Ignore the Forest, Focus on Trees
The article is about a biologist named Jim Clark who is studying the niches of individual trees in order to learn more about biodiversity. Clark states his method of studying, “We take this very complex, high-dimensional thing called the environment, and average out all the variation that organisms really require...Biodiversity is very much a niche response, but it’s just not evident at the species level.”
According to the article, species don't compete with other species, they compete with themselves. Clark has compiled 22,000 individual accounts, in 11 forests and 3 regions. Clark observes the environment of the specimen to determine it's niche, as stated in the article: “We take environmental variation and project it down to a very small set of indices. Light becomes average light per year. Moisture becomes average moisture per year. It’s not just light and water and nitrogen — it’s variations of each of those things, in different dimensions,”
Overall, I found the article to be a very unique and enlightening look into studying biodiversity and niches. It's very interesting to see how specimens from the same species can be completely different from one another.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Globalization:
Globalization is the process of people, companies, governments and cultures integrating and learning new concepts based on cultures from around the world. This can be created through sharing of information, Investment and international trade. It has to with the environment because of how the environmennt has become a symbol of "common heritage of mankind", meaning that it will butt heads with economic development. Globalization adds new things across the board; products from other countries, concepts to protect and help the environment recover, and different stances on politics. It helps to create multiculturalism through international trade and making different people socialize.
This connects to the environment due to the fact that people can learn new and effective ways to be helpful to the environment. It can help companies to consider making more environmentally sound decisions. It helps to make governments enforce stricter environmental laws.
Globalization is the process of people, companies, governments and cultures integrating and learning new concepts based on cultures from around the world. This can be created through sharing of information, Investment and international trade. It has to with the environment because of how the environmennt has become a symbol of "common heritage of mankind", meaning that it will butt heads with economic development. Globalization adds new things across the board; products from other countries, concepts to protect and help the environment recover, and different stances on politics. It helps to create multiculturalism through international trade and making different people socialize.
This connects to the environment due to the fact that people can learn new and effective ways to be helpful to the environment. It can help companies to consider making more environmentally sound decisions. It helps to make governments enforce stricter environmental laws.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Movie Review-Giant Squid Documentary
This documentary revolves around a team of marine biologists attempting to find and record a Giant Squid alive for the first time ever off the coast of Japan. Each of the three scientists, Dr. Kuh, Edie Witter and Steve O'Shea have different ideas on how to find one. Dr. Kuh plains on using bait to lure in the creature, Edie plans on using bioluminesence to attract the squid, and O'Shea plans on using a "squid cocktail" made up of squid parts in order to attract it. Will any of them find what they are looking for?
Overall, the documentary was pretty good. I learned some new things about Giant Squid and other deep-sea creatures, and the movie felt like it incorporated these facts in an interesting way. There were a few parts I found perhaps a little unnescessary, but I still found the documentary interesting.
Rating: 7/10 squid cocktails
This documentary revolves around a team of marine biologists attempting to find and record a Giant Squid alive for the first time ever off the coast of Japan. Each of the three scientists, Dr. Kuh, Edie Witter and Steve O'Shea have different ideas on how to find one. Dr. Kuh plains on using bait to lure in the creature, Edie plans on using bioluminesence to attract the squid, and O'Shea plans on using a "squid cocktail" made up of squid parts in order to attract it. Will any of them find what they are looking for?
Overall, the documentary was pretty good. I learned some new things about Giant Squid and other deep-sea creatures, and the movie felt like it incorporated these facts in an interesting way. There were a few parts I found perhaps a little unnescessary, but I still found the documentary interesting.
Rating: 7/10 squid cocktails
Thursday, May 21, 2015
A recent news report heralded , along with a Daily Mail report, that four giant crater were found at the bottom of Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland, by accident. Researchers were searching for evidence of recent earthquake or tsunami deposits when they stumbled across these craters on the northwestern shore of the lake near the Jura Mountains. The biggest crater is 525 feet wide and nearly 100 feet deep. They are some of the largest and deepest pockmarks ever to be found in earth's lakes. It is theorized that they were caused by erupting groundwater. The Swiss Alps quake at a magnitude of up to 6 occaisionally, which is another possible theory.
The craters supposedly spill over, according to the researchers, at least 4 times every 12,000 years. The last eruption occured 1,600 years ago. The mud eruptions leave behind distinctive layers of sediment very similar to that of a volcano.
The so-called Crazy craters is churning with wet mud. The mix of water and sediment creates a deep crack which penetrates nearly 200 feet down onto the layer of bedrock beneath.
In order to find out their cause, the team conducted a series of tests of the water and sediment around and in the craters. The results they found came up with a possible solution: these craters are connected to the Jura Mountain karst system, a network of limestone caves and cracks, due to the fact that the limestone found in the karst system also coats the bottom of the lake. The scientists also theorize that the limestone is bubbling up through the craters.
Overall, in my personal opinion, this is an extremely important scientific discovery. This could mean that there are still many things about the world's most famous bodies of water that we have absolutely no idea about. This could also teach use more about tectonic plate movement in this region, and the possible forming of volcanoes.
The craters supposedly spill over, according to the researchers, at least 4 times every 12,000 years. The last eruption occured 1,600 years ago. The mud eruptions leave behind distinctive layers of sediment very similar to that of a volcano.
The so-called Crazy craters is churning with wet mud. The mix of water and sediment creates a deep crack which penetrates nearly 200 feet down onto the layer of bedrock beneath.
In order to find out their cause, the team conducted a series of tests of the water and sediment around and in the craters. The results they found came up with a possible solution: these craters are connected to the Jura Mountain karst system, a network of limestone caves and cracks, due to the fact that the limestone found in the karst system also coats the bottom of the lake. The scientists also theorize that the limestone is bubbling up through the craters.
Overall, in my personal opinion, this is an extremely important scientific discovery. This could mean that there are still many things about the world's most famous bodies of water that we have absolutely no idea about. This could also teach use more about tectonic plate movement in this region, and the possible forming of volcanoes.
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