Biological Hotspots

Hotspots Defined
1.Norman Myers first coined the term “hotspots” in 1988.
2.To qualify as a hotspot a region must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants and it has to   have lost at least 70 percent of its original habitat.

Hotspots in Peril
1.Habitat destruction
Predatory invasive species
Introduction of exotic plant species
Direct exploitation of species for food, medicine, and the pet trade
Severe decline of amphibians worldwide
2.The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, which compiles the Red List.
3.Yes, researchers have found that there is a relationship between hotspots and population density and hotspots and violence.

Conservation Response
1.Threatened species
Key biodiversity areas
Landscapes
2.Hunting
Direct exploitation
Disease
Predation by invasive species
3.Three conservation responses to specific-species threats are incentives and legislation to reduce hunting pressure, control of invasive species, and captive breeding, propagation, and re-introduction.
4.The biggest threat to species is the degradation and destruction of their habitats
5.The primary response to the biodiversity crisis should be the establishment and effective management of protected areas.
6.$160 million per hotspot per year

Hotspot	Characteristics	Examples of animals	Examples of plants	Major threats
California Floristic Province	Mediterranean-type climate and has the high levels of plant endemism	giant kangaroo rat , the desert slender salamander, and California condor	Giant sequoia, coastal redwood	Wilderness destruction caused by commercial farming
Caribbean Islands	Diverse ecosystems	Solenodon and Cuban crocodile	Caribbean mahogany, West Indian ebony, and poui	introduction of alien species,
Mesoamerica	Includes montane forests, highlands and mountain chains	Quetzals, howler monkeys	Pacific mahogany, more than 300 cacti species	large-scale industrial developments, and  mineral extraction,
Cerrado	woodland-savanna	giant anteater, giant armadillo, jaguar and maned wolf	Mauritia flexuosa palms	rapid expansion of Brazil's agricultural frontier, which focuses primarily on soy and corn. Ranching is another major threat to the region,
Tropical Andes	snowcapped peaks, steep slopes, deep canyons, and isolated valleys,	yellow-eared parrot, yellow-tailed woolly monkey and spectacled bear	Andean bromeliad	mining, timber extraction, oil exploration, narcotics plantations, and invasive species like the American bullfrog and grasses for cattle grazing
Mediterranean Basins	mountains as peninsulas, and one of the largest archipelagos in the world. The climate of the Mediterranean Basin is dominated by cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers,	monk-seal, the barbary macaque and the Iberian lynx,	Aphyllanthes monspeliensis and Drosophyllum lusitanicum.	Habitat fragmentation
Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa	tiny and fragmented, the forest remnants	Pemba white-eye, Kenyan wattled bat, golden-rumped elephant shrew	African violets	Agricultural expansion
Gulinean Forests of Western Africa	lowland forests	Jentink’s duiker, pygmy hippopotamus	oil palm, African ebony	Logging, mining, hunting and human population growth are placing extreme stress on the forests,
Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands	A series of islands scattered in the western Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of Africa		baobab, or bottle tree
Himalaya	world’s highest mountains, including Mt. Everest.	vultures, tigers, elephants, rhinos and wild water buffalo.	Tetracentraceae, Hamamelidaceae, Circaesteraceae, Butomaceae and Stachyuraceae.	extensive clearing of forests and grasslands for cultivation, and widespread logging
Philippines	includes more than 7,100 islands covering 297,179 km² in the westernmost Pacific Ocean	Cebu flowerpecker, the Philippine cockatoo, the Visayan wrinkled hornbill, and the enormous Philippine eagle.	Pterocarpus indicus	mining and land conversion
Southwest Australia	high endemism among plants and reptiles.	numbat, honey possum, and the red-capped parrot.	eucalyptus	agricultural expansion, and invasive species

Aldo Leopold Reflection

Beneath our feet and even around our heads lies a world which we may never understand. The quote by Aldo Leopold really made me think. It is amazing that we may never learn everything that occurs within our own environment. There may be a secret life of bugs, like the ones portrayed in movies like Bugs Life and Antz or even special friendships between two animals of two totally different species. It may be amazing that we may not notice or completely understand what happens in our environment but according to Leopold this is not unfortunate. I agree with Leopold. Completely understanding all of the salient facts about nature takes the all beauty out of it. The mystery of nature is what makes it so alluring, and like a mysterious and attractive woman we all look twice to take in her beauty.  If man one day completely understands the ambiguity of nature then I imagine the world would be completely changed. Man’s thirst for knowledge and boundless curiosity has changed our world drastically. Like we learned in class, man created the domestic dog through curiosity, so how will we react when all the mysteries of nature are discovered. Will we get bored and completely neglect it or even move on to conquer the natural environment of another planet?

What kind of everyday challenges do ants face?

Do raccoons plan their heist on garbage cans?

When squirrels cross the street is it just a game of chicken?

Why do worms come out when it rains heavily?

What is cutting the lawn like for small bugs and plants?

How do other animals feel when they see road kill?

What are bees buzzing about?

How do trees feel when they are defaced?

Scavenger Hunt

Follow Sergeant Enviro as he treks through the back lawns and woods of suburbia. He crosses the ever dangerous "pine" fields. He encounters squirmy pill bugs and even finds a gigantic bird feather. Try to pick out each item from the hunt as you trail the Sergeant on his perilous journey!

Ted Talk: A Plea For the Bees

No other insect receives such mass marketing and attention than the bee, but now all of that attention needs to be geared towards saving them. In this Tedtalk video the speaker, Dennis vanEngelsdorp elaborates on the recent decline of the bee population. Factors such as varroa mites and disorders such as Colony Collapse Disorder have all contributed to the bee population decline.  Over the past several years 36% of the bee population has disappeared because of these contributing effects. Many beekeepers have just ignored this recent decline by just importing and transporting bees across the country and from other countries. This alone is not the problem. The problem is that we are not doing anything to stop it. As stated in the video bees are major contributors to many of the natural foods we eat daily such as jam, honey, and fruit. They help carry the reproductive pollen that is essential towards the natural bloom of our environment. As we learned in class today, the smallest action can have a large or multiple impacts. If the bee population continues to diminish at its current rate then we may not have much of the natural beauty and sweeteners that we have today.

It's hard out there for a nitrogen

Nario Nitrogen and his brother Naquan Nitrogen were the coolest but worst molecules at Sky High. They had run the school for years but the principle Mr. Lightning became fed up with their terrible antics. One day Mr. Lightning kicked the brothers out of school. They were both shocked by the principle’s decision and fell into a deep depression. They then found themselves on a wild journey. Both Nario and Naquan had hit rock bottom and their faces were literally in the dirt. While in the slums, they encountered a strange microorganism named Father Baron Bacteria, who convinced Nario that his brother was a bad influence and encouraged him to hang out with the hydrogen brothers instead. Nario, now reflecting on his pitiful life took Father Baron Bacteria’s advice and so began his new life under the name of Nario Ammonia. Nario Ammonia still felt something was missing from his new life, so Father Baron Bacteria intervened once again and paired him up with three oxygen members from the program. Nario ditched his old life and friends once again and became Nario Nitrate. As Nario Nitrate his confidence returned once more, so he looked to assimilate into his new life by finally finding a job and began working at the Legume Plant. Things were going great in the plant until one day when the plant was bought by a Dairy farm. Nario thought all was lost. He was just not cut out for the complex operations of the Cow Company. The company tried to keep him and they moved him throughout all four chambers of their business, but he just couldn't find the right fit, so the company fired and dumped him. Stinky and defeated Nario Nitrate reverted to his old self and even started hanging out with the hydrogen brothers from the program again. Nario Ammonia was just about to give up on life when Father Baron Bacteria who was a new microorganism himself had a change of heart and realized that Nario needed his brother to rise to new heights. Nario gladly returned to his brother and faithful Naquan excitedly took him back. Together the brothers got their lives together and returned to Sky High. 

Endangered......

Arctic Fox

The Arctic fox’s habitat, the Arctic Tundra is wavering in the balance because it is being extremely weakened due to climate change. Although various species are threatened by considerable climate change, the arctic fox has been threatened significantly more. Arctic foxes are not endangered in all areas, but this doesn't mean we shouldn't do what we can to save them. They are mainly endangered in Norway despite strict hunting rules. Hunting is not the sole culprit for the arctic fox’s endangerment. Global warming has fostered competition between red foxes and arctic foxes. The melting of ice in the tundra has allowed red foxes to expand their hunting range into arctic fox territory. Climate change has diminished the territory of arctic foxes, and because of global warming they are literally “feeling the heat”, from shrinking snow and ice cover.