Habitat Loss
A habitats a form of the natural environment where specific organisms and species live.It is often characterized by both physical and biological features. The physicalfactors for a habitat entail moisture, temperature range, the intensityof light biotic factors involvethe presenceof food. Habitats types include temperate, tropical, polar and subtropical. The terrestrial vegetation type comprises ofsteppe, grassland, semiarid or dessert. Freshwaterhabitats entail stream, marshes, ponds, lakes, andrivers. Habitats change after a period, for instance as a result of violent eventssuch as earthquakes, wildfires,andchange in the currents in the ocean. Alsochanges such as deforestation, diversion of rivers and the draining of the marshland.
Habitat loss is the most significant cause of the declineof biodiversity globally (Eigenbrod, Hecnar, Fahrig 159). As a result of the developmentof new sites of construction, open land which could be usedfor agriculture, development of forests, and development of water projects such as dams, compromised the ability of the habitat to support the animals and plants species. As a result, the majorityof the species vacated into new areas which could not supportthem as a result of overcrowding. The loss of habitats and habitat fragmenting are the significantunderlying changes in causing the changes in diversity patterns and organism distribution in the ecosystem. These change could leadspecies toextinction (Niebuhr, Bernardo B. S., et al.11). To understand the loss of habitats and the effects,it is essential to prevent future extinction by the protectionof both the plants and animals.
Figure 1 shows the causes of habitat loss
There are a few forms of habitat loss and destruction, for instance by fragmentation, degradation, anddestruction. All the three kindsof habitat loss have a negative impact onsurvival in the ecosystem. Destruction of habitats that is human caused is the most significant cause of the destructionof habitats and is categorizedinto two significantfacets, for instance, continuousand instantaneousdestruction. The bulldozers are often used to bring down trees and destabilize the soil by tearing it up, andthis has a negative impact on the ability of the habitat to redevelop to support the future generations.
Figure 2 shows habitat loss as a result of destruction of the environment
Thisdestroys the habitat instantly dooming specific species of living things living in that environment whileforcing others to adapt to new environmentswhich bear limited resources for their survival.
Figure 3 is a representation of species and their endangered levels retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/629/629/7056601.stm
There are several species around the world, andthe graph is a representation of the areas which have the highest risk of bearing endangered species
The destruction of habitatcomes into play when the populatedplace is intact but lacks enough resources to support the animals as a result of limited resources from pollution, urbanization, andinvasion by other species. The owners of pets have brought in other species which are invasive intothe wild as a result of their inability to take care of their pets. The known case of these intrusive species entailsthe case of the snakefishwhich has its origin in Asia and has found its way into the United States of America. The second case is the Asian carp which are often seenin Mississippi. These animal types which are invading the ecosystem often bring about issues in the ecosystem as they do not have natural predators in the natural ecosystem which results to the invasive species preying on the native species and also outdothe native species in competition for food and resources. Asa result, decreasing the biodiversity of the ecosystem.
Figure 4 shows measures to control the invasive snake fish invasion retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/629/629/7056601.stm
Humans are busy expanding cities which results inurbanization and land fragmentation. When the land is fragmented the habitat too is fragmented as the areais subdivided as a result of urbanization while development of highways creates isolated regions of the habitat. Land fragmentation has various adverseeffects as it brings into existence small patches of land and subsequently they will get smaller and smaller reducing their ability to sustain a population. The specific species which cannotleave their small portion of a non-habitablefragment of land will lackpersistence and die out reducing the number of their society. In addition, fragmentation limits the number of living things it can sustain which may result to others in the habitat leaving to join the outside matrix which in turn would increase the death rate and reduce their ability to reproduce. Fragmentation reduces the range for foraging and often subdivides the general population into smaller groups. Fragmentation negatively affects the wildlife, for instance, those whoare left out or leave their fragmented zones for better pastures are often knocked down by vehicles as a result of urbanization and industrialization as they attempt to cross major highways.
The more the cities are expanded, the ecosystem is affected as most animals lose their habitat. Measures such as the development of smart growth have been developed to come up and maintain the growing towns and cities and maintaining the wildlifeat the same time. Smartdevelopment of townsencourages walking, development of offices close to residential areas and shops. Thisreduces fragmenting the habitat as a result of urbanization. The actions of the human have a direct effect on the environmental sustainability.
Figure 5 represents a model of the loss of habitat of urbanization and development retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/629/629/7056601.stm
National wildlife federation came up with theImpact on Gulf Wildlife and Habitatsarticle, which states facts on habitat distortion in Mexico because of oil dispersants. The national wildlifefederation brings to light the effects of the effects on the habitat as a result of oil and other toxins spillage on wildlife species. The federationalso details the future impact of the spillage of the toxins and oil in the ecosystem. Aquatic habitats are affected in severalways. For instance, bottom trawling and dynamiting coral destroys the entire ecosystem. The development of people in the coastal towns bring people close to the marine habitats. Pollution alongside the coastal habitat has resulted inthe reduction of food to the marine life as a result affecting the marine life.
Figure six shows the aerial view of the oil spills in the Mexican gulf retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/629/629/7056601.stm
The information from the article is not that credible as it is not justifiable as it relies on guesswork and estimation. For instance, it argues that the scientists estimate the number of sea turtles that have been affected to about one hundred and sixty-seventhousand. The national wildlifefederation does not provide a definite number of turtles affected by the oil spilldisaster and also do not show how they have obtained any leading information which indicatesthey were in the Gulf of Mexico to gather relevant information. There is a probability that the information obtainedfrom the secondary sources could be biased.In addition, they consider estimations to come up with their facts and the information may not be valid and reliable.
The national wildlife federation aims at awareness creation on the effect of spillage in the Mexican Gulf although its evidence it relies on is not substantive. They fail to explain the effectof the oils, andthe other depressants play in the effectsonthe Gulf of Mexico.
The tone of the national wildlife federation article on the effect of oil and other toxic materials to the habitat of the turtles and other marine animals as a result of contamination is sympathetic, andit aimsto capture the reader’s attention. However, they do not thoroughly explain their role in solving the environmental degradation menace of contamination and control of oil spillage. The humans are the significantcontributors to distortion of the habitats of different species of animals. For instance, the panda is a wild animal that is an endangered species. Its endangered nature is similar for many other species in all the habitats as a result of fishing, pollution, anddeforestation which distorted the habitats.
Conclusion a habitat is a place where organisms live to reproduceand find food. Habitat loss can be as a result of environmental changes which include pollution, overconsumption on the natural resources, and population increase and defragmentation, urbanization among other causes. Man is atthe forefront ofthe destruction of habitats through deforestation, urbanization, pollution, andtourism. Man can also conserve the habitat through control of their activities which affect the ecosystem through the conservationof the environment, restoration of the habitats that were affected by pollution and contamination.