Little Changes Today is a conservation themed blog with weekly informative posts aimed at suggesting how you can personally improve the planet. Posts include weekly articles, species information and other interesting information to allow you to become more informed about the natural world.
I’ve written about dams in a previous blog post which I’ll
link at the bottom, in this post I addressed a number of issues dams cause and
their benefits however recently a new piece of information has become known. It
turns out that combined the world’s reservoirs creates more greenhouse gasses
than Canada.
This became apparent thanks to a literature review of more
than 200 different studies published in BioScience. This study deduced that one
gigaton of carbon dioxide is reduced from reservoirs annually as well as other
more ‘potent’ greenhouse gasses such as methane. It is believed that these emissions
occur from different sources depending on the age of a reservoir. Primarily it
is sourced from the decomposing of organic matter which was present when the
area was flooded, and secondly from the material which is halted in its journey
down the river.
This information is important as currently many different
countries are building multiple reservoir in an attempt to combat water depth
and with their emissions being 25% higher than previously estimated it is a visible
proportion of the total global emissions.
If you have ever been taught any biology in school you’ll
have probably learnt about cells, you may even remember that the mitochondria are the ‘power
house’ of the cell. Hopefully however this fact file will help you to learn a
bit more about the building blocks of every single organism on this planet.
Amazingly most of the cells which make up your body aren’t
the same organism as you. In fact 95% of the cells which make up a human body
are bacteria. The vast majority of these cells are found within the digestive
tract and are about ten times smaller than human cells. This is important as
although lots of people know a lot of the body is made up of bacteria the
overall mass of them isn’t larger than the mass of the fewer human cells.
Even individual cells in an animal are not of the same origin
so to speak. There are in fact two different of DNA found within the cell. There
is the DNA found in the nucleus DNA which is a combination of parental DNA
while the before mentioned mitochondrial DNA is only maternal DNA. This is due
to the fact that in the fertilisation process the mother provides the egg
(first cell) which contains all the organelles.
The largest cell in the human body is the female gamete
(egg) and this is about 1mm in diameter. This however is tiny compared to the
largest known single cell organism, there is an aquatic alga called Caulerpa
taxiforlia which has been observed to grow to lengths of 30cm, which is
completely insane when you think about it.
Finally I want to talk about Caenorhabditis elegans, or
C.elegans, which is a type of nematode (roundworm). This is used as a model
species for biological research because of the fact that the exact numbers of
cells which make up this organism at different stages of their life cycle are
known (959 somatic cells in one sex and 1031 in the other). This has allowed us to learn about cell lineages. If you want find out
more about any of these fact I’d suggest you start with this one as you’d be amazed what C.
elegans has taught us.
Life in the natural world is always in the balance, animals
are forever calculating the risk of a task verse the reward. For instance
predators attempting to take down large prey have to face the risks that they
could become injured attempting to bring down their prey whilst if they succeed
they gain a large reward which will sustain them for a longer time. Whilst on the other side of the scale herbivores have to weigh up the time they spend feeding verses the time they spend looking for predators.
In some cases the risks can be almost constant and extreme while
the reward is simple surviving; this is the case for the Alkaline Tilapia. This
fish which is found in Lake Natron in Arusha Tanzania and inhabits one of the more
extreme aquatic environments found on this planet. Lake Natron is a salt and soda lake which
often has temperatures which exceed 400C and due to its high levels
of evaporation a pH greater than 12 so hence the fish’s name.
The scientific name of this Tilapia is Alcolapia alcalica
and it is part of the Cichlidae family which has 2,000-3,000 individual species in and can be found in lakes across Africa. These
fish have evolved over time to be able to cope with these extreme environments
which are found in the lakes, but even they have to run the risks the lakes can
posse daily. As well as the high levels of salinity found in the lake which is a problem in itself they also have to cope with the many hot springs which release water into the lake and sustain it, sometimes these
springs temperature can exceed temperatures above boiling.
These springs are important for the Tilapia as they input nutrients into the lake and so large algal blooms grow round them and this is
what the Tilapia feed on. These springs also mark the area of risk which the Tilapias
have to face. They need to get close enough to the springs to feed on the algae
but can only remain close to the springs for a few seconds before retreating to cooler water so as not to be boiling alive.
So the risk is death while the reward is life when it ‘boils’
down to it. The risks can vary though, the nearer to the spring the greater the
algal growth so the pay of is better with individuals which venture further towards the springs being stronger and in better condition but if they get the timings wrong it's game over. But this is
something that the fish have to face daily.
The Tilapia isn’t the only species which inhabits Lake
Natron however it is also famously the breeding ground for 2.5 million lesser flamingos (and this is probably where you've heard of it before).
These flamingos benefit from the lake as it provides a secure environment to
raise their chicks safely away from predators whilst they have to grow thick
scales on their legs so as to avoid alkaline burns from the water.
Although it has been known for many years that humans are a
significant influence in the decline and extinction of large mammals
historically, it has only ever been considered one of the factors to take into
account though.
Is this right though?
Well a recent (ish) study claims that
the pressure applied large mammals declines because of climate are not overly
significant. They suggest that humans were the sole cause of their decline.
This creates two opposing theories however; one which claims
climate change caused the extinction of large mammals after the last ice age, while
another believes that it was due to human influences that these creatures were
lost. The climate change theory tends to believe that the larger mammals were
not capable of keeping cool in the higher temperatures post ice age so they
overheated and died. This study which states humans are to blame, draws on date
which shows losses were greater in Euroasia and other areas where the human
populations began to develop at an increasing rate while they were less effected
on other continents such as Africa.
This is an extremely interesting topic and if you want to
learn more about it check out this link here
Today’s fact file will be focusing on something we know a
lot about but as a whole there is still so much more left to lean and
understand. It is constantly changing and is so varied across the area which it
covers. If you couldn’t tell from the title today we’ll be learning about the
worlds oceans.
A fact that may people like to say is that the worlds
surface is 71% covered by oceans. That’s a really large amount and what this
fact doesn’t take into account is the depth and therefore the volume which can
be inhabited. The fact that more is known about the surface of the moon than
the sea bed amazes me. It is extremely hard to study the sea floor however as
at some points it reaches depth greater than 11km down. But we do know that
there is still life down there!
The biodiversity of the sea is huge. There are currently
230,000+ recorded species in the world’s oceans and there are many thousands
left yet to be described. These species stretch from the giant squid to the
strangest creatures like Hydrothermal vent tubeworms such as Riftia
pachyptila which survive around the volcanic vents on the ocean floor,
there are so many different niches within the ocean and every single one of
them is filled. You can use this link to explore every described species in the
oceans, check it out!
Thanks to its huge biodiversity the oceans are also
extremely productive, and it all starts with microscopic plankton called phytoplankton
(and other marine plants). In fact oceans are by far the largest carbon sinks
in the world and every year they take up 2.5 billion tons annually (2002-2011),
sadly however this isn’t enough to compensate for the burning of fossil fuels. But
it is the source of the oceans productivity and allows creates such as the
millions of different fish to exist.
Finally the ocean provides an environment which allows
different animals to be present. I’m not just talking about the fact that it’s
aquatic but more of the way the water allows certain boundries found in
terrestrial species to be stretched. Water is great at supporting creates mass
and therefore has allowed the evolution of the world’s largest ever creature,
the Blue Whale. The size of a Blue whale is hard to describe but to put it in
some context their tongues can weigh as much as a bull elephant. However without
the support that dense water provides the whales they would be an impossibility,
and within a terrestrial environment would be crushed by their own body weight.
It’s always important to remember that this creature is sustained by krill, one
of the smaller species in the sea (40 million krill or 8,000 pounds per day).
Last Friday I wrote about the large Blue butterfly and
referred to it as an umbrella species. So in this post I want to look into what
exactly an umbrella species is and how important they actually are!
There are several slightly different definitions, but the
general consensus is that an umbrella species is a species which conservation
contributes to the general ecosystem due to it possessing a large habitat or
other requirements which filter down to benefit different species.
As I’m sure you can gather from the definition umbrella
species they are extremely importa
nt in the whole scheme of things. The
majority of species which are currently undergoing conservation efforts are
umbrella species. For example tigers, wolves and other large predators all of which
require huge ranges to source their prey from make fantastic umbrella species.
This in turn acts as a reason for large reserves to be set up and so target
prey species and non-prey species to benefit from the predator’s conservation
efforts. Another umbrella species which we’ve recently discussed on this blog
is the Giant Panda. If you read the weekly article a few weeks ago you will
know that pandas are no longer on the IUCN red list as an endangered species.
There are however some species which are not apex predators but
are still known as an umbrella species. An example of which would be the Sage
Grouse as they require a variety of very specific habitats throughout the year
for both forage and lekking.
The term umbrella species can also be stretched into the aquatic
and marine environments as well as specific reserves will not only benefit the
target species but it will also protect other species from over fishing, giving
them a safe environment to flourish in (depending on fishing regulations). This
has been seen in the endangered humphead wrasse which is found within coral
reef systems meaning effort to save this species help many thousands of other
species which are found on the reefs.
An article published from the University of Washington
Conservation (2001) determined that there are three areas which a species needs
to possess to be a successful umbrella species. The first of which is
co-occurrence of species, by this they mean that the species has to have a
range which includes the greatest number of other species as possible. This
makes them the ‘most profitable’ in terms of biodiversity to protect. Secondly
degree of ubiquity is important, as if they are to common they will be found in
all sorts of habitats and so some of those areas will have a low biodiversity
and so not be a beneficial area to put the effort into. On the other hand if
the species is to rare they won’t inhabit an area large enough to benefit
enough other species to be classed as an umbrella species. The final areas
where a species needs to excel to be a good umbrella species is sensitivity to
human disturbance as animals which are sensitive are targeted as if they can be
conserved other species which are either as sensitive or less sensitive will
also be successful.
So umbrella species are an extremely important conservation
tool, which are leading conservation efforts into more ecosystem protection
rather than individual species approach.
So following the good news last week about the removal of
the Giant Panda from the endangered species list there has been more news on
bears this week. One of their distant relatives, the polar bear has been proven
to be struggling in each of it’s 19 sub-populations .
This is because the effects global warming is having on the
arctic sea ice, which is critical to a bears survival. The study from The
Cryosphere showed that total number of ice-covered days are declining between
7-19 days per decade (1979-2014) and that the spring melt is occurring 3-9 days
earlier per decade. Although these numbers don’t appear to be all that large
they are in fact very significant, as bears use the sea ice to hunt, breed and many other life processes. When the
ice isn’t present most bears will go through a period of starvation and as
these periods are increasing more and more bears are struggling to make it
through the leaner months. The lack of ice will also put strains on their reproduction as not only limiting there time but the knock on effect of extended starvation will lead to less success in breeding for many individuals.
Check out the paper here! (download the pdf for free)
There is only one animal in this world which has managed to
successfully shape the entire world to suit its personal needs. I am of course
talking about humans, and you only need to look around exactly where you are
sitting to see to just what extend we have as a species managed to change this entire
planet.
Today’s fact file will be focusing on construction! Stretching
from the first permanent structures built to the modern day super skyscrapers
humans have always been adapting and creating their own personal habitat.
Humans are always attempting to build higher, this is for a
couple of reasons, the first of which is to create more space in areas where
there are limitations, more recently however it has become a show of wealth,
power and technological advancement. The tallest man made structure for 3800
years was the Great Pyramid of Giza which was only over taken in 1300 by the completion
of the Lincoln Cathedral. Each new tallest building after that was only
marginally higher than the last and it wasn’t till modern times that records
began to be broken by significant amounts. The reason for this is due to restrictions
of the materials available, cost and the effort required to create such
structures. Solutions to these problems were found with steel and super strong
glasses which was a lot lighter, power tools and other mechanical inventions
and finally growing economies. These advancements have allowed for the Burj
Khalifa (current world’s tallest building) to be built at a height of 830m.
As a species humans do not only build up we also build out,
in fact an estimates 200 billion square meters of land is covered in concrete. This
make up about 0.18% of the earth’s total surface area, which might not actually
sound all that much but it’s more than double the amount of land which is
covered by fresh water. You also have to take into consideration that 71% of
the earth’s total surface is covered in water and so unavailable to truly build
on.
To finish of the three axis humans are also expanding down,
basements, mines and shelters are all becoming bigger and bigger. Recently (1st
June 2016) the world’s longest and deepest traffic tunnel was opened in Switzerland
which runs for 57.09km (for the traffic) and has a total of over 151.84km of
tunnels ranging up to 2,300m below the surface of the Alps.
Putting an environmental cost on all is activity is
extremely hard. Currently forgetting about all the destructive effects of
construction (due to the fact that it is almost impossible to quantify the
exact amount of damage) and focusing on the emissions it is still nearly
impossible to put numbers to it all. This is because of all the different
emission contributions, so to bring it all the way down to the primary product
of concrete. 1000kg of concrete will on average produce 927kg of CO2 which
is a staggering amount. Can you find any other figures to help quantify it?
So although the modern day era of construction with concrete
and steel is a marvel of human adventure and technology, it is clearly having a
huge impact on the natural world. Sadly there isn’t much to be done about this
as with growing populations there will always be a need for more structures. You
can personally attempt to reduce your impact however by using environmentally
friendly products in your personal DIY products and reducing the amount of
concrete you use for instance when creating
new drive way etc.
Everything in the natural world is connected; parasites and
hosts, predator and prey and all the other symbiotic relationships to name just
a few. Many of these connections are still unknown and certain types are
extremely complex and rely on multiple different organisms.
Today I’m going to be talking about the Large Blue
(Maculinea arion) and for those of you who do not know this is a species of
European butterfly, which were found in the UK from 1795 till 1979. But it was
then reintroduced in 1984 with a greater understanding on what it requires to
be successful and became one of the UKs best reintroduction programs.
The problem the large blue faced is that through its
multiple life stages it requires specific habitat and conditions which were
decreasing in the UK. For instance they will only lay their eggs on wild thyme
or marjoram flowers but in turn these plants require certain conditions. They
are generally only found in grasslands which are well drained, acidic coastal
or limestone based areas which are well grazed.
This generally means that these grasslands need to be well populated by
species such as rabbits which will keep the grasses low so as not to out-compete
the flowers whilst not damaging the flowers themselves which happens when
larger domesticated animals such as cows are present.
Once hatched the larva depend on a single species of ant
(Myrmica sabuleti). It has long been know that ants were involved in the large
blue’s life cycle but it wasn’t until the late 1970s that Jeremy Thomas
uncovered the specific reliance. The large blue relies on these ants in a part
parasitic part symbiotic relationship, as they are taken down into the ant’s
colony where they feed on the grubs both dead and alive. It is thought that
this process is both parasitic and symbiotic as although some potential ants
are lost from the colony the larva also is helping to effectively clean the
nest of dead individuals.
Finally the larva will metamorphose into an adult and emerge
from its subterranean existence then will climb onto some vegetation and
proceed to expand its wings. From that point of the butterfly will rely on
wildflowers nectar as a food source to provide them with sufficient energy to
find a mate and contribute to the next generation.
The extinction of the large blue in 1979 was believed to be
due to a number of reasons but it boiled down to two main reasons. The first of
which was due to excessive uses of pesticides in the areas it can be found
which killed the butterflies at each of their life stages. While the second
reason was believed to be due to our lack of understanding of the species
specific behaviour and so as we changed the grasslands through overgrazing and
other activities to benefit humans the butterflies suffered. Luckily however
since the successful reintroduction program the is believed to be a positive
growth trend in the large blue UK populations.
So to summaries this one invertebrates influences and needs
within the natural world it are; two types of plants to lay their eggs, grazing
animals, ants and then flowers as an adult food source and if any of this
critical components are lost from the chain the large blue will become extinct
as it did in 1979.
You could almost class the large blue as an umbrella
species! To find out more information on umbrella species check back next week.
So there was a good bit of news which came out this week and
I feel like it needs to be shared.
The WWF icon and a creature which is known across the world have
finally made it out of the endangered classification on the IUCN Red List and
into the vulnerable classification. I am of course talking about the giant
panda! This is a big deal as giant pandas have been classed as endangered since 1990 despite a massive effort across the world in an attempt to increase their population numbers.
Pandas are a huge and controversial deal in the world of
conservation for many reasons; there are several different views on what
exactly should be done with them. On one side of the argument people believe
that it is extremely important to conserve as it is because of human activities
that they are struggling. The other side of the argument believes that too much
funding goes into pandas as an individual species, which could be spent in
better areas with potentially more success. However it is important that
although pandas are extremely hard to keep and breed in captivity, but then
again they are also a flag ship species and bring in a lot of money for all
sorts of conservation charities.
If you live in the UK you might have heard some good
environmental news the other day relating to plastic, or to be more accurate
micro beads. These beads can be found in lots of different types of cosmetic
and beauty products and are a ecological disaster, in the UK however a recent
pledge has been made to ban the use of these beads by 2017.
So because of this news today's fact file will be focusing on
plastics.
Only a very small amount of plastic we produce globally is
ever recovered to be recycled (5%), the majority of it heads to landfills,
where it makes up 10% of all waste generated. Also sadly a lot of it is sweep
into the oceans to become part of the large garbage patches which are forming
there. In Los Angeles for instance 10 metric tons of plastic are swept into the
sea every day.
The plastic which has been swept into the sea has an extreme
effect on marine life. 1 million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals are
estimated to be killed annually by plastic. This can take several forms, for
instance turtles and other creature’s mistake bags for jelly fish and so ingest
the plastic and then starve as they fill their stomachs with indigestible
products. While many sea birds become trapped in some types of plastic and then
either suffocate of drown because of it.
The main problem with plastics is the time it takes to
decompose. Depending on the type it can take anywhere from 500 to several 1000s
of years to breakdown. There is a hope that bacteria hold a solution to our
ever growing piles of waste plastic. A lot of work is being done to attempt to
find viable bacteria which can be used to speed up the rate of decay of
plastics.
Recycling even a little bit of plastic will make a
difference as recycling will save 3-5x the energy used to produce fresh
products. Also with the 32.5% of plastic recycled in 2006 equates to 39.4
million cars worth of emission being removed, or 222.1 million barrels of oil
saved.
Finally if you have the time check out this link from
ecologycenter to give you a few tips and trick on how you can either completely
cut out plastic from your life or at least reduce your consumption of it.
I’ve written about dams in a previous blog post which I’ll
link at the bottom, in this post I addressed a number of issues dams cause and
their benefits however recently a new piece of information has become known. It
turns out that combined the world’s reservoirs creates more greenhouse gasses
than Canada.
