Invasive Species and the Destuction of Habitats October 19, 2006
Posted by rharbour in Uncategorized.trackback
In our recent discussions in class we have been talking about invasive species and the destruction of habitat and their effects. I found a recent article and report about how both of these factors have come up and really hurt the current crop market.
Pollinators, mainly bees, birds, and bats, have recently been negatively effected and are dropping in numbers. Mainly, the honeybee, has been effected by a new parasitic mite and the destruction of the pollinator’s habitats. This has resulted in much less pollintaors, who are necessary for the growth and richness of plants and crops. Honeybees, “which pollinate more than 90 commercially grown crops, are one of the most affected pollinators.” It was also said that ”honeybees had to be imported from outside North America last year for the first time since 1922″ due to the decline in numbers.
Farmers have now had to resort to “leasing colonies of bees” and must be taught ways to keep their crops and land area more bee-friendly. The best way to do this is to grow only native species, which should cut back on the number of invasive species.
Although not many Fenwick students have farming families so we are not directly affected, we may see in the future a major decline in the quantity and quality of the foods we eat.
(Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Apis_mellifera_2_Luc_Viatour.JPG)
- http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061018/ap_on_sc/birds_and_bees;_ylt=AoU5KFtHWK5YLVwZ76zBl_Ebr7sF;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM
- http://www.thedenverchannel.com/money/10103900/detail.htmlrss=den&psp=money
- http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061018/sc_nm/environment_pollinators_dc;_ylt=AlVluV7xe0dmszQljWyjaEYbr7sF;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM
Great post Ryan, I like how you blogged about something that directly relates to our classroom studies. It helps make one more aware of how environmental science is relevant and present in our everyday lives. I find invasive species a very interesting subject. This post is especially fascinating because it shows how a mite that we probably could barely see with our own eyes, is causing disruption across the food chain that can actually reach our level and affect us. Keep up the great blogging.