“Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species -- man -- acquired significant power to alter the nature of the world. ”
-Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
Hello friends!
Pollution. What comes to mind when you hear this word? A stream infested with multi-colored oils? Thick, gray smoke fuming up into the air? Garbage leaking into oceans and other bodies of waters? If you pictured any of these horrible sights, then you are on the right track! Pollution stands for the third letter of the HIPPO acronym, and it is probably the most well-known form of environmental harm. Don't know that much about it? No worries! You are reading the right blog.
So let's start with the basics. Pollution can come in several different forms, including water, air, and soil pollution. Each form can be traced back to a different source. For example, water pollution is usually caused by pesticides and/or herbicides running off of farmlands and into streams or by factory wastes that are dumped into nearby bodies of water. Air pollution, on the other hand, results from toxic fumes released from industrial factories or the burning of compounds, such as plastics, that release dangerous compounds into the air.
I think at this point in the game we shouldn't be surprised that humans are once again the cause of this environmental problem. Even though it's great that we have advanced in society and developed easier ways to create things, we have failed to pay attention to the after effects of our actions. The pollution that is caused by our actions not only invades the air and water but also harms all wildlife. I emphasize all wildlife because even animals that are not being directly exposed to the pollution will still be harmed. Take, for example, a bear that eats a fish. If the fish was exposed to polluted waters, and the bear eats the fish, it will then be exposed to the same toxins that the fish encountered. The same scenario holds true for plants that are sprayed with pesticides. If an animal eats insects that eat those plants, what does this mean for the animal? Oh, and don't forget to include us in this equation as well (after all, we eat plants and animals too...).
I would like to take this opportunity to refer back to a role model of mine: Rachel Carson. She is the author of the book Silent Spring, written in the 1960s in an effort to prevent the use of DDT, a pesticide, in the United States. Carson saw how this pesticide was leaking into streams and bodies of water, and she noticed that the bird populations in the area were actually disappearing due to what she believed was the pollution of DDT. Silent Spring was extremely influential, and it caused an uproar that inspired people to start worrying about their impact on the environment. However, this doesn't mean that Rachel Carson was praised by everyone. She experienced a lot of ridicule from critics as well. Clearly her passion for the environment led to change, for John F. Kennedy was impacted by the book enough to actually ban DDT in the United States. It's amazing how one voice can bring about such big changes.
To wrap things up, I'd like to share a quote said by Rachel Carson in Silent Spring about the pesticide. I really feel like it can relate to any type of pollution, and I find to be very powerful:
“As crude a weapon as the cave man's club, the chemical barrage has been hurled against the fabric of life - a fabric on the one hand delicate and destructible, on the other miraculously tough and resilient, and capable of striking back in unexpected ways. These extraordinary capacities of life have been ignored by the practitioners of chemical control who have brought to their task no "high-minded orientation," no humility before the vast forces with which they tamper.”
You see, my friends, we have the potential to harm our earth, but we have the equal potential to save it. The problem with society is that we are constantly looking for the easiest, efficient way to get things done. Factories want the quickest means to generate their product- but they don't want to deal with the clean up afterwards. Yes, it is easier to let toxic waste flow out into a pond instead of bothering to invent a creative way to safely dispose of it. But the overall effects of this action will be much more detrimental in the long run despite the efficiency of polluting. We are talking the destruction of unique species, and the entire habitat that they live in.
Together we can prevent pollution by raising awareness and being cautious about our actions and the products we buy. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides some great tips on reducing our personal effects on the environment when it comes to pollution. I know, I know, I'm becoming repetitive when I say that you have the power to make a difference and impact how we are all treating the environment. But it's true. If we continue to spread the word and lead by action, we can preserve our earth and protect each link in the chain of nature.
Peace. Love. Save the Tigers.
"The estimated damage from invasive species worldwide totals more than $1.4 trillion."
-nature.org
My fellow bionerds,
It is now time to discuss the second part of the HIPPO acronym: invasive species. What is an invasive species you may ask? To give a brief, simplified defintion, an invasive species is an animal that has been introduced to an area that it normally does not reside in. Humans, of course, are responsible for moving these animals out of their natural habitat and into a completely new one. Now, one may think that these invasive species would suffer if they were re-located to a new area, but they are called "invasive" for a reason. What usually happens is that the animal is brought into a habitat where it has no natural predators; from here the invasive species will work it's way up the food chain, killing off native species on its radar. Before you know it, this introduced species is the king of the jungle.
I think it's interesting to point out that often times species are introduced to a new area by accident. Take, for example, the fire ants that roam the Galapagos Islands. These ants and several other insects (check out the link in the previous sentence) did not get to the Galapagos Islands on their own. Human trade, ranging from the transport of timber, food, and other products, has allowed for the insects to hitch a ride to the Islands. Now they are taking over and destroying the senstive ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands.
Other times, invasive species are actually brought to an area on purpose. Yes, people will intentionally bring these species into an area to combat a pest or benefit the environment in some way. Unfortunately, if those who are introducing the species are not well educated on how the animal will interact with the environment, problems will arise. Take a look at this youtube video on the asian carp. The asian carp was brought over to the U.S. in order to eat a type of algae in lakes that was in overabundance (algae in excess is actually a sign of unhealthy bodies of water). All is good and well when these carp take care of the algae, but of course a problem has arised...the asian carp has no natural predators in the waters it has been introduced to. No natural predators means more asian carp, which means the prey the carp feed upon are killed off in large quantities. This could possibly destroy the entire ecosystem; recall that if one link in nature is removed, everything else falls apart. Hopefully ecologists will be able to devise a plan better than asian carp fishing competitions and electrical barriers at the entrances of lakes (the carp just jump right over the barriers) in the near future.
Ah yes, so now comes the important question. "What can I do to help?" This is a tricky one to help out with, but there are definitely ways to contribute to preventing this environmental problem. First of all, educate yourself on the wide array of invasive species. I can almost guarantee there are several species in your area that are considered invasive (keep in mind that many plants are invasive species as well!). The more you know about what ecologists are trying to minimize as far as invasive species go, the more cautious you can be about what you are planting in your yard or what insects/animals you need to be on the lookout for. Now don't just take matters into your own hands and set plants on fire or drench your yard in pesticides or shoot animals that you think are invasive. That may cause more harm than help; it takes an expert to know what is safe to kill or relocate as well as how the environment can be restored. If you find yourself in a situation where invasive species are in your yard or nearby, contact a local nature park or wildlife center to seek expert help. Several websites, such as the Nature Conservancy, can provide you with even more ideas on what you can do to stop the spread of invasive species.
I feel as though invasive species are one of the least understood and acknowledged parts of HIPPO. I encourage you to brush up on your knowledge about them so that we can work together to protect our marvelous ecosystems and the native plants and animals that inhabit them. Remember, you don't have to be an expert biologist or mad scientist to save the world; we all play a role in protecting the earth from human impact!
Peace. Love. Save the Tigers.
"Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal."
-E.O. Wilson
I'm sure at one point or another, we have all experienced the loss of a "special tree." Whether it was one we used to sit underneath to get away from the world for a little while or to climb for fun or to simply admire for its beauty, that tree held a special place in our hearts. There is nothing worse than being caught off guard one day to find that your special tree has been cut down, lost forever at the expense of a chainsaw.
Okay maybe you have no idea what I am talking about and think I am a legitimate tree-hugger. If so, thank you- I take it as compliment.
The point I am trying to get at here is that a serious environmental problem of today is deforestation. All over the world, thousands of trees are carelessly uprooted for paper, construction, or simply because they have been deemed a "nuisance" to society. The problem with this careless act is that trees do more than we realize in our daily lives; actually, they are responsible for every second of our lives. Each breath we take is because of a tree, for the product of photosynthesis (the method by which plants convert light into sugar for energy) is oxygen, a.k.a. the very air we breathe. Not to mention the fact that trees add beauty and color to even the most depressing cities or plots of lands.
If you are not upset by deforestation yet, it gets worse. Trees do not just provide oxygen for living organisms, they serve as a home, shelter, and food for countless forms of wildlife. This leads me into discussing the first part of the environmental acronym called HIPPO. The "H" stands for Habitat Destruction, and this directly involves deforestation.
So why should we preserve forests? Why are the trees worth keeping? Do organisms really depend on trees that much? Why is deforestation such a bad thing? We need trees too, after all.
These questions may be running through your head right now, and I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.
First of all, let's tackle specifically how dependent organisms are on trees (aside from the fact that they need them for oxygen). Picture in your mind a tree. It will be easiest if you imagine an oak tree because that is what I am picturing right now. See those green blotches? That's lichen- it is a combination of algae and fungi living symbiotically together to survive. The tree serves as a substrate, or some thing that the lichen can attach to. Let's zoom out a little bit. Now you can see tiny insects ranging from ants to beetles to spiders crawling all throughout the crevices of the tree. Insects need the tree for food and housing. If you look up, you can see a bird nest with birds on the branches searching for food (the little insects) and hiding from predators below. You may also see a squirrel or a chipmunk flitting about the branches in search of acorns.
While countless other organisms are using that tree, I think this gives you a good idea of how useful one tree is, let alone an entire forest. When large amounts of trees are completely leveled in area, this act is harming all of those organisms we just pictured. They will either be killed in the process of the trees being cut down, or they will be forced to move and search for new food or a new home. This is the very reason so many animals are endangered today. Deforestation forces them to leave, but they usually fail to find another place to live. Remember that without these organisms, several links of nature go missing, throwing off the entire ecosystem.
It is important to note that I am not saying it is completely wrong to cut down trees. However, I think that when trees are cut down, they need to be replaced with new trees. The problem is that loggers will completely wipe out an area and then leave it like that, never replacing the trees. I also feel that we need to be more cautious as to where we are cutting down trees. Sensitive biomes, such as tropical rainforests, need to be avoided because they hold such rare and diverse species that are native to those forests. Not to mention several of them are critically endangered (like the tiger- not to reference to a previous blog or anything).
So what can you do to minimize deforestation and preserve forests, protecting organisms in the process? One of the easiest things to do is to simply be aware of how much paper or wood products you are using. If you mess up printing a 500 page report, recycle the paper instead of just throwing it all away in the garbage. This way the paper can be broken down and reused again. I can almost guarantee that any store you walk in to will have recycled paper products that usually look cooler than normal paper products anyway (in my opinion). Buying these types of products is a great way to reduce the consumption of paper products. Planting trees is yet another way to help contribute to the environment. You get more oxygen, and animals will get food and a home- it couldn't get any better than that! Want some more ideas? This website has some simple yet effective ideas on how to prevent deforestation. If you have been moved to directly stop habitat destruction, Volunteer Guide has some great opportunities for you to get out and make a difference!
To close, just remember that we have the power to directly affect the environment; we can destroy it, but we can also help it to grow and flourish. Be on the lookout for chances to leave behind a positive footprint on the earth. Save the Tigers. Save the Trees. Save the Earth.
So let's start with the basics. Pollution can come in several different forms, including water, air, and soil pollution. Each form can be traced back to a different source. For example, water pollution is usually caused by pesticides and/or herbicides running off of farmlands and into streams or by factory wastes that are dumped into nearby bodies of water. Air pollution, on the other hand, results from toxic fumes released from industrial factories or the burning of compounds, such as plastics, that release dangerous compounds into the air. 
