Invasive Species

Red Imported Fire Ant

Source: http://www.desertmuseum.org/invaders/invaders_fireant.php

"Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis Invicta)." Red Imported Fire Ant. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. <http://www.desertmuseum.org/invaders/invaders_fireant.php>.

Summary:  The red fire ants are foreign species, brought to America by infested cargo from South America. These aggressive species were originally delivered to Mobile, Alabama, but they didn’t stop there. The ants were spread to many other southern states by humans and by drifting in flood water. The ants aren’t just annoying, they are dangerous. These ants sting five million people each year and 25,000 are hospitalized. Environmentally speaking, the ants attack young deer, cattle, and ground resting birds. They also affect natural plant ecosystems because they kill many bees, causing fewer plants to get pollinated. They also take food and other resources from native, noninvasive species of ants. Invasive species can be destructive to ecosystems and these imported red fire ants are hurting humans, animals and plants.

                  

This is a picture of the red fire ants that
are so dangerous to organism's health

This is a picture of what the stings look like because
people need to be aware of this so if they get stung
then they can take care of it.

Opinion/ Reflection: I think that people should be more careful about bringing species to the United States because they can be hurtful to our environment. Also the invasive species are really hard to get rid of without killing the native species. I don’t know how to stop these species from happening or to stop them once they get here.  

Questions:

1.      What do you think is the best way to get rid of the red fire ants?

2.      Have you ever seen a fire ant, if so did you know if they were dangerous?

3.      What do you think you should do if you see an attack by the ant happening on another animal?

Survival of the Fittest

Title: Hitting the redo button on evolution

Source: Saey, Tina Hesman. "Hitting the redo button on evolution." Science News for Kids 11 Feb. 2009. Student Resources in Context. Web. 25 Feb. 2012.

Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=GPS&userGroupName=hatterslib&tabID=T003&searchId=R8&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet=GALE|A194919392&&docId=GALE|A194919392&docType=GALE&role=SUIC

Summary: Over time, humans, plants, animals, bacteria and much more have made adaptations so they can live, survive, and reproduce in the environment that they are in. Charles Darwin came up with the theory of evolution with the help of the process known as Natural Selection or as some would say 'Survival of the Fittest'. A fish called the stickleback has proved this process because sticklebacks with spines can survive in an ocean. This is because their spines make it harder to be eaten by big fish, while the pond sticklebacks have no worry of big fish but can be grabbed by dragonflies and gobbled down. Over time, the pond sticklebacks made the adaption of no spines so they could survive in their environment. Also, Richard Lenski is doing an experiment on bacteria to see if feeding E. coli the same food but freezing some, will come out with the same results when the frozen E. coli gets unfrozen.

 This picture is of a dragonfly literally holding a stickleback by its spine to eat it.

Opinion: This article was very intriguing to read and learn from because I had no idea what kind of adaptions animals must make to survive in their environment. I never knew that some fish don't have spines. This goes to show that species would really have a hard time with a sudden change in their environment which is why some actually go extinct because they couldn't survive in the environment. This article helped me understand not only how the use of adaptions help animals survive in their environment, but also how humans must be very careful that they don't take advantage of the environment by making a sudden change without understanding how it could effect a species.

 

 The picture above of the two sticklebacks shows how it has made it's adaption so it can survive in it's environment.  

 Questions:

1. What other species do you know of that had to make an adaption so they could survive? 
2.  Do you think if the pond stickleback had not made the adaption of its spine, it would have gone extinct? 
3. Do you think humans can seriously impact a species survival in their environment? How?
4. If animals couldn't make adaptions, how do you think that would change the way the world is? Do you think there would be life?

Animal Adaptations

Animal Adaptations

Title: Crazy Critters

Source: Downey, Fran, and Peter Winkler. "Crazy critters." National Geographic Explorer Jan.-Feb. 2007: 8+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 24 Feb. 2012

Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=GPS&userGroupName=hatterslib&tabID=T003&searchId=R2&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=9&contentSet=GALE%7CA159862861&&docId=GALE|A159862861&docType=GALE&role=SUIC

Summary:       In nature there are all kinds of different animals with weird and crazy adaptations. An adaptation is any structural, physiological, or behavioral process gained over time that helps that organism better survive in their environment. Some animals like the chameleon have adaptations to help them eat. The chameleon has developed a very long tongue which helps them catch flies as food. Other organisms have special coloring that can warn off enemies. The African zorilla is all black with a white stripe down its back. That is meant to warn off other animals. The zorilla also releases a terrible smell when in trouble to help save its self. Pangolins has developed sharp scales all over its body and has learned to curl into a ball when predators come near that way they can not ne eaten. Adaptations help all organisms’ live better lives in many different ways.   

Opinion:         I thought this article was very interesting just to hear about all the different adaptations animals have. I never knew that chameleons had really long tongues or that there are lizards out there with three eyes. I also thought it was a great article because it really ties into what we are learning in class. It just gives more examples of the different types of adaptations.

Picture 1:     This is a picture of a chameleon using one of its adaptations, a long tongue, to catch its food.

 

Picture 2:    This is a picture of a zorilla and its unique coloring that warns off enemies.    

Questions:

1.      Why do you think the chameleon developed such a long tongue?

2.      Can you classify one of the examples given in the article as structural, behavioral, or physiological adaptations?

3.      Can you give another example of an animal with a unique adaptation?

4.      Why do you think an animal would have to make an adaptation?

Carbon in the air

Title: What we can do to cut energy use
Source:The Austin American-Statesman (TX). (June 10, 2002): Opinion and Editorial: pA10. From Student Resources in Context.URL: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=GPS&userGroupName=hatterslib&tabID=T004&searchId=R7&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CA87086022&&docId=GALE|A87086022&docType=GALE&role=SUIC

Summary: In enviornmental science we learned about the carbon cycle. We found out that a lot of the carbon in the air currently comes from the burning of fossil fuels. Humans burn fossil fuels in various ways and humans are burning so much fossil fuels that it is beginning to effect the climate. Global warming is a trending topic that has many people concerned. Many people have began to look at different energy sources such as solar and wind energy, which combined only make up one percent of humans energy sources. These are more environmentally correct ways to use energy. Another energy source is electricity. Electric cars are relatively new and although more expensive they are so much more environmentally correct. if people continue to use the method of burning Fossil Fuels there are some tips that can help to limit the pollution; such as carpooling or using mass transit. Also do try to switch to different types of energy.


picture description:
The pictures above describe the article i read. The picture of the car exhaust shows how carbon dioxide enters the air. This is the pollution we are trying to fix.




The picture below is to show one way of fixing the pollution. If more vegetation was added to Earth than the plants could use the carbon but the








Opinion: I feel that with today’s technology it is easy to switch to environmentally correct items. I feel that the three main problems with having people follow suit are as follows 1. Expenses -people cannot afford to spend more money to help the planet especially in today's economy. 2. People do not see the effect it is having on the planet and do not feel it is their problem. 3. lastly many people do not adapt to change well. people do not want to have to use special light bulbs or install solar panels on their roofs. This can often go “hand-and-hand” with laziness. If people can address those three problems then the air pollution would not e such a problem in today’s society.



Questions:
1. Name 5 five things you do in your house to conserve energy.
2. Why do you feel people don’t switch to things that are better for the environment?
3. If cars that used fossil fuels and cars that were electric powered were the same price and just as easy to use do you think people would switch over to electric powered.
4. What are three things companies could do to persuade people to switch away from using fossil fuels and veer towards say solar power?