Ecosystems

Algae are a natural component of aquatic ecosystems, however, due to the magnifying effects of climate change and nutrient pollution of natural waters, as well as considering the growing demands on potable water due to growing populations, algal blooms pose a growing threat to water safety. We are observing increasing instances of algal blooms, which pose a significant threat to human and native ecosystem health, reduce aesthetic quality of source water by causing taste and odor issues, and may…

Biodiversity is a very important part to the ecosystem. It is defined as “the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.” There is more evidence pilling up that it is being lost at all scales. This is a complex system that is not only important to a healthy environment globally and…

Over my time at spring island I learned many things and these things will help me in every aspect of my life. The three most important lessons I learned were: everything is connected, The environment should be cherished, and that all things are good for something. Everything is connected was a saying used by the kyuquot people and I believe that it can be used a lot in life, in wildlife if we catch fish that will affect the predators of those fish and the chain keeps on going also in life if you…

important role in regulation of climate. Biodiversity is a major part of life-support system. It is particularly ecological, economic, spiritual, cultural, and aesthetic importance. Although the benefits from biodiversity, present causes to species and ecosystem diversity are the greatest recorded in recent period. All these threats are caused by overconsumption and mismanagement of the biological resources, pollution, misguided governmental…

Canada accounts for roughly 7% of the forests in the world. This implies that Canada has an important role to manage their forests effectively. As we know, there are many factors that can disrupt the forest system, the two major groups of threats are seemed to be the natural disturbances and human activities. In terms of the human activities, such as farming and industrial development, are thought to be responsible for disrupting the forests. It is considered as rather a smaller effect in the…

Introduction: Urban areas contribute pollutants that wash off of areas that are not native to the area (Sanders, et. Al. 2001). These pollutants caused by urban areas contribute the deterioration of water quality in stream and runs which make up a significant part of the bodies of water in the state of Ohio. Water quality is crucial for the fish and macroinvertebrates species that can sustain a community in that specific body of water, any change in this quality can change the entire diversity…

society in general usually suffers a loss. The results and consequences of this are not fully understood but can be seen in many areas and aspects of the world. There are many consequences of biodiversity loss at many different levels. Starting with ecosystems and how they naturally function, there are three main aspects that account for the consequences of biodiversity loss. Species richness, species composition and species…

biotic invasions which are major components of global change. The last few decades have seen substantial advancements in invasion ecology which are succinctly summarised in this book. The deliberate or accidental introduction of organisms into a new ecosystem may cause the onset of a biological invasion. These so-called 'exotic species' may establish, spread and ecologically alter the invaded community. Simberloff structures the book explicitly around "conceptual framework questions," each…

biome on Earth and covers roughly 70% of our planet (KDE Santa Barbara 1). A biome is a community of both flora and fauna in a large habitat (Postlethwait and Hopson). The saltwater biome is a community in a saltwater habitat. This group of similar ecosystems includes oceans, seas, saltwater lakes, and salt estuaries. It touches the edge of the continents and can even be surrounded by other biomes. The saltwater biome has five major oceans -Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern- and…

Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii Invasive Species Council, High School Hikers Environmental Conservation Opportunity, etc., is reducing the amount of invasive species in Hawaii. Invasive species endanger the natural resources in an ecosystem, as well as threaten human use of these resources. It is necessary to conserve native species because invasive species harm the environment and people. Invasive species affect human health, decreases biodiversity in the environment, limit…