Week 9
I presented on Friday and I'll continue to improve upon it for the final presentation in May.
My essay is on its way to completion. Here's an edited segment:
Biodiversity is extremely important and can remain preserved if we save as many endangered species as possible. According to GreenFacts (2005), “biodiversity is the variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems.” Biodiversity is important because it is “essential in supporting human existence, for health, well-being and the provision of livelihoods” (Christie 2012). Each species in the environment is important to contributing biodiversity, which is one reason why we are trying to save and repopulate endangered species. The Gila cypha is an endangered species of fish. It resides in six places on the planet; one being in different parts of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. The Gila cypha became endangered after the completion of the Glen Canyon Dam which caused a significant drop in water temperature, although wasn’t listed as endangered until 1967. The survival and replenishment of the humpback chub is important because the effects of a loss in biodiversity of the ecosystem in the Grand Canyon and could one day be detrimental due to the increased risk in diseases. If there are less species in the world, there is less genetic diversity allowing viruses to more easily adapt to a less diverse prey population which makes their effects more potent (Harvard T.H. Chan 2016).
This is one of the main reasons I was so drawn to studying the Humpback chub. I was talking to Ms. Miller last week before my presentation and she agrees that it's incredible that this fish has survived the major ecological shift in its habitat. One thing that all researchers can agree upon is that the chub began its decline due to a significant drop in temperature, and it shouldn't be possible that this species even exists anymore. This just shows how resilient and adaptable the humpback chub is.
And I think that's incredibly cool.
My essay is on its way to completion. Here's an edited segment:
Biodiversity is extremely important and can remain preserved if we save as many endangered species as possible. According to GreenFacts (2005), “biodiversity is the variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems.” Biodiversity is important because it is “essential in supporting human existence, for health, well-being and the provision of livelihoods” (Christie 2012). Each species in the environment is important to contributing biodiversity, which is one reason why we are trying to save and repopulate endangered species. The Gila cypha is an endangered species of fish. It resides in six places on the planet; one being in different parts of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. The Gila cypha became endangered after the completion of the Glen Canyon Dam which caused a significant drop in water temperature, although wasn’t listed as endangered until 1967. The survival and replenishment of the humpback chub is important because the effects of a loss in biodiversity of the ecosystem in the Grand Canyon and could one day be detrimental due to the increased risk in diseases. If there are less species in the world, there is less genetic diversity allowing viruses to more easily adapt to a less diverse prey population which makes their effects more potent (Harvard T.H. Chan 2016).
This is one of the main reasons I was so drawn to studying the Humpback chub. I was talking to Ms. Miller last week before my presentation and she agrees that it's incredible that this fish has survived the major ecological shift in its habitat. One thing that all researchers can agree upon is that the chub began its decline due to a significant drop in temperature, and it shouldn't be possible that this species even exists anymore. This just shows how resilient and adaptable the humpback chub is.
And I think that's incredibly cool.
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