There are multiple risk factors that were noted for destruction. These destruction will lead to a possible collapse of the planetary ecosystems that supports life. Some of the risk factors that can destroy the planetary ecosystem are: global destruction of large forests and phytoplankton in the oceans, worldwide soil erosion and desertification, loss of biodiversity and massive extinction of species, and natural disasters. (Cooney)
Global destruction of large forests and phytoplankton in the oceans is one of the major risk factor that can potentially cause a collapse in the planetary ecosystem. These large forests and phytoplankton in the ocean captures 59 percent of the land carbon dioxide and 41 percent of the ocean carbon dioxide (Conney).
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Large forests are destroyed for raising beef, lumbering, and use of wood for clear cutting for crops or profit (Cooney). Wood has been in a huge demand for several centuries to build houses and buildings. However, this is causing other animals losing their shelter and habitat in forest. The topsoil has been wearing off from the soil which is creating soil erosion. Topsoil contains all the healthy nutritions that will make the soil fertile. Plants needs this fertilization and all the proper nutritions in soil to grow. However, water erosion in soil is causing soil erosion. Which is creating the land a desert where no one can live.
Another risk factor is loss of biodiversity and massive extinction of species. This is caused by the change in ecosystem due to climate change, pollution, and invasive species (Cooney). Also, many of the species need some time or some generations to evolve and adjust to the new ecosystem. Due to the rapid change, many of the species are finding it very difficult to adjust and survive in the new ecosystem. They are losing the food source, water source, and their habitat. As a result, many species are extincting and causing a huge loss of biodiversity
Our needs for plants and trees are an essential part of living because they produce our planets oxygen in our air as well as absorbing the Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. With the increasing need for deforestation happening there is no place for the Carbon Dioxide to go. This compound stays in our air and allows for more Greenhouse gases to be trapped and stay on our planet’s atmosphere. Deforestation has also lead to millions of homeless wildlife and has led to many species being extinct or close to extinction. Such examples include the Polar Bear’s habitat disappearing and melting because of rising sea levels due to methane and Carbon Dioxide levels heating up the
Deforestation occurs primarily as a result of agriculture, fuel use and production, firewood, charcoal, timber harvesting, pasture-clearing for livestock animals, and expanding human settlements. When deforestation happens to a country that you live in it can have a huge impact, "These deforested areas almost always end up as wastelands via the processes of soil erosion and desertification, if they aren’t reforested. Many of the areas of the world that were deforested thousands of years ago remain as severely degraded wastelands or deserts today." Currently, the world’s annual rate of deforestation is estimated to be about 13.7 million hectares a year, which is roughly equal to the total land of Greece. Half of the areas deforested gets reforested to some degree, but these new-growth forests don’t function in the same ways, support the same biodiversity, nor do they provide the many benefits that old-growth forests do cause many societies to eventually collapse if they cannot come up with a better
The many advantages trees have on earth is immense, when trees are lost it affects the worlds atmosphere and air quality. Trees are home to many ecosystems, they give shelter and food to the animals in their community, but they are being taken down. Animals without homes are more vulnerable to predators and hunters, and it is all a disruption to the ecosystem. Once taken down, the increase in greenhouse gasses rise,” Forests help to migrate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, but they become carbon sources” (Kerry Cesareo), much of these gasses have an impact in rising temperatures. The water cycle is also an important role in the rainforest and it has also been disrupted by deforestation. Erosion of soil,” And as fertile soil washes away, agricultural producers move on, clearing more forest and continuing
More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will warm the planet, and more of it in the ocean will acidify the ocean, making it uninhabitable to a growing number of marine species. Factory farms are destroying forests in order to grow more food and make more money.
The article discussed the changes in many habitats due to anthropogenic activity. Anthropogenic is an adjective that describes changes in nature due to the people. Next, this article discussed climate change and the impact that it is having on species like clams, and fish due to ocean temperatures rising. The article also addressed carbon dating of fossils to look for cause of extinctions. Human development and agriculture have had a tremendous impact on the population of many species that are terrestrial. Deforestation is a big problem that has caused a decline in the bird species. Commercial fishing in many areas has led to a decline in fish populations. Furthermore this article
Our land is mainly used for agriculture, settlement, and industries. We have land for agriculture to produce food for us to eat and to export. Houses and industries take up lots of land, it is used as shelters and production of products. Which the space remained for forests decreases year by year. The forest is a home for many wild animals and a where trees and vegetations grow. As humans cut down the remaining spaces for trees, the biodiversity of animals and the number of trees will drop. Through this, we can see that the use of land planned by humans often limit the amount of space for forests and often expands areas for settlement and
Forests have been cut, crops planted, pastures seeded, and urban areas paved. One of the most troubling consequences of human modification of ecosystems is an ongoing loss of species and therefore a loss of biodiversity around the world. The current extinctions have a human cause: habitat loss (such as clearing of tropical rainforests); the introduction of invasive species; unregulated hunting and fishing; and pollution of water, air, and
Many forests are dying and that can have a major effect on plants and humans. Forests are dying off because of droughts, deforestation and invasive species. Dying forests can also alter global climate and change how much sunlight is being absorbed in the different hemispheres. Western North American forests are suffering because of the drought while humans are affecting southwestern forests. The removal of forests has different impacts on different parts of the world. In some places, it is a good thing while in other places it is bad. Scientists are trying figure out where and how the surrounding plants are affected negatively and positively.
Another reason for desertification is population pressure. The Chinese government has converted numerous forests to farmland in order to provide fertile land for agriculture. In addition, they have furthered many infrastructure projects, which has placed a strain on forest lands as well. Due to the severity of the issue, members of the United Nations Environment Programme provided a list of threatened forest which needs protection (Lallanilla, n.d.).
In conclusion, many things are impacting the populations and changes in the ecosystem. Lions impact their ecosystem and control the populations through predation. Keystone species like bees are highly depended in their ecosystems and have many symbiotic relationships. Finally there are nonliving changes like global warming changing the environments all over the world. I believe that we have changed the Earth so much and that it has changed so much itself that there is nothing we can really do, but just let them happen.
The most obvious example of habitat destruction is the loss of forests. While there used to be eight hundred million acres of forestland in the United States, today, due to deforestation, this number has gone down to one million. This is problem becomes even worse with rainforests, which overflow with biodiversity. Every day over one hundred animal and insect species are lost due to rainforest destruction. Moreover, ninety-fice percent of nutrients in the rainforest are in the canopies, which means when they are cut down revival is impossible. Thus, this combined with common overuse and climate change lead to desertification of the once productive land. Also due to climate change, are fires and general heat, stress, and lack of water, which
2. Increasing global temperatures are expected to disrupt ecosystems, pushing to extinction those species that cannot adapt.
The dangers of ecological destruction
Since the agrarian revolution, humans have tried to change the environment for settlement and agriculture to sustain the increasing population. This was further enhanced in the 21st century by the use of machines to change massive lands, excessive use of chemicals and pesticides to control rodents and pests. This resulted in serious destruction of important ecosystems and habitats as well as pollution and killing of small organisms valuable for the environment. This formed the foundation for biodiversity crisis which is characterized by;
Forests are extremely important to both living and non-living things. Forests contribute to many aspects of life. It is not surprising that the destruction of tropical forests have people in a state of distress. These "forests constitute half of the forests of the world and they nest 70% of all plant and animal species of the planet" (Downing et al. 1992: 115). Erosion is a major problem, especially in mountainous regions. Many farmers who cut into forests on the sides of mountains eventually experience problems with erosion. Forests provide the roots to hold the important top soils in place. The thick canopy allows the falling rain to slowly reach the forest floor, while creating important pools in leaves and small crevices in trees. Most of the time, much of the rain will evaporate before it ever reaches the forest floor