Hey Scholars!!!
For this weeks topic we are discussing Science and Ecology and your online task for this week is post a summary of an on-going Scientific study on an ecological topic of your choice. Make sure to post the link of where you found your info. Have a great week!
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Prof. Dillman
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Emily Cluen
ReplyDeleteIt is a known fact that the Earth has been slowly heating. This slow increase has been affecting everything under the sun, from the polar ice caps to the deserts to the bottom of the ocean, including coral reefs. It is also known that these warming conditions are also known to produce not only warmer water, but extreme cold-water events also. This is the reason scientists have decided to conduct an experiment on coral. They have been trying to answer the question, “How do heat and cold damage coral?” For the experiment, corals were subject to both hot and cold temperatures and their levels of distress, growth, and other processes were measured. The results show that both have negative effects on coral. The cold event was more harmful immediately, but when exposed over time the warm water was more damaging. The coral was able to acclimate to the cold even though it reduced the coral growth. However, the coral could not function as well in the warm water for long periods of time.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202094608.htm
coral reefs are beautiful and should be preserved for future generations
DeleteAnybody ever wonder about how "ice ages" were created? Here's the answer to that question if you are wondering. 444 million years ago,during the Ordovician Period,the climate was gradually dropping due to the dramatic reduction of atmospheric carbon in the air. The cause of this reduction was plants.These plants were the ancestors to our present day mosses. They extracted minerals such as calcicum, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron from the rocks to grow and thus caused chemical weathering in the Earth's surface. This in return had a major impact on the carbon cycle and in return caused "ice ages".
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201094923.htm
~Detrich Meadows, 4rd period
Marine Conservation is the protection of ocean ecosystems and preserving helpless marine species. Coral reefs are centers of biodiversity and a big help in the overall survival of the ecosystem. They provide other species, including humans, with food, shelter, and protection. Unfortunately, they are in need of help. They are threatened by things such as overfishing, pollution, and bad fishing practices. 88% of coral reefs in Southeast Asia are threatened today. Now, there are several international laws and treaties geered towards helping conserve marine life, which is very much needed.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_conservation#Coral_Reefs
Source: http://gradworks.umi.com/34/84/3484520.html
ReplyDeleteThe study I found was about the nitrogen cycle and how seagrasses affect it. This study was done the University of Virginia. In this study a land use-based Nitrogen loading mode to calculate the inputs of Nitrogen to the Virginia coastal bays. Using the Nitrogen loading model, the study determined that agricultural fertilizers were the dominant terrestrial Nitrogen source and deposistions of rainfall to the surface of the bays were the largeest overall source of Nitrogen. Nitrogen fixation rates were significantly higher in vegetated sediments compared to bare sediments and decreased with depth. The older seagrass meadow fixed significantly more N2 than the younger meadow. And Denitrification, or the loss of N2, was the dominant process and increased as seagrass meadows aged and realted to increases in sediment organic mater.
Alexandra Volz Period 3 APES
Way in the future, anywhere from 50 to 200 million years to come, geologist are expecting something to happen like once before. They expect that all of the continents will become one again. A computer model based on the analysis of magnetism of ancient rocks shows how rocks have affected the orientation of the Earth's continenental plates with response to the magnetic poles, over the past billions of years. The readings from the rocks shows a pattern where rocks on the edge of one supercontinent become central point for the next. Which means that the globe will shift up to 90%. The model also shows that the next location for the next supercontient being called Amasia will be around what is now the North Pole. The model shows North and South America pushing to close up the Carribean, North America then crashing into Eurasia and from here closing the Artic. Then Africa would crash into Europe and then Australia would connect to Asia around Japan and India. It shows that Anartica would be left out of the Supercontinent at first. There would be an ice cap in the center of the continent tell it would no longer handle it and shift twoards the equator.
ReplyDeleteSource: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/08/10352397-next-supercontinent-will-amaze-you
Jessica Corder
Between 1751 and 2004 surface ocean pH is estimated to have decreased from approximately 8.25 to 8.14.
ReplyDeleteIn the natural carbon cycle, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) represents a balance of fluxes between the oceans, terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere.
Human activities such as land-use changes and the combustion of fossil fuels have led to a new flux of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Some of this has remained in the atmosphere (where it is responsible for the rise in atmospheric concentrations), some is believed to have been taken up by terrestrial plants, and some has been absorbed by the oceans.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/o/ocean_acidification.htm
Dwyane Patterson
ReplyDeleteDo Herring Communicate by Passing Gas Study
The pacific Herring were studied as well as Atlantic Herring, it turns out that High frequency waves are created by their anuses, With that it also creats bubbles in which Herring hear the bubbles as they're released into the ocean. This whole thing is called a Fast repetitive Tick(FRT)
http://listverse.com/2009/06/02/10-truly-bizarre-scientific-studies/
interesting... didnt know fish could fart.
DeleteThe issue is basically about the survival of a salmon species. There are wild Chinook salmon that, for some reason, are having a hard time reproducing and sustaining themselves. Because of that, the Mokelumne Fish Hatchery in California has been raising this type of salmon and releasing it into the river so the species can survive. The thing is, that only masks how the wild fish are really doing. It was shown that of the 12,000 fish that were found in the watershed, most of it was the hatchery-bred salmon. Only 4% was of natural origin. The scientists have started to figure out that just adding more to a population doesn't solve anything; you have to get to the root problem to prevent any future happenings.
ReplyDelete(forgot to put my link)
ReplyDeletehttp://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/hatcheries-vs-wild-salmon/?ref=earth
A plethora of ongoing scientific research abounds at Yosemite National Park, from declining animal species studies to invasive plant removal strategies to human carrying capacity issues.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/research-and-studies.htm
Sam Paule p.3
A plethora of ongoing scientific research abounds at Yosemite National Park, from declining animal species studies to invasive plant removal strategies to human carrying capacity issues.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/research-and-studies.htm
Sam Paule p.3
Have to love copy and paste.
ReplyDeleteHinode is an international mission to study our nearest star, the sun. To accomplish this, the Hinode mission includes a suite of three science instruments -- the Solar Optical Telescope, X-ray Telescope and Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer.
Together, these instruments will study the generation, transport, and dissipation of magnetic energy from the photosphere to the corona and will record how energy stored in the sun's magnetic field is released, either gradually or violently, as the field rises into the sun’s outer atmosphere.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hinode/index.html
Coral reefs are very diverse and valuable marine ecosystems and any scientists study them. Fish use coral reefs as there homes and with out coral reefs some populations of fish can shrink. Many fish depend on the coral reefs and they surive off of them. Coral reefs are scientists main focus but they also study the impact that the reefs have on fish and humans. Most of their study is done in the remote central Pacific and in the Palmyra and Tabuaeran Atolls. Without the reefs the under water ecosystem would fall apart.
ReplyDeletehttp://hopkins.stanford.edu/profiles/coral.htm
Kayla Sanderson Prd 4
Observations in the savannah climate have suggested the number of trees is decreasing. A recent study by a group of researchers at the University of California at Berkeley has provided scientific support indicating that trees are dying and the decline is being attributed to climate change. Scientists looked at aerial photos dating back to 1954, satellite images, climate change records, and actually walked around the Sahel on foot to measure and count trees. The Scientists found that the average temperature in the Sahel warmed by 0.8 degrees Celsius and rainfall decreased by as much as 48% between 1954 and 2002. Due to the hotter, drier climate the trees started dying. One whole species actually disappeared from this region; as much as one in five tree species were no longer present by 2002. Fruit and timber trees, which require a lot of moisture and also are very important to local populations, were impacted the most. In general, the scientists found that climate change is causing vegetation zones to shift, moving toward areas with more moisture.
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/02/08/trees-are-in-trouble-climate-change-and-dying-trees/
The issue at hand is our oceans. This world relys on these oceans more than what we realize. We take advantage of her resources and by doing so we are overfishing leading to a reduction in fish populations which than leads to a loss in the marine biodiversty. Overfishing not only affects biodiversty but also some peoples way of life that soley depends on fish. On top of weaking biodiversity the acidity of the oceans is increasing and scientists have conducted a survey saying that if we keep to our regular life style by the end of the century the oceans will reach a irreversable point and possibly change the marine life in this world. The acdity comes not only from human mistreatment but also from the global warming effects.
ReplyDeletehttp://ecological-problems.blogspot.com/
Owyn Pelletier~~4th period
Most conservation biologists believe that humanity is currently causing the largest mass extinction event in the history of our planet and that the era we currently live in is characterized by the unprecedented numbers of species extinctions.
ReplyDeleteIn order to be as effective as possible conservation biologists need to research, monitor, and catalog every ecosystem in our planet and they also need to study how is our society affecting certain ecosystem. Conservation biologists also need to study the past ecosystems because past is often the best indicator to future, especially in terms of species extinction.
Our levels of consumption and population growth mean that world will need the productivity of up to 27 Earths by 2050 in order to halt current decline in biodiversity.
http://ecological-problems.blogspot.com/2011/11/conservation-biology-and-biodiversity.html
-Vicki Smith, 3rd Period
Nick Hall
ReplyDeleteOver 70% of our Earth is covered in water, yet we don't take into account how important this vast mystery is to us. We are the cause of most of the environmental problems in that ecosystem. Scientist have finally realized how much overfishing impacts the ocean and finally are taking actions. The overfishing causes a big loss in biodiversity and with the continued loss of fish millions of people will run out of food. Acting out of worry, governments are establishing marine protected areas where no humans can interact with them.
ecologicalproblemblogspot.2012/1/why-do-oceans-need-protection.html
Science Study: Animals Predicting Earthquakes
ReplyDeleteThis scientific study was basically about how earthquakes emit electromagnetic waves right before the earthquake happens, and how dogs and cats can sometimes detected them almost three hours before the earthquake strikes.
Citation: http://www.waycooldogs.com/re-scientific-studies-on-dogs-predicting-earthquakes/
Destiny Jackson, 4th Period
A.P.E.S. :)
I <3 Science !
A species of mosquito that has not been seen in the US since 1945 has been discovered breeding in the country. It's name is the Culex Modestus and they say it is expected to transmit West Nile Virus to humans during sporatic epidemics in southern Europe, nut they say the virus has never been found in the UK so there is no risk for the humans living here. The virus mostly infects birds, but when the pathogen is transmitted from birds to humans by the bite of mosquito it can very occsionally cause severe disease, although it usually causes only asymptomatic or mild infections.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208220215.htm
Some scientist have found that hunting is the biggest threat to tropical biodiversity. The excessive hunting is depleating the population of the species in the tropical areas. They have found this is even more true in areas with famous animals like jaguars and elephants. Political support is offten rare when it comes to the protection of these animals. Scientist have realized that you cant solve this problem by just setting land aside, but they actually need to be "determined by effective enforcement in parks, intact wildlife communities, and the changes in abundance of high-target species."
ReplyDeleteJustin Lamorie
APES 3rd Preiod
http://ecological-problems.blogspot.com/
250 million years ago a mass extinction known as the "The Great Dying" occured which wiped out 90% of all living species. Research done by Thomas J. Algeo professor of geology at the University of Cincinnati and 13 co-authors worked together to produce a high resolution look at the geology of a Permian Triassic boundary section. What they came up with provided strong evidence that Earth's biggest mass extinction wasnt a sudden event it was phased in over hundreds of thousands of years.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203113308.htm
I found an international study about human impacts on the deep sea. 71% of the earth is covered in water, but we've only sampled biologically the total area of a few football fields. In the past, the main human impact was dumping litter into the oceans. That's been banned since 1972, but there are still negative effects from before. Plastics that accumulate on the sea floor degrade into microplastics called mermaid tears that might be harmful to undersea fauna. Today, the largest impacts come from exploitation of deep-sea resources and fisheries. They predict that in the future, the largest impact will come from ocean acidification and climate change, which affect not only the surface waters but the seafloor as well. The biggest problem right now is that we don't know enough about our oceans, so it makes it hard to determine exactly what kind of impact littering, industrial activities, and climate change have on deep sea habitats.
ReplyDeleteAlex Nelson 3rd Period
http://www.ecology.com/2011/08/02/human-impact-deep-sea/
Ecologists Capture First Deep-Sea Fish Noises
ReplyDeleteHaven't you ever wondered if fishes could talk? Well, after 50 years and newer technology, scientists have finally caught the first sounds of fish noises underwater. This makes scientists believe that fishes do talk underwater. Don't trust me? Read for yourself:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126142908.htm
The Power of Estrogen: Male Snakes Attract Other Males
ReplyDeletethis scientific study shows that estrogen is not only found in human females, but in amphibians, reptiles, fish and snakes. One males snake was injected with estrogen and the scientist observed that the other male snakes were attracted to the male snake with estrogen.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210111302.htm
Oceans are warming due to climate change, and cuasing water layers to mix. This affects the microbes and plankton and other organisms which pump carbon out of the atmosphere. Researchers aren't sure if this will increase or decrease global warming.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209144003.htm
-Kaitlyn Jones
4th period
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209144003.htm
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about the climate changes in the ocean. It explains how water layers will begin to mix less which in turn can cause the microbes and plankton to pump less carbon into the atmosphere. The question is whether or not this will increase or decrease global warming, scientists say they are not exactly sure. There is much lack of agreement what to do and this is severely effecting how fast they can come to a consensus on what to do and how to figure out exactly how this is happening.They conclude that DNA sequencing advances will help other scientist unravel this mystery in ocean microbes.
-Sierra Dee
The article I selected is about how carbon dioxide from human activities combines with seawater, increasing the ocean's acidity which may significantly reduce the calcification rate of different marine organisms such as corals or mollusks. The extent to which human activities have raised the surface level of acidity has been difficult to detect on regional scales because it varies naturally from one season and one year to the next, and between regions, and direct observations go back only 30 years. Combining computer modeling with observations, an international team of scientists concluded that anthropogenic CO2 emissions over the last 100 to 200 years have already raised ocean acidity far beyond the range of natural variations. The team of climate modelers, marine conservationists, ocean chemists, biologists and ecologists, led by Tobias Friedrich and Axel Timmermann at the International Pacific Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, came to their conclusions by using Earth system models that simulate climate and ocean conditions 21,000 years back in time, to the Last Glacial Maximum, and forward in time to the end of the 21st century. If the yearly cycle in aragonite saturation varied between 4.7 and 4.8, it varies now between 4.2 and 4.3, which - based on another recent study - may translate into a decrease in overall calcification rates of corals and other aragonite shell-forming organisms by 15%. Given the continued human use of fossil fuels, the saturation levels will drop further, potentially reducing calcification rates of some marine organisms by more than 40% of their pre-industrial values within the next 90 years. Any significant drop below the minimum level of aragonite to which the organisms have been exposed to for thousands of years and have successfully adapted will very likely stress them and their associated ecosystems," says lead author Postdoctoral Fellow Tobias Friedrich. When Earth started to warm 17,000 years ago, terminating the last glacial period, atmospheric CO2 levels rose from 190 parts per million to 280 ppm over 6,000 years.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122152542.htm
Stephanie Stitz
3rd Period
APES
Chaila Yarborough
ReplyDeleteOne way our planet is protected from negative climate change effects is through the biodiversity of plants. We can protect and improve the condition of our environment, having more ecological functions. Plants provide food, water, nutrient cycle. etc. Then again increased climate change, is very likely to reduce diversity of plants and increase the number of areas affected by desertification. Plants are a major regulation of global environment. All plant species respond different to climate change, they're three alternatives; migrate to its environmental condition, adapt or become extinct. Climate change affects all ecocystem processes at different rates.
http://www.kew.org/ucm/groups/public/documents/document/kppcont_028817.pdf
Invasive species are considered to be the murderers of biodiversity. An invasive species is a species that is non-native to the land it is found in and can also cause harm to the environment as well as the health of other plant and animal species. The article I read was about a group that began using a method called geographic profiling to track and control the spread of invasive plant species such as Giant hogweed and Japanese knotweed. The spread of these invasive species can cause damage that can cost up to billions of dollars, this is why it is imperative that research is continued to help stop the spread of invasive species. Geographic profiling is a good start but with the technology we possess, I think there might just be something better out there.
ReplyDeleteLink:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210111256.htm
17. Dinospider
ReplyDeleteNEW SPECIES: Atewa dinospider (Ricinoides atewa) – this ancient arachnid was found during a 2006 expedition to Ghana’s Atewa Range Forest Reserve (Atewa) led by Conservation International’s Rapid Assessment Program (RAP).
This Dinospider comes from a family that goes back over 300 million years, almost unchanged. Looking like a cross between a spider and a crab, the male carries his sex organs on his legs, and eats termites and ant larvae
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-20-years-rapid-assessment-programs-species-findings?image=5
Im not gonna lie, I copy and pasted "Scientific study on an ecological topic", but I am actually glad I did. I found that there is a study being conducted about how sound can be a very useful resource in learning about an environment. It can be used to detect early changes in climate, weather patterns, or the presence of pollution or other alterations to a landscape. I found this to be incredibly interesting that sound can be such a useful tool to determine environmental change. I thought all you could use was your eyes, but apparently not...
ReplyDeleteEveryone knows that we are trying to find a new eco-friendly renewable resource to use for energy. Well, now we might have found one. It is a grass called Miscanthus that grows very quickly and tall and with little fertilizer. It also collects carbon dioxide as it grows and only realeases what it collected when burned. This makes it far more better to use than fossil fuels. Overall Miscanthus is the best solution for finding a new energy resource. They are still trying to explore more about Miscanthus before going any further with it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210133348.htm
Gabbi Rohn
period 3
This study was about the influenza virus and the study was done on a group of older people in nursing homes. They were trying to see what effects the vacine has on people. During the study they were looking at two different types of illnesses specifically the influenza virus and an influenze like virus. After the study they noticed that there was no connection between nursing homes with the vaccine and the number of influenza outbreaks but there were far less outbreaks of influenza like outbreaks from the nursing homes that had more vaccine coverage.
ReplyDeleteMatthew McGarr
http://download.thelancet.com/flatcontentassets/H1N1-flu/vaccination/vaccination-4.pdf
I read this article about scientists putting more effort in searching for alternatives for regular petroleum based fuel for aircraft engines. As an experiment, an Alaskan Airlines jet flew 75 passengers last year that was fueled in part with recycled cooking oil. Although this was a great discovery, there is still a lot of many other factors that are questionable such as, how do you get that much used cooking oil? I personally think this was a pretty cool discovery and hope to see this or some other biofuel as a permanent alternative.
ReplyDeletehttp://news.discovery.com/earth/airlines-biofuel-restaurant-oil-120202.html
we recently talked about alien species in an ecosystem. At Isle Royale National Park they are doing an ecological study on the predator-prey system between the moose and the wolves. neither of these animals are origninally from Isle Royale. To dine out more info go to:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nps.gov/isro/naturescience/ecological-studies-of-wolves-on-isle-royale.htm
Who is this?
DeleteOverfishing is threating the birth rates of many seabirds. Scientist have discovered that if fish supplies drop to less than a third of its original size then there are less baby birds born. If the level of fish supplies are above that then their birthrates do not increase. To help with conserving the birth rates of the seabirds we could regulate how much fish or how many pounds of fish fishers are allowed to bring back.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120228123852.htm
Dominique Heath
3rd period
Global warming is happening and one way is to plant more trees. With higher tempature causes the more decomposition of organic matter in the soil making more carbon dioxide being released.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110525120050.htm
A recent study suggest that natural forest fires helps restore forest ecosystems. It is a natural process to get rid of dying organisms and decomposed organic matter. it quickly enriches the soil with minerals and helps plants sprout quickly.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/research-suggests-frequent-fires-could-help-forest-ecosystems.html
Global warming may affect wildlife and species that cannot survive in warmer environments may become extinct. Human health is also at stake, as global Climate Change may result in the spreading of certain diseases such as malaria, the flooding of major cities, a greater risk of heat stroke for individuals, and poor air quality.
ReplyDeletehttp://solar-center.stanford.edu/sun-on-earth/glob-warm.html
A new study on the extinctions of species suggests that the disappearance of one species does not necessarily allow remaining competitor species to thrive by filling in the vacuum.
ReplyDeleteUniversity of Cincinnati researchers studying lemur extinctions over the past 2,000 years, found that changes in inter-species dynamics via extinction can force that remaining species to go into a so-called “ecological retreat” that may not be suited to the extant animal’s evolution.
Source: redOrbit (http://s.tt/1cN7v)
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112542989/extinctions-drive-ongoing-ecological-retreat-by-surviving-species/