Re-Wilding

Reanne Oberhelman

Principles of Ecology

Extra Credit Blog

April 23, 2011

"Giant Tortoises Show Rewilding Can Work"

ScienceDaily -- April 21, 2011

"'Rewilding with taxon substitutes', the intentional introduction of exotic species to fulfill key functions in ecosystems following the loss of recently extinct species, is highly controversial, partly due to a lack of rigorous scientific studies."

Photo I:
Ile Aux Aigrettes

Photo III:
The exotic giant Aldabra tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea)

Photo II:
Location of the Island

Photo IV:
Ebony Diospyros egrettarum (Ebenaceae)

          Diospyros egrettarum (Ebenaceae) is an ebony tree that once covered the island Ile aux Aigrettes, but is now endangered due to excessive logging that took place up until the ‘80s. The decimation of this once-ebony forest was measured in 2007 when researchers surveyed and mapped the entire island, finding 3,518 adult trees. They found that large sections of the island were completely stripped of this tree, namely in the northern and eastern coastal areas nearest the mainland. This is where logging was most intense. Even though the destructive logging ended more than thirty years ago, there had been no regeneration in these bare areas of the island because with the extinction of the island’s native giant tortoises, there were no fruit-eating animals to disperse the endangered tree’s seeds.

            In 2000, the exotic giant Aldabra tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) were reintroduced to the island as an attempt to disperse the slow-growing ebony. The tortoises consumed the large fruits and dispersed large numbers of ebony seeds, and “the process of passing through a tortoise's gut also improved seed germination, leading to the widespread, successful establishment of new ebony seedlings in the heavily logged parts of the island.”

            Christine Griffiths and her colleagues, of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences, have presented the first empirical evidence of the success of re-wilding in their paper (published in Current Biology on April 21). They report that, "Our results demonstrate that the introduction of these effective seed dispersers is aiding the recovery of this critically endangered tree whose seeds were previously seed-dispersal limited. Reversible re-wilding experiments such as ours are necessary to investigate whether extinct interactions can be restored." Professor Stephen Harris, co-author of the study, said, "Ecological restoration projects generally involve the plant community, as more often the animal components are extinct. There is, however, increasing evidence that restoration ecologists should be most concerned with the decline of species interactions, rather than species extinctions per se. Species interactions structure ecological communities, and provide essential ecosystem processes and functions such as pollination, seed dispersal and browsing, that are necessary for the self-regulation and persistence of a community."

            This is an important ecological topic of discussion because this case demonstrates the success of re-wilding experiments. Not only were the researchers able to reestablish the population of this endangered tree, but by bringing in the tortoises they were also able to reestablish the interaction between the two species. Not only do interspecies interactions such as this relate to our Principles of Ecology class, but they are also a fundamental aspect of much of our world, as most species are connected, and influence, one another in some way. 

Citations

News article found at:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110421122331.htm

Photo I:  http://www.villamauritius.co.uk/Mauritius_information_south.asp

Photo II:  http://www.traveljournals.net/explore/mauritius/map/m1950693/ile_aux_aigrettes.html

Photo III:  http://www.reptilechannel.com/reptile-news/2011/04/22/aldabra-tortoises-rewild-ebony-trees.aspx

Photo IV:  http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/148016/

Removing the Pests from the Plants

Metabolic Stress Disinfection and Disinfestation suffocates pests by exposing them to cycles of vacuum and pressurized carbon dioxide. The processes in which scientists and farmers are working together in order to create food which has less amounts of harmful chemicals has led them to interesting solution. Using pressurized carbon dioxide will allow for a fruit like apples to be kept fresh without having to use risky pesticides. This article is very interesting to me because I have worked on a farm for the last 3 years. It is mainly an orchard and the different ways this farm uses to keep fruit fresh is with low-pesticide management. The farm I work at uses a co-operative program with Cornell University in order to maintain the safe amount of pesticides, while also being able to grow the fruit without the fear that all of the crops will turn bad. This kind of method of food protection allows for the utilization of the air by reducing the pressure.

This article relates to the topic of Ecology as the man-made impacts are becoming more apparent on the environment. Curbing these impacts has become a main priority in order to live in a more sustainable environment. Issues of environmental fragmentation and pollution impacts have been a part of class. This makes this article very relavent to the topics which are found in Ecology. It is about the connection to the natural world and how new scientific research has led to curbing harmful impacts on the environment. Fruit and other crops cannot grow in such environments like New York without some management or else a majority would die off before they make it to people's diner tables or even the grocery store.

This article gives all the factual information about what these scientists are doing and how it will overall benefit the farmers' ability to grow crops. It explains the vacuum technology that will be used and explains how it is not new, but the application of this technology is what is new. It pumps out the air and allows for the oxygen supply to be depleted which in turn removes the predators to these plants. This technology of the MSDD is much safer than the chemicals which are used in pesticides that kill the insects that try and eat the crops, but then also slowly ends up killing the humans who the food was meant for.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2007/0105-debugging_your_food.htm
Picture: http://www.colonista.com/my_weblog/2010/07/pesticides-scary-stuff.html

Extra Credit
April 23, 2011
Principles of Ecology
Richard Distel

Could the Great Barrier Reef Disappear?

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system in the world and it is just off the coast of Australia. The reef supports a large range of life from the littlest creatures to larger predators to the coral itself. The reef was created millions of years ago and has withstood many devastating environmental changes but the environment today could be changing too drastically for it to bounce back. The quick change in the world’s climate has caused bleaching too occur more drastically at the reef. The last recorded major issue with bleaching at the reef was in 1997 when El Nino brought a 3 degree temperature change. Other issues that face the reef has been the 60 year decline of phytoplankton which feed directly on the greenhouse gases which helps the environment. This decline has caused the greenhouse gases percentage to increase.

Another issue in the ocean is the changing sea level which has brought many devastating affects. As the sea level decreased it exposed shallow corals to the sun but then with all the flooding that the coast of Australia has experienced this year, there have been issues with the reef being covered in too much water so they are hidden from the light. Also, the floods have brought sediment into the reef which have limited the amount of light that can get to the coral as well has harming the marine life that depends on the light and coral in order to live.

This issue relates to the course because we have talked a lot about the changing coral reefs from around the world, as well as, what can be done to help save these reefs. Commercial fishing needs to decrease or be outlawed around the reefs so that the marine life can bounce back to its original ecosystem. In class, we discussed how ocean phytoplankton plays a crucial role in the ocean ecosystem so with this 60 year decline, it is having devastating affects on the marine life at the reef.

About two years ago I went scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef and I could not imagine loosing this amazing ocean environment. The reef is so colorful and supports so much life that I could not imagine a time when this was destroyed. The reef has been around for millions of years so I could not imagine that our human pollution and global warming will destroy one of the greatest things in the world. I hope that more people become aware of the changing reef and learn how to protect it and help it grow back in the parts that were devastated. The Great Barrier Reef is part of Australia and I don’t know what would happen to the people there if they lost it.

References:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/05/great-barrier-reef/holland-text (Accessed April 22, 2011)

Multitude of Species Face Climate Threat

The issue that is being presented in this article refers to global warming and the effects that it has on various species. Many species have been negatively impacted by not just global warming by human society as it can prove to be a roadblock for migrating animals. The decline of species is so rapidly occurring at such a high rate that some scientists are saying that humans have helped to begin the sixth mass extinction. Although this extinction may not take full effect while any current living humans are alive, we will see the effects in dwindling numbers of species. Many animals are having a difficult time finding food due to the effects of global warming. Often times, like the polar bear, the normal source of food is scarce and species are now finding food in other areas, which is causing dwindling numbers in that species as well. Eventually, global warming will create areas that are simply too hot to sustain the normal life that resides there.

This issue relates to class because not only have we discussed some of the impacts that climate change is having on our environment but we have also discussed the effects that it is having on certain species. Some animals will have a difficult time having young reach an age that they are old enough to reproduce. The human impact that we have directly is severe as well, which we have also discussed in class. While global warming is a very serious problem, humans are also doing things that are directly related to the decrease in certain species. For example, we mentioned in class that the side effects of certain chemicals can create thinner shells for birds which do not allow the young to hatch and develop completely.

Humans frequently underestimate the impacts that they have on the environment. The excuses people use for not changing activities or behaviors that are destroying species and the environment are frequently based on selfish or economic reasons. Although it may not be most economically beneficial to stop producing greenhouse gases through the burning of oil, it will however allow humans to slow the impact of global warming. Although it cannot be stopped and the effects are just starting to show in recent decades, changes in behavior can limit the amount of devastation that future generations and species face.

Zimmer, Carl. “Multitude of Species Face Climate Threat”, The New York Times. April 4, 2011. Accessed April 4, 2011.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/science/earth/05climate.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&ref=earth

Global Warming.

The article entitled Global Warming goes over the usual aspects of the issue; it also discussed how the issues in today's economy have made it increasingly difficult to deal with the issue. To date there have been a surprisingly increasing number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and the cause of this is the human race. Warning from the scientific community have become increasingly louder over in the past years. World leaders met in Cancun Mexico back in 2010, with the hopes of resolving some of the major issues concerning global warming. At the end of reduced emission talks, the toughest issues were still left unresolved. The so called, "Cancun Agreements" give the 190 participating counties an extra year to decide if an extension should be put on the Kyoto protocol. In 1997 the 190 countries came together in an effort to collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Developed countries were to cut back while helping under developed countries to pursue a cleaner energy future. The debate between rich and poor counties on who pays most for a cleaner future lies at the heart of the issue. Democrats and Republicans are divided on the exact number to reduce the emissions. The economic slowdown has caused a dip in the greenhouse emissions, but is surely to see an increase in an economic up rise. Scientist suggest that the challenge of climate and energy will only intensify in the years to come. I feel that the most important issue if the safety of future generations to come. It has been said time and time again that if we don't act now there will be no future for later generations. I believe that if we give tax cuts on families who have proof on cutbacks in greenhouse emissions, taxes exemptions should be give. If you reward those who think "green" others will follow suite. It seems now that politicians are more worried about the financial aspect of the issue rather then the more important issue of protecting the human race. I don't think that even if all of the counties of the world started to cut back on the emission of greenhouse gases, the ozone would heal anytime soon. It takes time to heal, and people have it in their heads; "I'll be long gone by the time anything im doing now will effect me". This idea is true but how could you sleep at night knowing that what we do in this life will impact our offspring. The time to act now money should not be an issue, the safety and security of our species should be held over all else.

Panorama of Species Tweaks Life for Climate -Tim Metz

Timothy Metz

04 APR 2011

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/science/earth/05climate.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=science

Panorama of Species Tweaks Life for Climate

As humans, we have undoubtedly left our mark on the Earth. This planet has seen 5 mass extinctions over the past 540 million years, which took out more than 75 percent of the species present over the course of just a few million years. For more than half a century now, scientists have been warning of a coming sixth mass extinction; however this was may not be natural, it could be manmade. (Zimmer)

Recently, scientist at the University of California Berkley sought to put this claim to test. They discovered that a new wave of extinction could be well on its way by the next millennia, after they found through new methods, that the current rate of extinction is way above normal. The scientists have said that their predictions are actually an underestimate of the damage that could be done. They found that many species may suffer from a one-two punch; human impact related to overhunting and fishing, as well as deforestation, combined with the oncoming global warming, which could lead to the extinction of many species. (Zimmer)

Scientist have stated that it is almost impossible right now to identify the current global warming trends impact on one single species. However, links have been made between global warming with individual species in the past. In the year 2003, a test was done that studied 1,700 plant and animal species, which found that every decade they have been retreating 3.8 miles towards the poles, in search of a cooler climate. Another study conducted in Australia, found that the brown butterfly had been coming out of its cocoon 1.5 days earlier than average per decade, from the years 1941-2005. The brown butterfly comes out as the temperature warms up, and because the temperature has been gradually increasing overtime, the brown butterfly now emerges earlier on. (Zimmer)

Many scientists are trying to figure out which species to aid as the global temperature increases, and see if they may have to be moved to another habitat for a better climate. As time progresses more links will be able to be made to find which individual species are impacted by global warming. (Zimmer)

This article is a microcosm of what we have covered in class. We have spent the year looking at how species are impacted by their surrounding environment, and this article delves into how more connections may be made as our climate changes. The message embodies what ecology seeks to teach us and brings a hopeful message of one day discovering direct correlation between the environment and individual species.

This article was very interesting and I think that as science progresses, we will be able to find direct correlations. However, I think that the impact that we have on this planet will improve as well overtime. Man has become more conscious of his impact on the environment which is leading to “greener alternatives” to help reduce our impact. One great example is the transition of using fuel for cars, to the development of hybrids, to maybe one day having cars being completely electric or solar powered. This may give our planet the opportunity to slow down the process of global warming, or even reverse the trends!

Works Cited

1) Zimmer, Carl. "Panorama of Species Tweaks Life for Climate." Nytimes.com. The New York Times Company, 04 Apr. 2011. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. .

Impact of the Earthquake and Tsunami on Animals and the Environment

The recent earthquake and resulting tsunami in the Pacific has been an environmental disaster on multiple levels both for Japan and other parts of the region. Aside from the terrible human toll we see everyday on CNN there has also been a massive and heart-breaking impact on the animal population. On both the Japanese archipelago and the surrounding islands there has been a significant impact on various populations of birds (i.e. albatross and petrels) and fish. Much of the harm to these animal populations has come from being washed out to see or washed up on shore. Around the Pacific further devestation has occured. As far away as the Galapagos Islands the impact can be felt. Iguanas on the islands suffered losses due to heavy tsunami waves.

This relates to the population dynamics we have studied in recent classes. What we are seeing is an example of dynamic change events that leave an impact on population levels. The question remains whether the changes will be permanent of temporary. Of course, much of that will be determined by the conditions on the respective islands and the how much of each population remains.

It is my belief that the impact on the environment from this disaster will be a challenge that the whole world will have to overcome together. Though it may seem distant it truly affects us all. It is important to keep a close eye on how all these different populations of animals fair across the Pacific in order to reduce the long-term impact of these disasters. It will require hard work and great care to ensure that the permanent effects on the environment will be as minimal as possible.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=impact-of-the-earthquake-and-2011-03-22,

photo credit: ibid.