accelerated gold mining and hunting in the West. Development of our landscape and economy heightened with this transportation development. While the U.S. benefited, the buffalo species and indigenous people paid the cost. The loss of the world’s biodiversity hotspots can impact total climate patterns and are critical to protect, but we must pay attention and allow other countries in the regions develop their economy. One key difference I noticed between protection of Amazon regions and conservation in the U.S. is that indigenous people establish conservation in South America, where the U.S. creates state or national parks. I feel the U.S. is too advanced in our wildlife and landscape destruction to go back, but regions like Madre de Dios understand the importance of conservation. They work to protect their biodiversity but increased ecotourism, and the Interoceanic Highway has posed a large threat for them to manage.

Reference

Kirby, S. (2007). Identifying Sites for Protected Areas Based on Endemic Species Richness and Threat in Madre de Dios, Peru (Doctoral dissertation). Duke University. http://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/10161/406/MP_sak4_200709.pdf?sequence=1

First Paragraph: Find and describe an ecosystem service that is currently used for anthropogenic reasons. Determine if this ecosystem will continue to provide services for humanity, or if it is in danger because of human activities in the area.

Second Paragraph: Create a diagram of how the ecosystem works and some of the services supplied.

Third Paragraph: If this ecosystem is being destroyed, are there any steps being taken to reduce or reverse the damage that has been done to ecosystem?

1.)  I have chosen to describe the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. This ecosystem once provided many fishing and food opportunities for humanity. The Chesapeake Bay would supply the city with plenty of fish for local populations. This bay was used primarily for anthropogenic reasons and the abundance of fish in the ecosystem provided the ecosystem service. However, the Bay provides just a fraction of the fish compared to the 60’s. This reduction in fish is a product of the human interaction with the ecosystem. In recent years, society has polluted the ecosystem with different nutrients. These nutrients fueled the growth of algae blooms which in result lowered the dissolved oxygen in the water. The fish were no longer able to survive in these conditions, and therefore the ecosystem has struggled to survive with these conditions.

2.)  See the attached Diagram

3.)  The ecosystem is being destroyed in this situation. One of the main steps that is being utilized to protect this ecosystem is to reduce pollution. This is reducing the pollution from nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrient pollutions. This is because the major issue in the Bay is the low BOD levels. These levels are not allowing the fish to survive in the Bay. The nitrogen and phosphorus are the main cause of the low BOD levels. There are several ways that this is being done. It can be as simple as lowering pollution by recycling, but other efforts include using less fertilizer. This is because fertilizer tends to have plenty of nutrients in it that can run off in to the Bay. Other efforts to restore the Bay include planting Bay grasses in the water to try and increase dissolved oxygen levels.

Info on the Chesapeake Bay taken from the website:

“The Bay EcoSystem.” Chesapeake Bay Program. Accessed April 11, 2016. http://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/bayecosystem.

1. In 175-200 words, how would you categorize the level of biodiversity in your own hometown? In regards to this specific level, what factors cause this?

I live in Belmar, New Jersey. I would consider my hometown to have an above average level of biodiversity. The area I live in consists of an abundant amount of farms, protected parks, and fulfilling amount of trees, so we are fortunate enough to be provided with such a diverse amount of trees, birds, plants, animals, and insects. Because of our abundant amount of lakes, forests, and open farm fields during changing climates and seasons, we are granted with such a high range of different species. However, what makes our level of diversity above average is the fact that we live a few blocks from the beach, providing our town with a marine biodiversity as well. Unfortunately, due to the excessive amount of overfishing and water mobile entertainment, many of the past fish we used to have are now either extinct or becoming endangered. Our local restaurants have taken the anthropocentric advantage of profit, using the marine life as a popular fish dish for both local and out of state visitors. Belmar used to have a much higher level of biodiversity, but these specific factors of human activity have caused our town just to be slightly above average.

2. As we are well aware, species are being either endangered or extinct on a daily basis. In 175-200 words, please choose one type of species and explain the reasoning behind the specific extinction/endangerment.

One of the most respected birds in our country is unfortunately endangered in the state of New Jersey; the bald eagle. The main reason behind their high decline is persecution. Eagles are sensitive to human disturbance and will abandon their nest sites if people encroach on the area during the nesting season. Since Belmar is growing in population every day, construction workers need to increase the amount of trees being cut down so we can provide a home for our citizens. Unfortunately, cutting down each tree is cutting down the home of the bald eagle. The inability to have a home to live in gives the bald eagle the inability to nest and produce more babies. Though biologists are currently working with landowners to protect their habitat as well as the state’s land use regulations, New Jersey is guilty in regards to to bald eagles dying on impact by electrical wires, followed by the impact of widespread use of the persistent pesticide DDT. Thankfully, the ban of DDT combined with restoration efforts by biologists within the ENSP increased the number of New Jersey bald eagles to 146 active pairs in 2014.

3.  In your personal opinion, explain in 200-250 words upon ways/ideas we can protect the future of biodiversity.

In order to protect the future of biodiversity, there are several different ideas our township can pursue. Specifically for Belmar, one of them is to make stricter regulations in regards to water mobiles and overfishing. Though jet skiing and wave running are two popular water activities during the summer for tourists that produce most of our profit, the excessive amount of oil entering the ocean releases dangerous toxins and poisons to our fish. If we set certain days to use these devices or a specific number of minutes in a day, we could save so much potential to our ocean and reduce the amount of oil entering the ocean. In addition, Belmar needs to set a law upon how much we are allowed to fish. Even if this means a specific size of a fish we are allowed to keep or let go back into the water, we could save the lives of so much of our marine life.  My hometown also consists of a large capacity of people, even though our town is very small. This causes construction workers to cut down trees to fit more apartment buildings into our community. If we preserved specific areas and turned them into protected parks or land, we could save a significant amount of forests, which is potentially saving a high amount of birds, insects, and even the possibility of plants that could be used for the future of a kind of medicine to a specific cure.

First Paragraph: Find and choose one area that fits under a category of the IUCN protected areas. In 100-150 words, describe what category it fits under and what makes it fit under this specific category.

Second Paragraph: Choose one type of species that has either gone extinct or is on the endangered species list. In 100-150 words, explain what is causing the extinction and how the biodiversity is being affected or will be affected after extinction.

Third Paragraph: In the module we learned that biodiversity matters for both anthropocentric and egocentric reasons. It seems that many people do not care for the egocentric reasons.  In a short paragraph, 100-125 words, explain why these reasons are important. If you do not agree, give your reasons behind the argument.

1. The Yellowstone National Park is one of the most commonly known national parks in the United States. It is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, but is also located in Montana and Idaho. As the name suggests, this reserve fits under Category 2 which is the national parks. The description for this category includes an area that is intended to balance the ecosystem with human recreation. The Yellowstone National Park is exactly this. It is an area that has been set aside for permanent protection, but humans often vacation here. The Yellowstone National Park is the oldest national park in the United States.

2. One animal that is well-known is the White Rhino. However, it may not be known that these animals are titled as “critically endangered”. There is more than one cause of the decline of these animals which includes habitat loss, illegal wildlife trade, and poaching. White Rhinos are important to the ecosystem. It has been discovered that “short grass” grows better and there is a higher quantity of short grass where the Rhinos graze. Short grass is important because where there is short grass, there is a higher diversity in the landscape. Without rhinos, the function and dynamics of the Savanna ecosystem is said to become threatened.

3. Egocentric reasons to value biodiversity is based on the idea that biodiversity has essential value beyond human use. In the module, an example given was that a redwood should be protected in order for future generations to appreciate it. This is exact example is also brought up a lot when talking about climate change, which is another aspect of biodiversity. I believe that it is important for future generations to see and appreciate the environment and wildlife as much as we are able to. I believe that egocentric reasons for conserving biodiversity is important because the different species and wildlife on this Earth are beautiful and should be treated the same as human life.

1. In your hometown, how would you characterize levels of biodiversity? What are the main sources of the biodiversity and how do you imagine this has changed over time?

My hometown is Swarthmore PA.  My hometown has a fair amount of biodiversity. There are many species of birds, plants, trees, and other forest based life due to the large park/protected area in my town. There is also a large water shed in the area, meaning there is marine biodiversity was well. A major river along with things like lakes and streams are everywhere so there is bound to be plenty of biodiversity in relation to places without such an intense system of forests and water ways. I am sure that back in the day hundreds of years ago, there were many more species of trees, plants, and insects. The virgin forest map in the module shows that my area was a victim, along with the rest of the eastern US, of total loss of virgin forest. While there has clearly been replanting and forests that exist now, the biodiversity has shrunk because of the loss of all the original forest back in the day.

2. Is the biodiversity increasing or decreasing? Why do you think this?

My assumption would be that biodiversity is decreasing. The main issue why is definitely invasive species that are ruining the natural, and fragile, bio-system in place. These invasive species can be fish that take over the lakes and rivers, plants/weeds to overtake natural species, or insects that take the spot in the ecosystem of others. This is because of the increasing globalization that everywhere experiences. Plants and animals that were given access to my town in the past 50 years from all over the world have drastically changed the biodiversity of Swarthmore. These plants and animals were introduced and before anyone realized it, they upset the balance that was naturally there. There are now laws and such in place to ensure that these invasive species are not newly introduced, but some damage has definitely been done.

3. What could be done to further protect biodiversity? Would it be possible to increase the biodiversity of your town?

My town could do several things to protect biodiversity: increase the pollution standards is one. Some species are very delicate and sensitive and any pollution in the river for example could wipe out a species of fish or insect. The rain falling from the clouds must be as clean as possible so as to not upset the ecosystem. Also, there could be stricter laws on cutting down any tree, this would preserve the species that are present now. As for increasing biodiversity, I believe that is something that is relatively impossible. Biodiversity should be protected not forced. By introducing new species or old ones that are now gone, there is a large risk of further upsetting the balance and in fact hurting biodiversity more than helping.

1. Biodiversity can be a tough subject to understand sometimes and to explain. After reading through this module, in a paragraph of 150-250 words, how would you go about explaining the subject of biodiversity to another person unfamiliar with the term?

Working on a degree in Agriculture at Penn State, I end up hearing this term quite often actually, but what does it really mean? Biodiversity centers on the idea that many different organisms live in the same general vicinity or environment creating a sort of mini-ecosystem. The level of biodiversity can be measured anywhere from a very small scale to a very large scale and researchers on this topic study how these diverse organisms coexist in the same area together and still survive. Sometimes we might even think that when we look at our neighbor next door “how do we do that?”! Biodiversity is an important aspect of the environmental system because if everything was exactly the same, we would all be prone to the exact same diseases and it would be more difficult to come up with new inventions, especially, since so many of our ideas actually come from nature, to name a few issues. This kind of reminds me of discussing monoculture in my Ag classes. Monoculture is when a farmer only grows one crop and one crop only in the same spot from year to year to year. Consequently this means that the soil can be depleted of all of a particular nutrient, the crops are all susceptible to the same diseases, and thus if a pathogen or insect pest arrives on the scene, all could be lost since all of the fields would then be affected. So biodiversity makes things more interesting!

2. Finally in a third paragraph of 150-250 words, talk about what factors might contribute to the biodiversity or lack thereof in a given area.

The level of biodiversity can depend and be affected by a number of different things, such as the weather, the latitude, the population, etc. With regards to the weather, Biodiversity can vary with very humid climates, hot and dry ones, ones with a lot of rainfall and so on. In State College, the climate is fairly cool and somewhat humid. Winters can be very cold, so any organisms which live here must be capable of either withstanding these cold temperatures and the snow and ice or be able to hibernate. Consequently we have some bears, many insects and fungi, which thrive in the humid climate characteristic of our summers and falls. Besides the climate, there are other things which govern the level of diversity. Globalization of business, which may in turn encourage monoculture because certain areas are better for growing a certain crop than others and which can now be transported just about everywhere in the world with globalization.

3. For the last part of this assignment, find one image that represents biodiversity in your understanding of the term. Include it with your blog post and add a short description of why you feel this can relate to biodiversity.

This picture represents biodiversity to me because I can look at the mushrooms there and imagine all of the organisms which nourish themselves on the fruiting structure of the fungus. The dead leaves of fall lay around the mushrooms and one can envision how they will be decomposed by the organisms in the soils, such as insects and worms. The mushrooms are also wet, indicating the weather was rainy and thus very beneficial for the fungi as well as the other plants in the forest along with it. This is biodiversity on a very small scale, but I think it’s pretty neat how many different processes and organisms one can imagine operating there with just one picture.

1. In the module, different levels of biodiversity were discussed. Now, in 150-200 words, discuss the biodiversity in your own home town.  Start by stating the area that you are identifying in, and then go into the biodiversity present and the scale in your town.

ANSWER: My hometown is Westfield, New Jersey.  My town is home to many different species being situated in the temperate climate of New Jersey, with several county parks that help to maintain biodiversity.  A few species in my town include Black Bears, Red-winged Blackbird, Carolina Wren, American Robin, Red-bellied Woodpecker, coyotes, White-tailed Deer, and the Peregrine Falcon.  Many of these species have adapted to living in a place with cold winters and warm summers, basically with a wide degree of variability in temperature.  The biodiversity of my area is quite large given its changing conditions, but not as large as a warmer, greener area like a rainforest.  The parks in my hometown actually do a very good job at maintaining the biodiversity in my area.  People, including myself, are constantly seeing herds of deer and sometimes even bears and coyotes in the parks, meaning that the parks are maintained and can support a wide amount of wildlife.  However, because of reduced habitat, more and more deer are wandering residual areas and golf courses.  Habitat loss has become a large issue in my town.

2. Now, that you have addressed the biodiversity in your town, discuss how the biodiversity is decreasing or increasing. Why is this happening?  Try to do this in 150-200 words.

ANSWER: Invasive species, as well as loss of habitat, are the two largest issues of biodiversity in my town.  The Formosan Subterranean Termite is an invasive species in my hometown.  It arrived in 2003 after hiding on ships coming from the Pacific, specifically from China.  The termites do not have many natural predators, especially because they have been introduced into the area very recently.  As a result, they have been competing with the natural termite species and have caused expensive structural damage because they are not hunted.  Purple loosestrife is another invasive plant to my area.  Purple loosestrife is an issue because it will check out native plant species if they are unchecked.  While its origins cannot be determined, it does become a large problem if unkept. Habitat loss is another large area of concern when it comes to a loss of biodiversity.  Being so close to major cities, New York City and Newark, many people want to live in my town.  This means that trees and woodland areas are constantly being torn down to make room for houses if they have not been already.

3. In 150-200 words, discuss what you would like to see your town or area do in the future to increase its biodiversity or something that your town is currently trying to do.

ANSWER: To help decrease the issue behind the purple loosestrife, my town has planned to release Gallerucella beetles to help decrease the plant’s population.  The bugs are kept in chilled containers before their release, so once they hit the warm weather outside, they become very active and begin munching on the purple loosestrife at very high frequencies. This helps decrease the amount of purple loosestrife to a tolerable level.  The interesting part is that the Gallerucella beetle is actually another invasive species, but their levels are easier to control than the loosestrife, so they are used as a form of defense and then die.  I think I would really like to see my town enact a regulation or uphold a level of woodland density and area.  Given a large amount of deforestation in my area, many animals have become displaced or have died.  I would like to see my town honor the idea that they need to have a certain area of woodland to recover from a lot of trees that they have taken down.  This will help to maintain the biodiversity in the area before it is too late.

Assignment: How you can relate to biodiversity and draw a diagram and explain.

After reading this module I found that the project I am currently working on and the module are discussing similar devastation, biodiversity hotspots and deforestation. The project I am working on mentions the increasing rate the rain forest is declining due to deforestation as a result of agriculture for palm oil.  I would consider the rain forests of Malaysia and Indonesia a biodiversity hot spot since the habitat loss is due to human activity. The orangutans in Indonesia are now critically endangered due to palm oil production and illegal trade.

In my personal life I do not physically see the devastation of the biodiversity hot spots but I see deforestation on a small scale. The type of deforestation I see on a daily basis is the tearing down of area forests to make use for more subdivisions for the ever rising human population in our area.

I chose to start my diagram with biodiversity at the top because it’s what makes this world live and thrive. I wanted to start with the positive and slowly trickle my way down to show how humans, in the end, negatively affect biodiversity. The right side of my diagram shows some of the components that makes up biodiversity and the right side gives examples of the destruction to biodiversity. They both meet at agriculture which is one cause for deforestation and it all comes together at humans because we are the reason for the need for agriculture and for deforestation.

Module 10 Learning Activity

• Let’s get personal with biodiversity. Create a system diagram that illustrates how one activity you do in your hometown that decreases biodiversity in the ecosystems near you.

• In a comprehensive paragraph: Think about the event you chose and explain its importance. Is the activity necessary or is it something that just makes life more convenient? Is the activity something unique to yourself or is something everyone in your hometown does(In other words is it an individual problem or a collective problem)? Explain how you would like to change your own actions or the actions of your peers to help increase or maintain biodiversity in your surrounding area.

Completing My Assignment

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2) As we learned in module 7 driving a personal car is definitely not necessary, with successful urban planning cars can become more of an annoyance than a useful method of transportation. I enjoy driving myself into the city because I do not enjoy relying on public transportation unless absolutely necessary. Since my hometown is an automobile suburb most people own cars and therefore prefer to drive into the city like myself. My hometown does have two train stations that have direct lines into many different parts of the city. Collectively as a town if we starting using the train to commute to the city it would effectively reduce the number of cars on the main highways. With less cars comes less traffic, not only will this make every driver super happy it will also reduce the need to build more highways and the pollution that is a result of driving fossil fuel powered vehicles. In addition, I also learned from my final project research the construction of roads produces a lot of pollution, avoiding this pollution is just another benefit of switching from cars to trains. This will allow the local wetlands to stay together as one large ecosystem, by keeping all species together will keep a large gene pool. An ecosystem with more genetic diversity will make it more resilient if the wetlands face a disturbance.

Assignment: Start by researching information about a biodiversity hotspot. The research should include a summary of the location of the area, commonly found species in the area, and factors which lead to biodiversity loss. Then, look at the IUCN Protected Area Categories and determine which category would apply to the area and explain why. The response should be less than 600 words total. Make sure to include links to websites where data is collected.

The hotspot I have chosen is the East Melanesian Islands. They (1,600 islands) are located off the coast of Papa New Guinea and east of Australia in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are diverse in nature as some have mountains which exceed two thousand meters while other islands have active volcanoes. The area is home to over eight thousand species of plants, and the most prized tree is the Kauri Pine. There are around three thousand plants which are endemic to the area. In total, there are over six hundred species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and freshwater fishes. There are several species of birds which are specific to one island. These include the fearful owl specific to the Solomon Island (Nesasio solomonenis, VU) and the Sanford fish-eagle which is located on Eastern islands near coastal forests (Haliaeetus sanfordi, VU). As for mammals, over half of the species are endemic to the area. A few examples are the flying foxes (Pteropodidae), the cuscus (Spilocuscus kraemeri), and the monkey-faced bat (Pteralopex anceps, CR). Furthermore, the region is home to six endemic kinds of reptiles. The most common is a large tailed skink (Corucia zebrata) which lives in epiphytes trees and feeds off their leaves. Finally, there are over thirty-eight endemic species of amphibians and forty-two species of freshwater fishes.

Even though the East Melanesian Islands are home to many endemic species, there are several threats which can lead to their destruction. The main threat to biodiversity is rapid forest clearance. The forests are being cleared to meet the needs of the increasing population and corporations. Copra and oil palm plantations have negatively affected the Bismarck, Solomon, and Vanuatu Islands through massive land clearings and logging endeavors. Only twenty-five percent of the forests are still in their old, original condition. Mining is a threat to particular regions of the islands as well. To protect the diverse species living in the area, something needs to be done. In Module 10, I learned about the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s six levels of protected areas. In the case of the East Melanesian Islands, there are several groups of people which live on them. So, one needs to take into account the lives and income for families when determining ways to protect biodiversity. I believe the Category 1: Strict Nature Reserves protection would work best for the islands. The Category allows for indigenous people to hunt and gather but all other activities must be limited. So, families would still be able to farm on the islands. To meet the needs of the increasing population, the islands could dedicate five percent of the land on each island to new families which contain limited biodiversity. Also, corporations would not be able to clear forests for their own benefit in an area which has over eight thousands species of plants. With some species on the brink of extinction, tourism would be limited in the area as well. The government and locals would need to enforce the protection to ensure the safety and survival of species which are vital to our world.

All information is collected from  http://www.cepf.net/resources/hotspots/Asia-Pacific/Pages/East-Melanesian-Islands.aspx

For my assignment, I will create a systems diagram about how the bee population affects humans, and present some solutions to the problem. I have chosen this assignment because it relates to my final paper topic as well as biodiversity. After completing the systems diagram, I will include a short paragraph of 150-200 words that explains the concepts presented.

In the systems diagram, I outlined the initial causes of the decline in the bee population: pesticides, parasites, pathogens, and poor nutrition. This then leads to higher food prices, especially on certain fruits, vegetables, and nuts. It also leads to growers having to put more land into crop production to ensure they can grow enough food. Some possible solutions and ways we can help prevent more loss of the bee population is to increase the diversity of pollinator habitats, utilize ecological farming, and plant more flowers for the bees to feed on. These are all actions we can take and we should care about the bees. Without bees pollinating our crops, we will loose a lot of food. Many people don’t realize the variety of crops the bees pollinate for us and how their decline will significantly impact our species. With the move toward this issue becoming an anthropocentric problem, I expect more individuals to view this as something that will affect their daily lives.

For this learning activity I have decided to assess the biodiversity of my home state of Pennsylvania. The United States has a wide range of biodiversity, varying from North to South and East to West. Pennsylvania has a vast array of forests with many different species of plants and wildlife. The different seasons that we experience here provide different weather that allows certain species to thrive at different times. There is not one constant climate like some areas experience. For example, in the summer we see trees full of leaves and wildlife out and about, but in winter many species are in hibernation and waiting for warmer weather. In contrast, more southern states experience higher temperatures year round and have more of a tropical climate, especially the state of Florida. Go further West and we see a dry climate with little rainfall and different agricultural conditions. It is clear that even in one single country, there can be much biodiversity.

With Pennsylvania having a wide biodiversity, species have a greater likelihood of surviving when threats are presented. If there were ever a certain species facing extinction within this state there are many others that would still be able to thrive and adapt. However, we could face serious problems if our forests were completely cleared, since they are a major part of our environment. Not only would it cause problems for humans, but also for the creatures who make these forests their homes. This could lead to animals invading human spaces and possibly even causing minor destruction. It is important to me to not only preserve the biodiversity in Pennsylvania, but throughout the world as well. As the dominant species on this planet, it is vital that we take account for our actions and do all that we can to decrease harmful effects on the environment. As discussed in the module, it is not always humans that contribute to biodiversity threats, but natural events such as climate change and natural disasters. In these cases, we still have the responsibility to rebuild and help species thrive again.