Eco Notes - HabitatDestruction

EINER
tr\dha
Grade 8A
Ecology
The right to shelter, and association are basic human needs recognized in
food,
many international charters and country constitutions. Like humans, wildlife also
needs areas where they can find protection, nourishment, and mates to have any
hope of survival. The area where a species can survive and meet their basic needs is
known as its habitat. It is often useful to think of a habitat as a multi-dimensional
space, characterized variables.

by suitable levels of many different environmental
These variables include factors such as soil moisture, light availability, temperature,
structures for nesting/denning, prey abundance,etc.
Reasonsfor habitat destruction
1 One of the main reasons is the agricultural industry. Unlike in the past, when
small areas of land were used to grow crops for families and local
communities, farming is now a big business that can be run by large
corporations and it requires the mass production of foods that are able to
quickly be sold for profit. Extra land is needed to grow more edible goods and
more land has to be cleared to meet these needs. With increase in
2 monoculture,
A
vast areas of forests are converted
vast majority of natural habitats are destroyed for human
We decide to clear out land for large buildings and to make
into farmlands.
homes as well.
room for
are not always destroyed to use the
attractions that are profitable.Habitats
land forhumans to live. They are also destroyed so that their materials can be
used to keep us conmfortable. For example, the trees are used to create various
paper products, and wood is also used for the production of furniture and
miscellaneous items.
An increasing population and greater demands on modern technology means

we need more raw materials for the manufacturing industry and greater
energy supplies. Fossil fuels such as coal can be mined, but this can
permanently damage habitats, partly due to the process of extraction, but also
due dumping of the rock extracted in spoil heaps. Some methods of coal
to
extraction involve scraping off existing soil from the surface of the land. Soil
heaps created from waste rock can contain toxic metals, which prevent re-
colonisation of the land. Open-pit mining puts demands on local water
sources, affecting habitats in lakes and rivers.Water can become
contaminated with toxic metals from the mining damaging aquatic
site,
habitats. Oil spillages around oil wells are extremely toxic. Once the oil
seeps
into the soil and water systems, habitats are
destroyed.
4As developing countries get richer, they tend to eat more meat. And meat
production, especially lamb, requires a lot of land
beef and more land than
any other protein and the increasing global demand for meat means the
industry is
constantly looking for more farmland. To satisty this demand, the
DEFINITIONS IN RED ARE KEY DEFINITIONS

industry continues to encroach on species-rich forests and prairies, like the
Amazon rainforest and the land bordering Queensland's Great Barrier Reef,
razing these natural habitats to create more space to raise animals and grow
Crops to feed them.
Humans and Mother Nature share blame in the destructionofocean habitats,

but not equally. Hurricanes and storm surges and tsunamis can
typhoons,
cause massive,
though usually temporary, disruptions in the life cycles of
and animals. Human activities, however,are significantly more
ocean plants
and persistent. Wetlands are
mpactful dredged and filled in to accommodate
urban, industrial, and agricultural development. Cities, factories, and farnms
create waste,
pollution, and chemical effluent and runoff that can wreak
havoc on reefs, sea grasses, birds, and fish. Inland dams decrease natural
nutrient-rich runoff, cut off fish
migration routes, and curb freshwater fiow.
Deforestation far from shore creates
erosion, sending silt into shallow waters
that can block the coral
sunlight reefs need to thrive. Destructive fishing
techniques destroy habitats near shore as well as in the
deep sea. Tourism
brings millions of boaters, snorkelers, and scuba divers into direct contact
with fragile wetland and reef
ecosystems. Container ships and tankers can
damage habitat with their hulls and anchors. Spills of crude oil and other
substances kill thousands of birds and fish and leave a toxic
environmentthat
can persist for yeårs.
Healthy, Coral reefs are the most spectacular, diverse and

economically valuable
marine ecosystems on the planet, Complex and productive, coral reefs are
extremely
importantfor biodiversity, providing a home to 35,000-60,000 species of plants and
animals(over 25% of all marine life), many of which are not described
by science.
They are also vital for people and business. They provide nurseries for
many species
of
commercially important fish, protection of coastal areas from storm waves. They
are providing hundreds of billions of dollars in food,
jobs and significant attraction
for the tourism industry. Yet coral reef ecosystems have
undergone phase
shifts
because of the combined human activates of unsustainable
overfishing, intensive
tourism, urbanization, sedimentation, declining water quality, pollution and
from the direct and indirect impacts of climate
primarily change. Most coral
ecologists confirm that coral reef degradation has increased dramatically
during the
last three decades due to enhanced
anthropogenic disturbances. Collecting live
corals from the coral reefs
damages the whole coral reef habitat, endangering other
depending onthe corals. Any form of habitat destruction
organism by humans, even
where a single species is wiped out, can have an on food chains and food
impact
webs because other organismswill use that as a food source, or their
species
numbers will be controlled through its
predation.
DEFINITIONS IN RED ARE KEY DEFINITIONS.

EnvironmentalEffects of Deforestation (due to habitat destruction
Loss of Habitat
One of the most dangerous and unsettling effects of deforestation is the loss of
animal and plant species due to their loss of habitat. 70% of land animalsand plant
species live in forests. Loss of trees results in the extinction of wildlife. Biodiversity
that live in an
gets affected. Biodiversity is the number of different species area. Not
also those unknown. The
only does deforestation threaten species known to us, but
trees of the rainforest that provide shelter for some species also provide the canopy
that regulates the temperature. Deforestation results in a more drastic temperature
variation from day to night, much like a desert, which could prove fatal for many
inhabitants.
Increased Greenhouse Gases
In addition to the loss of habitat, the lack of trees also allows a greater amount of
greenhousegases to be released into the atmosphere.Healthyforests absorbcarbon

dioxide from the atmosphere,acting asvaluable carbon sinks. Deforested areas lose
that ability and release more carbon. It hampers the balance of the environment
resulting in global warming
Water in the Atmosphere
About half the rain that falls in tropical forests comes
from the transpiration of the
trees themselves. The clouds that form from this transpired water help to reflect
sunlight and so keep the region relatively cool and humid. When areas of forest are
cleared, this source of rain is removed, cloud cover is reduced and the local climate
changesquite dramatically. The temperature range from day to night is more

extremeand the rainfall diminishes. The trees also help control the level of water in
the atmosphereby helping to regulate the water cycle. In deforested areas, there is
less water in the air to be returned to the soil. This then causes dryer soil and the
inability to grow crops.
Soil Erosion and Flooding
Trees can grow on hillsides even when the soil

layer is quite thin. When the trees are
cut down and the soil is ploughed,there is less protection from the wind and rain.
Heavy rainfall washes the soil off the hillsides into the rivers. The hillsides are left
bare and useless and the rivers become

choked up with mud and silt, which can
cause floods. Further effects of deforestation include soil erosion and coastal
flooding. Trees help the land to retain water and topsoil, which provides the rich
nutrients to sustain additional forest life. Without forests, the soil erodes and washes
away, causing farmers to move on and perpetuate the cycle. The barren land which
is left behind in the wake of these unsustainable
agricultural practices is then more
susceptible to flooding, specifically in coastal regions.
DEFINITIONS IN RED ARE KEY DEFINITIONS.

Forests are home to many dwellers along with plants and animals. 1The indigenous
people reicling in such foreat lands, depend on these resources to run their
livelihood. Destruction of trees causes a threat to the community. Due to
industrialization and construction projects, a large
section of forests gets cleared
every year. Due to such activities, not only do animals lose their habitat, but there
is
also a potential threat to the indigenous people who depend on these forests.

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EINER

known as its habitat. It is often useful to think of a habitat as a multi-dimensional

space, characterized variables.

Reasonsfor habitat destruction

An increasing population and greater demands on modern technology means

DEFINITIONS IN RED ARE KEY DEFINITIONS

Humans and Mother Nature share blame in the destructionofocean habitats,

Healthy, Coral reefs are the most spectacular, diverse and

DEFINITIONS IN RED ARE KEY DEFINITIONS.

Increased Greenhouse Gases

greenhousegases to be released into the atmosphere.Healthyforests absorbcarbon

changesquite dramatically. The temperature range from day to night is more

inability to grow crops.

Soil Erosion and Flooding

Trees can grow on hillsides even when the soil

bare and useless and the rivers become

DEFINITIONS IN RED ARE KEY DEFINITIONS.

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