The Platypus Faces Extinction As Australia Heats Up

www.treehugger.com

by Alex Davies, Paris, France

08.7.11

Travel and Nature

Pictures:

This is a picture of a real platypus and also Perry the platypus. I chose to add Perry to show how much different actual platypus are in real life.

Summary:

"As a mammal that lays eggs, has a duck's bill, a beaver's tail, an otter's feet, and a venomous spur on its foot (males only), the platypus is a one of a kind animal." As temperatures in the waters of Australia are heating up, this mammal is finding hard to survive any longer. Their fur prevents them from losing heat because it is designed to keep them warm so they can live in icy water. They are currently safe under Australian law from hunters, but the climate changes are making it hard for them. However, since the platypus is on the endangered species list it may be possible to save them from going completely extinct sometime in the future.

Opinion:

For some strange reason I wanted to write my article about the platypus, but I never expected to read that they are on the endangered species list! I love Phineas and Ferb so naturally I love Perry the Platypus. But, if the platypus species goes extinct then future generations will have no idea how amazing the platypus is at being a secret agent and just being itself.

Questions:

1. How do you think we as Americans can help save the platypus?

2. How do you think the platypus will impact the ecosystem if it does go extinct?

3. If the platypus does go extinct do you think that Perry will also perish with the real species?

Tracking the Extinctions and Adaptations Around Us

Link to article:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/tracking-the-extinctions-and-adaptations-around-us.php?campaign=th_rss
Picture: This picture shows the impact of the Chicxulub Crater which happened near the Yucatan Peninsula.

Summary: There have been five major periods of extinction on our earth. The Chicxulub event was the last extinction to occur. Today, about 30,000 species are going extinct every year. We are currently entering our sixth great period of extinction in our history. Humanity is having a difficult time adapting to these changes. The globe keeps warming due to the increasing carbon emmisions in our atmosphere.

Reflection: It is very disturbing to know that we are entering our sixth period of mass extinction. Humanity has been careless at times by not preserving the earth's species. People should raise awareness about this so this period of mass extinction does not go out of control. Without our species, then our environments will not be stable.

Questions:
1. What can we do to raise awareness about this issue?
2. How can we prevent this sixth period of mass extinction?
3. What will happen if humanity does not respond to this period of mass extinction?

Plastic Seas

By: Lindsey Blomberg
August 26, 2011
The Environmental Magazine


Link to article: http://tinyurl.com/3pn7wr6

Picture- This picture shows just how much garbage and pollution we're putting into our oceans today. The incredible amount is so vast, that he actually needs a boat to sail through the trash, virtually making it a "sea of plastic".

Summary- While sailing the great waters of the Pacific Ocean, Captain Charles Moore, discovered more and more trash as he continued. Some fishing nets here, bottle caps there, it was soon to become known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch". It was such a great amount of garbage and human waste that he couldn't go one second without sailing past another cluster of water pollution. He wrote a book on trying to raise awareness on what we're doing to our own oceans that we swim in every day. What he relizes is that the media is trying to hide it from us because people don't want to see that on their TV screens; they'd rather watch a little, yellow sponge walking around the ocean floor with the dumbest starfish you'll ever meet. Some other discoveries he made include how no matter the great amount of awareness people try to send out to us, we just keep throwing more and more trash cans and human waste into our water systems everyday. He's on a mission to restore what was once a tropical paridise for lively fish and sea critters.

Reflection- This doesn't come as a surprize to me that our waters are very polluted with our watse, but to this extent, it's just out of hand. I just don't think people understand the vast amount of junk we dump into the oceans and how the future will look from here. We just think about the now, act first, think later, but that's a HUGE mistake. If we just do whatever we want to do now, there won't even be a future for us. The human race will actually become extinct because we're just killing ourselves out. We need to stop and think just for one second, how to make a small change that will create a big difference and his book can help the world do just that.

Questions
1. What are some ways we can start to restore the ocean to it's original, healthy form?
2. How can you spread the word of our polluted oceans?
3. What are some consiquences that we might face if there is no action taken to help our oceans?

Biodegradable's Dark Side

By: Eliana Osborn

August 26,2011

The Enviromental Magazine

Summary

Recently there has been an argument about new biodegradable products. Biosegradable products were created to decay faster to lessen our waste problem but there is a downside to the decomposition that these products bring. All trash produces methane gas -which is a potent greenhouse gas- when dumped in landfills. Methane gas is 25 times more potent in its heat trapping abilities than carbon dioxide. In landfills, they allow about two years to trap the mathane gasses and in some landfills, they turn the gas into energy. Biodegradable products decompose faster and realeses methane gas into the air befor it can be trapped. Researchers from North Carolina State University have concluded that using biodegradable products that decompose slower is more heathy for the enviroment.

Reflection

I agree with the article that fast decaying biodegradable products could be harmful to the enviroment. We have been talking about carbon dioxide in science class and how too much of it cannot be good for the enviroment. I can imagine how 25 times that can be even more harmful to the enviroment. I have heard about these new biodegradable products and I was thinking of how these products could be good for the enviroment. After i read this article i am thinking that biodegradable products just aren't the best.

Questions

1.) What are some ways that you can prevent this problem?

2.) What can you do to raise awarness to your community and maybe some companies that use biodegradable products?

3.) Do you think that biodegradable products are good or bad?

Acid Oceans turn 'Finding Nemo' fish deaf

By: Richard Black

May 31 2011

BBC News

[Link to Article]

Picture:

This picture shows the container in which they test the clownfish's hearing ability. The loudspeaker is on the left side (makes predator sounds) and when the sound is emitted, if the clownfish are capable of hearing through the acidic water, they will swim away.

Summary:

Clownfish rely greatly on their hearing to survive and if the acidic levels in our oceans continue to increase at their current rate, by the end of the century, clownfish may be in very big trouble when it comes to surviving. The way the water is becoming acidic is because the water is absorbing the heavy amounts of carbon dioxide contained in our atmosphere.The fish use their hearing to do things such as seeking out predators, mate detection, and foraging.

Through an experiment with sound (see above picture), they tested the clownfish's hearing in different acidic levels in water, using multiple tanks. In the tank with our current acidic levels (390 ppm), the fish had stayed on the opposite side of the speaker for three quarters of the time. When the other tanks which contained acidic levels possible near the end of this century (600-900 ppm) were tested, the fish had no preferences as to which side of the tank to go.

Dr. Simpson, a scientist, was looking into this situation and says, "What we have done here is put today's fish in tomorrow's environment, and the effects are potentially devastating." him and his team looked more into the cause of the deafness, and though still unclear, coral and shellfish (snails) are also victims of this issue and Simpson's team is working hard to figure out to prevent the death of the fish before it is too late.

Opinion/Reflection:

This just shows how much us humans have affected the world. I did not even have any idea about this issue until I read the article! We hurt the environment so much everyday, but we never do as much to help. I have fish and I would not like it if the water's acidic level in the tank were to raise and harm them. It is only 11 years into the century, so hopefully changes can be made to help decrease the water's acidic levels as soon as possible. Considering the fact clownfish greatly depend on hearing for basic survival needs, it is sad to know that we are preventing them from doing what they have to do to live.

Question(s):

1) What are some possible ways to help lessen the acidic levels of our oceans or simply lessen the increase rate?

2) Why do you think the acidic levels affect the fish's hearing?

3) What are a couple examples on how other organisms cope with carbon dioxide in the air? (e.g. Humans, plants, animals, etc.)