Predators and Ecosystem Management
Natural Resources Management
Predators have an everlasting effect on different kinds of ecosystems.
They influence there ecosystems by controlling the abundance of lower species
certain habitats. In this article, “Predators and Ecosystem Management” by
(James A. Estes). He explains results of case studies that indicate important
ecological roles for predators in a huge coastal ecosystem. The main challenge
in this article is to determine if there are recurrent patterns else where in
nature and to also understand when and where they occur.
The author gives his perspective on predators and the coastal ecosystems
by giving us a living example, the sea otter and the kelp forests. The relation
between the sea otters and the kelp-forests was provided because of a accident
of history, the over-exploitation of sea otters in the Pacific maritime fur
trade. The study compared areas where sea otters were abundant with nearby
areas to area's where they're almost extinct. By doing this comparison of the
sea otters coastal system it was possible to gain much insight into the sea
otter ecological role in kelp-forest ecosystem. Over the years it's been
possible for us to observe the kelp-forest ecosystem over-time, thanks to the
massive growth of the sea otters population we observed the change from otter-
free to otter-dominated.
This article relates to many aspects of our textbook. On page 89 in
chapter 5 the text explains what an ecosystem is, defined by the book, it's a
community of species interacting with one another where there is a non-living
environment. In this case the otter and kelp-forests ecosystems a coastal
ecosystem. As mentioned in the book, the food chain is involved in the sequence
of events with the organism that are the source of the food. In a survey of
coastal habitats in many areas of the North Pacific Ocean have revealed that
kelp forests usually are extensively deforested where sea otters are absent
whereas this condition is rare where occur ( Estes and Duggins 1995).
All ecosystem management has recently emerged as the main way of
Niman, Nicolette H. "The Carnivore's Dilemma." Food. Ed. Brooke Rollins and Lee Bauknight. 1st ed. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead, 2010. 169-73. Print.
Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are marine mammals capable of spending their entire lives in water. Being carnivorous in nature, they feed on sea urchins, crabs, fishes, mussels and clams. They are referred to as keystone species due to their profound impact on marine ecology. The interaction between sea otters, sea urchins and kelp forests has been studied as a model for the impact of predator-prey interactions on community ecology. Sea otters are keystone predators, whose presence has a far-reaching influence on the marine food web by affecting the populations of sea urchins, which indirectly affects the populations of kelp forests & other marine organisms. There has been a steep decline in sea otter populations due to water pollution and exploitation for furs. This has affected marine ecology adversely. It is therefore suggested that sea otters should be included in the endangered species list to protect them from further exploitation. This study focuses on the community ecology of sea otters and their impact on marine ecology. The need for their inclusion in the Endangered Species list and the implications of such an intervention are also evaluated.
The sole purpose of Wildlife Services predator control is to prevent commercial livestock losses from predation by wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, and other wild carnivores (NRDC, 2011). They work with state and local governments and use a combination of lethal control methods like trapping, poisoning, and gunning. There are many different types of trapping, poisoning, and gunning.
Every popular belief of food and nutrition is carefully analyzed and debunked by Pollan using various examples from cultural habits, basic scientific processes and relevant studies and experiments. The vast amount of information from numerous, and likely fraudulent, sources reflect the message he is trying to convey: that food is naturally too complicated to study and perfect in science. Each chapter flows smoothly into the next topic as explanations become clearer and more in-depth. His knowledge in the topic and history is strongly demonstrated as well, building his credibility with his audience.
All predators have different skills that help them daily. Which of those skills makes them a predator?
The ecosystem I have chosen is tropical rainforest. In the following paragraphs, I am going to firstly introduced the structure of tropical rainforest in brief, with the second part of the plant ecology and last the diversity within this ecosystem.
How many innocent farm animals are going to be brutally killed and consumed by predator species before the citizens of america are going to do anything about it.
Ecosystems can be as small as a tide pool or a rotting log or as large as a body of water, forest or desert. Each system can consist of a community of plants and animals and this community is sustained by raw materials, chemical elements and water. Each community is surrounded by soil, water, climate and other conditions of the environment. An example of an ecosystem is a pond it supports a community of fish, frogs, insects and plants. Basic food is small organisms and plankton for the fish to consume. If the ecosystem does not maintain a balance it can weaken and the species will suffer. The systems are affected by fire, disease and severe climate changes not including predators and man such as building, pollution and mining.
Just one look outside and you will see all kinds of ecosystems. For example the oak tree is a ecosystem to all kinds of amazing creatures in the world. It is home to birds and bugs that live in it’s bark and its branches, and to the squirrels who make their nests in the trunks. It also provides food for other animals to. When an acorn falls off the branch deer and mice eat them too fatten up for the winter. The squirrel keeps them in it’s mouth. Another ecosystem is the ocean. One big part of that ecosystem is the coral reef. It is home to many plants and animals. For example sea plants move back and forth in the current, and fish and other sea animals come to hide in it just incase an animal harms or hurts it. Cool fact is that one quarter of all the fish in the sea live in that ecosystem. The coral reef also attracts other animals like birds, whales, turtles and seals. There are many different kinds of ecosystems small or big they are still a really big part of
Throughout the course of evolution the cat’s ability to survive in the wild has become extremely dependent upon its hunting ability. In order for feral, or undomesticated, cats to survive on their own in the wild they have developed hereditary traits and instincts from their ancestors throughout time. Though these hereditary traits that they have inherited are helpful for undomesticated cats, they can often cause problems when domesticated house cats revert back to the ways of their ancestors, often influencing the ways that cats kept as pets are managed. Cats are carnivorous predators and pet owners must accommodate this lifestyle by feeding them a meat-based diet with high protein, providing them with a play outlet to avoid predatory aggression, as well as keeping them inside or monitoring their activities while outside to avoid the unnecessary killing of birds or any other type of animal.
off of just one host but very few predators can feed on the same prey(1973). In
...ws and acts such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, Fur Seal Act, Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, and the Coastal Management Act, have all helped to prevent the stocks of these important organisms from declining even further. Even though these have been enacted, the general public still needs to be educated and made aware of the population trends of these animals, as well as their importance to the tropic systems surrounding our coastlines. Many individuals do not realize, for instance, that Sea Otters are a keystone species in kelp bed habitats, and without them, kelp forests would dwindle in numbers and the health of those ecosystems would decline rapidly. Kelp forests provide habitat for over a thousand species of animals, many of which are important for fisheries and without those forests, fish abundance would fall as well.
Scientists have begun to say that we have to do more to protect our ecosystem, because our very existence is depending upon it. When the ecosystem is not functioning properly the continuation of plant, animal and human life ecosystems would be impossible. Life cycles can not function without ecosystems. The ecosystem provides us with clean air, water, habitats for fish and other services. They also aid in the mod...
Imagine a world with barren trees in overgrown fields. The only sound to be heard is the wind blowing through the tall grass. A world once full of life now lays empty do to extinction. This is the result of a world that failed to understand the importance of wildlife conservation. Why is wildlife so important? What steps need to be taken to preserve wildlife? How can one become involved in wildlife conservation? These are all important questions that need to be explored in order to help maintain the delicate ecosystem on Earth. Wildlife plays a vital role in this fragile ecosystem and without wildlife the human race would not survive.
The branch of science that deals with how living things, including humans, are related to their surroundings is called ecology . The Earth supports some 5 million species of plants, animals, and microorganisms. These interact and influence their surroundings, forming a vast network of interrelated environmental systems called ecosystems. The arctic tundra is an ecosystem and so is a Brazilian rain forest. The islands of Hawaii are a relatively isolated ecosystem. If left undisturbed, natural environmental systems tend to achieve balance or stability among the various species of plants and animals. Complex ecosystems are able to compensate for changes caused by weather or intrusions from migrating animals and are therefore usually said to be more stable than simple ecosystems. A field of corn has only one dominant species, the corn plant, and is a very simple ecosystem. It is easily destroyed by drought, insects, disease, or overuse. A forest may remain relatively unchanged by weather that would destroy a nearby field of corn, because the forest is characterized by greater diversity of plants and animals. Its complexity gives it stability.