Ecosystems

 Ecosystems

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/sorting-gulf-ecosystem/

Ch. 7 Habitat Destruction (p. 114) - 

Roads are barriers to movement and are particularly potent forces of fragmentation and destruction. Animals have not evolved to understand objects moving at the kinds of speeds automobiles travel. Many animals are killed as they try to cross in search of food or water, or when they are lured to warm surfaces for basking. Some animals are not able to cross roads at all, with the result that their populations become divided; the subpopulations created may be too small to persist over time, and may go locally extinct (Robertson 2017).

I chose to discuss this line because it is sadly a common issue that I and many others have witnessed on the road. I used to walk to Florida SouthWestern State College my first two years and there is a huge lake on campus close by a busy road. The merging lane leading up to the main entrance to campus, I saw a big turtle that was smashed on the side of the road and its turtle shell pieces and insides were splattered on the sidewalk. It was a disturbing sight and a moment I would never forget. I honestly did not comprehend why animals put themselves into these situations as I thought they knew better to keep from harm's way. I now know that they go across roads because it once upon a time ago was their personal space that they could freely explore and are accustomed to as their home. I feel that many drivers find animals to be a burden yet we are the ones that invaded their property by building a barrier that separates animals from the other half of what they have known their whole life. It is depressing to see roadkill in the middle of the road because of careless drivers or animals not being fast enough to make their way across the street. I feel if we want to see a change of local animals going extinct we should block areas of water that lead to open roads or put up signs bringing awareness of animals crossing.     

Ch. 7 Population (p. 116) - 

Some observers argue that human population growth is the primary cause of the current mass extinction. They argue that if the human population lived within Earth’s carrying capacity there would be little to no habitat destruction, spread of invasive species, pollution, or overexploitation (Robertson 2017). 

I agree with this line as the growing human population has played a significant role in mass extinction as we exceed the Earth's carrying capacity. Modern medicine is a contributing factor to the long life span of humans and we are needing to depend on resources more often than previous years. Many issues ecosystems face could be avoided if humans simply acknowledged the damage they are causing through our way of living. The ways we can help ecosystems is by consuming less, producing minimal products to avoid future waste, using metal or glass straws, aluminum water bottles, and recycling.     

Ch. 7 Restoration Ecology (p. 122) - 

Restoration involves assessing existing conditions, identifying the processes that led to degradation, making a plan for addressing the causes of damage and for restoring health, implementing, monitoring progress, and using adaptive management to adjust the plan as conditions require. Restoration is a long-term commitment. Once a restoration project is implemented much monitoring, watching, and waiting lie ahead.

Restoration is a vital method to ensure animal's are living in healthy conditions that will result in growth in population. State parks, such as Bill Baggs State Park, helps preserve nature as it is intended to be. It allows tourists to explore and admire nature and has rules set in place to keep the ecosystem healthy. Some areas are even restricted. They do not allow people to go into certain areas to avoid damage to the ecosystem such as: breaking the corals, kicking up sand, destroying vegetation, and harassing wildlife. This example of restoring a historical landmark through park policy should be implemented to keep ecosystems safe and flourishing.   

References 

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. Routledge.