Anthropogenic effects are associated with a lower persistence of marine food webs
With the continued negative influence on the marine industry, the study identifies that many marine species have become extinct due to human activities. The study then makes aware that for marine species, there is an interdependence web in which most species are dependent on the availability of others for the provision of sustenance. Due to the continued extinction of most marine species, the study looks at the possibility and sources of food for most marine species from seven hundred and one locations, stretching from the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic (Gilarranz, Mora, & Bascompte, 2016).
The study takes into account a given marine location and identifies the human activities that may have interfered with the species, those that have become extinct within the area, and their impact on other species. The study shows a result that human activities, such as fishing, have an influence previously unknown on the resilience of natural communities living in these areas. The study proves that most of the natural communities are unable to maintain their natural resilience when faced with disturbances springing from the actions of human beings. The food webs within such affected areas have a reduced species richness and thus affecting the marine life’s total biomass (Gilarranz et al., 2016).
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Anthropogenic effects on a tropical forest according to the distance from human settlements
The study first identifies the anthropogenic impact activities have had on tropical forests and global climate change as critical issues in the conservation of forest ecosystems in the world. The economic value of forests has however continued developing as people increase and villages continue expanding into tropical forests. More trees are being harvested to meet the needs of the growing population as natural resources. However, in protected forests, there are human activities that are observed as harmless. These include harvesting medicinal plants and edible fruits from the forests. As a result, the study seeks to prove the impact such activities have on the resulting ecosystem with a focus on woody plants and pioneer trees (Popradit et al., 2015).
The study, through sampling, took into account the various species present within an unhindered forest with a keen interest in the number so woody plants. The research also identified which were medicinal plants and pioneer trees from the research area. The study utilized the Shannon-Wiener, Fisher’s and Simpson’s Index to identify the biodiversity in woody plants among the plots within the research area. From the study, they identified that as more villages are developing near the edges of the forests, more of the ecosystems are losing specific species of woody plants and other pioneer trees as a result of harvesting of the plants by the villagers. As you near the village boundary, the species diversity of woody plants continued to decrease and caused a loss of individual density. This was due to the decline of small saplings within the areas (Popradit et al., 2015).
A Safe Operating Space for Humanity
The study seeks to identify the various planetary boundaries which human beings must ensure they develop and do not cross to guarantee the continuation of the environment without any environmental change. The study identifies the stage in which the human race has grown and developed and with it maintained the boundaries of the ecosystem that allows for the reverse of the effects human activities have had on the environment as the Holocene. During this time, the earth has maintained the balance that has driven human beings development. With the introduction of the Anthropocene where human beings have become the main drivers of environmental change, the study suggests that continuing with such activities could result in pushing the earth’s system outside the Holocene and causing irreversible damage and consequences on the environment and for large parts of the world (Rockström et al., 2009).
The study thus proposes a framework that will see the earth maintain the balance in the Holocene state. This framework is based on the ‘planetary boundaries’ and defines the safe spaces where humanity can work and at the same time respect the earth’s system. The study suggests defining these thresholds through the use of critical values such as carbon dioxide concentration. Where the earth's system lacks such a control variable, the impact can be identified in another process where the threshold may have been crossed. For instance, the climate system, land and water degradation. Through the identification of these thresholds, the study identifies nine processes that if crossed, could result in irreversible and unacceptable environmental change. From these nine processes, the study seeks to define planetary boundaries (Rockström et al., 2009).
Towards Sustainable land use: Identifying and managing the conflicts between human activities and biodiversity conservation in Europe
The study is focused on the various land uses that can be employed in Europe without affecting biodiversity conservation. It identifies the conflicts that are currently present in all the European landscapes about the biodiversity conservation and human activities. With continued low-intensity management on specific ecosystems, there can be a resulting high species density which would translate into an improved ecosystem. However, with continued and intensification in the agricultural and silvicultural practices, many high-intensity management landscapes ultimately result in low densities of species (Young et al., 2005). In Europe, the traditional land uses are what determine the evolutions and maintenance of the biodiversity of many ecosystems. However, even with such practice, there is evidence of a global decline in the biodiversity. Hence the study seeks to identify the drivers that have led to the development of this conflict between the human activities and conservation of biodiversity and sought to promote the management of those conflicts.
In the study, the human activities that are resulting in such conflicts are defined as those that are made to drive or gear the economic growth of the people. These activities clash with certain aspects of biodiversity and are to be reviewed. They include: agricultural, and forest policies, European Union environmental directives and other land use that have led to the development of such conflicts. The study gives an account of each of these drivers and the resulting rise in conflict with biodiversity conservation and draws the necessary conclusions on the subject matter and the best methods to proceed (Young et al., 2005).
The Effects of Natural and Anthropogenic Microparticles on Individual Fitness in Daphnia Magna
In the study, the identification of the impact microplastic pollution may have on the aquatic feeding invertebrates is made evident. The study identifies the increase in the presence of plastic debris in aquatic environments. Additionally, it mentions the presence of microplastics in freshwater and marine ecosystems. These microplastics under study are those that are less than 5 millimeters (<5mm) in size. They have been determined as emerging contaminants that are manufactured and used in a variety of products that are disposed of in aquatic environments. The study identifies that many organisms feed on microplastics that are smaller than 1 millimeter and stand the risk of microplastic accumulation within the digestive tracts. The ingestions of these plastics may result in the organisms having other problems arise, such as an actual decrease in food intake, growth and the long-run starvation and death. However, the intake of microplastics by suspension and filter feeders does not pose any danger as the organisms feed on smaller particles that are of varying palatability. However, the effects of microplastics on zooplankton is a field which is yet to be researched in depth. As a result, the study seeks to identify and assess the effects of chronic exposure and underlying causes of microplastic toxicity on zooplankton (Ogonowski, Schür, Jarsén, & Gorokhova, 2016).
The study utilized five experiments each seeking to ascertain the effects of chronic exposure of zooplankton to Microplastics. The study identified that the exposure of plastic particles in size range of 2-5 μm and microparticles did not differ from natural inert particles such as kaolin. However, at extremely high concentrations, the microplastics may be harmful (Ogonowski et al., 2016).
Human Impacts and Climate Change Influence Nestedness and Modularity in Food-Web and Mutualistic Networks
In the study, there is an introduction to the interaction of various species either antagonistic or mutualistic. From these communities, there is the development of ecological communities. The study explains the importance of studying the effects of environmental factors on ecological networks. From these perturbations resulting from the environmental change, nestedness and modularity change respond. These two factors highly determine the stability of the ecosystem. The study further incorporates the presence of human activities and climatic changes as factors that influence environmental perturbations. Through these activities, nestedness and modularity changes with response to the environmental disturbances. Hence, there is a resulting impact on the nestedness of the ecosystem where it responds due to any changes resulting from environmental disturbances that are caused by the presence of climate changes or human activities. The study thus constructed a larger dataset of ecological networks and utilized spatial analysis to investigate the effects of climate change and human activities on these networks (Takemoto & Kajihara, 2016).
The study’s results featured the identifications of various other ecological networks and the response to human impacts. A positive relationship was identified from the studies and showed a negative relationship between modularity and human impacts. Through the use of spatial eigenvector mapping (SEVM) they were able to analyze the data derived from all the ecological networks and webs identified to provide the relationship between the three variables (Takemoto & Kajihara, 2016).
Impact of Human Interventions on Mangrove Ecosystem in Spatial Perspective
With the continued increase in human growth all around the world, there is a continued migration to areas where forests are neighboring. As more individuals continue to utilize wood as a source of energy, there are more human activities factored around the development and erection of factories, settlements and other human factions that continue utilizing resources derived from the forests. The study features a special interest in the mangrove forests in Indonesia where it utilizes Image analysis to identify the areas covered by the mangrove forests and post-classification. The study analyses human intervention based on the spatial dynamics of the mangrove forests to determine how far the forest had been depleted on account of the activities practiced by the human population (Rasyid, AS, Nurdin, Jaya, & Ibrahim, 2016).
The study utilized a keen method of information gathering and interpretation to determine the role of human intervention in the decrease of the mangrove forests (Rasyid et al., 2016).
Lethal and nonlethal; anthropogenic effects on spotted hyenas in the Maasai Mara National Reserve
The study seeks to identify the relationship between human interventions and the mortality rates of the spotted-hyenas found within the Maasai Mara. The study also factored in the effects of nonlethal anthropogenic effects on hyena behavior. The researchers employed the use of past researchers and other analytical methods to measure the effects human intervention has had on the development of hyenas within the Mara. The study also utilized ingenious methods to measure the response of hyena’s to any human interruption or activity. For instance, the use of cowbells and treatment sounds as control sounds to determine how hyena’s in two clans respond. As a result, they identified that human activities have a very high relationship to the decrease in mortality rates of hyenas. As a result, hyenas continue modifying their behavior in response to the threats posed by the human beings (“Lethal and nonlethal anthropogenic effects on spotted hyenas in the Masai Mara National Reserve,” 2010).
References
Gilarranz, L. J., Mora, C., & Bascompte, J. (2016). Anthropogenic effects are associated with a lower persistence of marine food webs. Nature Communications , 7 , 10737. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10737
Lethal and nonlethal anthropogenic effects on spotted hyenas in the Masai Mara National Reserve. (2010). Journal of Mammalogy . https://doi.org/10.1644/08-MAMM-A-359R.1
Ogonowski, M., Schür, C., Jarsén, Å., & Gorokhova, E. (2016). The Effects of Natural and Anthropogenic Microparticles on Individual Fitness in Daphnia magna. PLOS ONE , 11 (5), e0155063. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0155063
Popradit, A., Srisatit, T., Kiratiprayoon, S., Yoshimura, J., Ishida, A., Shiyomi, M., … Phromma, I. (2015). Anthropogenic effects on a tropical forest according to the distance from human settlements. Scientific Reports , 5 , 14689. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep14689
Rasyid, A., AS, M. A., Nurdin, N., Jaya, I., & Ibrahim. (2016). Impact of human interventions on mangrove ecosystem in spatial perspective. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science , 47 (1), 012041. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/47/1/012041
Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Persson, Å., Chapin, F. S., Lambin, E. F., … Foley, J. A. (2009). A safe operating space for humanity. Nature , 461 (7263), 472–475. https://doi.org/10.1038/461472a
Takemoto, K., & Kajihara, K. (2016). Human Impacts and Climate Change Influence Nestedness and Modularity in Food-Web and Mutualistic Networks. PLOS ONE , 11 (6), e0157929. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0157929
Young, J., Watt, A., Nowicki, P., Alard, D., Clitherow, J., Henle, K., … Richards, C. (2005). Towards sustainable land use: identifying and managing the conflicts between human activities and biodiversity conservation in Europe. Biodiversity and Conservation , 14 (7), 1641–1661. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-004-0536-z
