Question

1. Write Now biology: human-caused biome shifts
The location of Earth’s different biomes depends on climate and altitude, for the most part. However, human activities play a role in the conversion of one biome to another, as has been seen many times in history. Research one major change in a biome category based on human activity, and describe how and why this change happened. Speculate on how this change could have been specifically avoided?. (Note: Do not analyze a change via deforestation to agricultural land, since agricultural land is not a natural biome. Hint: Take a look at Easter Island as one example.)

2. Doing science

Join forces with millions of others by classifying phytoplankton on your computer. Do an Internet search for "citizen science phytoplankton" and sign in as a citizen scientist, complete the tutorial, and start helping researchers quantify the phytoplankton in our oceans?

3.What do you think?

Some people think the current U.S. Endangered Species Act should be replaced with a law designed to protect ecosystems, not species. The intent of such a law would be to focus conservation efforts on what its advocates think really matters in nature: whole ecosystems. Given how ecosystems are defined, do you think it would be easy or hard to determine the boundaries of what should and should not be protected if such a law was enacted? Give reasons for your answer?

pleaee help answring these 3 questions. thanks!

Answer 1

=====Answers and Explanation======

A major change in a biome category based on human activity

The human community from very ancient , is living among the great biodiversity of the world , where the the nature as being biodiverdity always helped in many ways, as food provider, as shelter provider, as health suppliments (medicines), as raw materials for the various industries and many more but except these our biodiversity or biome is one of the very important part of our environment, and the biodiverstiy along with biome has big hand to maintain our environment, hence being the infinit source it has some limitations, which on disturbance leads to disbalance of environment, and it may be naurally or human based activities.

Since lossing the properties of any biome will not end the biome conversion but it it will convert in another biome- like Forest will change into grass, and vice versa .

Anthropogenic (Human based) impact on the environment - Human directly or indirectly casues the loss of environment in the form of biodiversity loss, ecological crisis , ecological collapse etc. and ultimately causes the severere problems for environment like global warming, ocean acidification and these problems slowely - slowely will become worse situation for the human population along with the other vegetation and fauna of our biome.

Some of the anthropogenic activities can be seen in the form of-

• Overconsumption ( An over consumption of any limited resourse, without thinking the future)
• Overexploitation ( An over production of sources that is unconditional to the )
• Pollution ( A chemical or physical change in the biotic and non-biotic system)
• Deforestation (Over cutting of forests in unlimited manner)   

The above points are the main issues conducted by the human population ultimately leads the disturbance of biomes along with the various natural problems ( Global warming, loss of biodiversity, extinction of the species).

Easter Island-   This was the region also marked as Rapa Nui broad leaf forests, but at present time these plants are now gone but some paleobotanical evidences clearly indicates that the deagradation of the forest lead due to anthropogenic activities and rat activities.

There were following vegetations- Chilean wine palm (Jubaea chilensis), Rapa Nui palm.

There were following fauna- Fossil evidence indicates six species of landbirds (two rails, two parrots, one owl, and one heron)

  Conclusion- Although Easter Island was full of diversity but due to anthopogenic anctivities it got extinct with its vegetations and fauna.

And ofcourse this kind of severe problem can ultimately be solved by awaring at the early time , and compensate the vegetation and fauna (by conserving), to save our biome.

Thanks