Biodiversity and Invasive Species

This week we will wrap up Ecology with a look at biodiversity.  Watch the video clip below about biodiversity.  It does an excellent job of summarizing biodiversity.  I want you to come away from this video with a definition of biodiversity.

From Jamaica to Ireland to Japan and beyond, invasive species are an immense threat to biodiversity worldwide.  Initially, I thought I would have you write about one of the species that we talked about in class, the Asian Carp, the Burmese python or the Australian rabbits.  However, the more sites that I looked at the more I was enthralled by the wide variety of invasive species that are not only a threat to biodiversity, but they are entirely eliminating native species.  Pick one of the articles below and read about invasive species.

Asian Carp:
https://www.nps.gov/miss/learn/nature/ascarpover.htm

Australian Rabbits:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/04/08/2538860.htm

Burmese Python:
https://tackk.com/tn5tuq

Lionfish:
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lionfish.html

Starfish:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/giant-sea-snail-plan-rescue-barrier-reef-030814192.html

Rodents:
https://www.islandconservation.org/gene-drive-island-birds-conservation/#

Sea Lamprey:
http://www.untamedscience.com/biodiversity/sea-lamprey/

Overview:
http://www.actionbioscience.org/biodiversity/simberloff.html

Your assignment for this week is to write a scholarly paragraph of at least five sentences.  In your paragraph, I want you first to define biodiversity from the video clip.  Then I want you to cite a specific example of an invasive species and how it is limiting biodiversity.  I gave you seven different links above about different invasive species.  You only need to pick one of the invasive species.  In your paragraph explain why your invasive species is a problem and what the local authorities are doing to solve the problem.  This blog post will help you with one of the essays on the test.  If you want to discuss another invasive species that I did not list above, then just include the link to your article at the end of your blog post.  Also, you will need to comment on at least one of your peer's posts.

Dogs Have Feelings and Sea Lions Can Dance

OMG...another hurricane and more natural disasters.  I needed to read about something happy this morning.  Cute puppies and dancing sea lions definitely seemed the opposite of monster storms.

Above is a picture that I took of Gibson, our friends new puppy.  This past summer two of our friends got new puppies and my own sons were insanely jealous.  While I never had a pet growing up, I know that many of my students and most of my friends have pets.  The relationships between pets and their owners is that of true love.

In National Geographic this week, there was an article about dogs having feelings.  Do pets really love their owners?  Read the article below (Actually, it is a review of a book by Gregory Burns.):

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/09/dog-brain-feelings-mri-gregory-berns/

Your assignment this week is to write a scholarly paragraph about this article and the niche of a pet.  In your paragraph, define what a pet's niche is and if you have a pet how your specific pet fills the niche in your family.  Summarize the article and its findings.  What do you think?  Does your pet love you or just the food?  Be sure to mention the findings on both the sea lions and the relationship between brains and extinction.

Finally, I would like you to change your profile picture this week to a cute picture of a dog, pet or any other animal that would make us smile.

Hurricane Harvey

In the past week, Hurricane Harvey has reeked havoc on Houston, Texas and the southern part of the United States.  This week we are starting our unit on ecology.  What an appropriate way to introduce the study of the interactions between living organisms and their environment.  Not only have ecosystems been destroyed, but some of the biggest threats are unseen.  That flood water is teeming with bacteria, toxic sludge, and alligators.

Your assignment this week is to pick one of the articles or series below:

1.  Toxic Waste Sites Flooded in Texas:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/03/us/houston-texas-flood-aftermath/index.html

2.  Is Hurricane Harvey a Result of Global Warming:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/opinion/hurricane-harvey-global-warming.html?mcubz=0

3.  Health Threats from Hurricane Harvey: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/31/health/hurricane-harvey-health.html?mcubz=0

4.  How Labs are Coping with Hurricane Harvey:

http://www.nature.com/news/how-labs-are-coping-with-hurricane-harvey-s-devastating-floods-1.22542

5.  Or watch these clips about first responders:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/national/harvey-first-responders/?utm_term=.c43fdd1ffcd8

Read the article (or if you pick #5, watch the video clips).  You will write a scholarly paragraph about what you read.  Start by stating which article you read.  Then summarize the article in at least three sentences.  Somewhere in your summary, you must make a connection to ecology.  Try and use at least three new vocabulary words in your summary.  Conclude your response with your own opinion.  What do you think?  Where should Houston go from here?  What should President Trump do?  How can you help?

Remember that a descent paragraph should have at least five sentences, proper punctuation, correct spelling and grammar.  I am not an English teacher, but I do know what a scientific paragraph should look like.  Read the questions that I posted above and find examples to support what you think.  Please try to include additional research or other sites that I should investigate at the end of your response.  In addition to posting a response, I would like you to comment on at least one of your peers.  This is a public blog meaning anything that you post will be visible to the world, so put your best self out there.  I am going to share this link with your parents so they can see your work.