Journal 10: Invasive & Exotic Species

Definitions:
~Environment- That which surounds us.
~Ecosystems- Interactions between an organism and the environment.
~Niche- Role of the species; species can not occupy the same niche.
~Invasive- The population is growing out of control causing harm to humans, plants, and/or animals. Hint to remember: invasive aka invading!
~Exotic- From somewhere else; not part of the local ecosystem. Hint to remember: exotic aka non-native!

   
Some of the exotic and invasive species of Florida are Cattail, Strangler Plant, Melaleuca, Brazilian Pepper, Fire Ant, Cuban Tree Frog, Monk Parakeet, and Wild Hogs.

Where do these Invasive and Exotic animals and plants come from?
They come from:
~Pet Trade:The Iguanas on Gasparilla Island.
~Horticultural Industry: The Melaleuca Tree was brought here for other means, like shade.
~ Trade: The Black Rats would sneak off of boats and boxes and onto our land.
~ War: The Tiger Mosquito came when boats would drop there used water into our port water .
~ Biological Controls: The Cane Toad.
~ Hurricane: Brought the Monk Parakeet and Monkeys.

An animal that is exotic and becoming invasive in Florida is the Burmese Python. They have become a very big problem for areas like the Everglades in Florida. The have become such a big problem in the wild, because when some owners would get tired of these snakes they would just release them, not caring or knowing about the consequences of releasing pets into the wild. Another reason why they have become a growing problem is, because of hurricanes. When storms would pass through places like pet stores that hold these snakes would get blown over and the animals would be released, on accident. Since these animals are exotic they are posing a problem for animals that are native to the land. For example, birds now have even more predators to worry about, now that this snakes population is increasing in the Everglades. Since these predators can slither up trees to attack the birds, they are not even safe when nesting! In some cases predators are now becoming the prey. For instance, Alligators only real predator in the Everglades was the occasional hunter. Now that the Burmese Python has invaded the Everglades they are starting to compete with Alligators for food and territory. Scientist have even found Alligator bones in the snake’s stomach. This is why people need to be better educated about the dangers of invasive and exotic species. If they were better educated maybe we would not face issues like the invasion of these snakes in the Everglades.

Journal 9: Reflect on the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Field Trip.

 

 For our final class field trip we went to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. When we arrived, we were given a brief history about the Sanctuary. The National Audubon Society has been protecting and preserving the 11,000 acres since the beginning. They protected the land when all of the forests around were being clear cut and ended up preserving all of that land. They even risked their own lives to stay on watch to protect birds from hunters when they tried to kill them for their feathers. Hunters would kill these birds for their feathers and then sell them to put on hats. Along Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary’s boardwalk you can see Pine Flatwood, Wet Prairie, Pond Cypress, Bald Cypress, Marsh and Lettuce Lakes.                                                                                                                     

 The first habitat we came across was the Pine Flatwood. In this habitat we were able to see trees like the Slash Pine, Saw Palmetto and Cabbage Palms. While walking down the boardwalk we were able to see vultures flying in the sky. I learned a few interesting facts about these birds. They use wind tunnels to circle in the sky.  Vulture’s feet only appear white, they actually poop on their legs to cool themselves down. A vulture’s diet mainly consists of dead animals. If they can not find dead animals they will resort to killing their own food.  

After heading past the Wet Prairie our class came across the Bald Cypress Trees. After moving further into the cypress habitat we saw the Pond Cypress. The cypress trees are unique, because they have knees. These knees make up the cypress trees extensive root systems. The knees are a major reason why they have been around so long. While in the cypress area we came across many different types of birds. One of the birds that I found interesting was the Great White Egret. The bird was on the boardwalk only a few feet away from us. I never realized how big this bird actually was until we were only a few feet away from it.  This is one of the reasons why I love University Colloquium. Without this class I would have never had the opportunity to see all of these animals and experience these different places. 

Journal 8: Could Tigers Become Extinct?

For my eighth journal assignment I was required to find an environmental issue in the news or in a magazine article. While I was watching Bay News 9 one environmental issue caught my attention. The story that caught my attention was Tigers could be extinct in 12 years if unprotected.  This story came out on Sunday November 21, 2010, but it has been a growing issue for many years now.

 The World Wildlife Fund and other experts say only about 3,200 tigers remain in the wild, a dramatic plunge from an estimated 100,000 a century ago. These issues are being looked at further in St. Petersburg, Russia. A meeting to try and save this great animal was hosted by the Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin. The two main reasons why these animals are dying off is because of habitat destruction and poaching. “The summit approved a wide-ranging program with the goal of doubling the world's tiger population in the wild by 2022 that is backed by governments of the 13 countries that still have tiger populations: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam and Russia” (Bay News 9). They are trying to accomplish this by setting up reserves for the tigers. The group is also trying to conserve what wild forests they still have, so that the tiger population can grow and expand. All of the money that will be going toward saving these tigers will have to be donated. “Much has been done recently to try to save tigers, but conservation groups say their numbers and habitats have continued to fall, by 40 percent in the past decade alone.” The fact that these tigers are disappearing is very sad. A question that comes to my mind when I hear this is, why have these countries let the decline in animal population go this far? It is good to see that stronger efforts are being made before all of the wild tigers become extinct. Since,“Three of the nine tiger subspecies _ the Bali, Javan, and Caspian _ already have become extinct in the past 70 years" (Bay News 9). Hopefully the efforts that are being made by these countries are effective, but I have a feeling it will take a longer amount of time then they predict for the tiger population to make a comeback.

I found this quote in the Bay News 9 article and thought it was a perfect description of the tragedy that is occurring.
"Wild tigers are not only a symbol of all that is splendid, mystical and powerful about nature," the Global Tiger Initiative said in a statement. "The loss of tigers and degradation of their ecosystems would inevitably result in a historic, cultural, spiritual, and environmental catastrophe for the tiger range countries" (Bay News 9).

All information was found on the Bay News 9 website: http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/ap/november/175351/Tigers-could-be-extinct-in-12-years-if-unprotected.  The article was published on Sunday, November 21, 2010 and is called Tigers could be extinct in 12 years if unprotected.