View allAll Photos Tagged Ecosystem
Brittle stars, an alternate common name is the 'serpent stars', are a species-rich class of echinoderms with outstanding regenerative abilities. Living under rocks or in crevices with only the tips of the arms exposed, they are known to be seafloor ecosystem engineers. They reshape the seafloor sediment surface and influence the distribution of other seafloor species. They also provide nutrition to fish, sea stars and crab predators.
Their presence in a sediment sample is one indicator of a healthy benthic community. They embody nature's fragility and resilience.
Shot from the Three Pools shoreline during low tide.
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is a wild oasis in the heart of the urban landscape and includes two distinct ecosystems: the beautiful marshland of Swan Lake and the rocky oak-forested highlands of Christmas Hill. Both are home to an incredible array of native plants and wild animals. Victoria British Columbia Canada
Another denizen of coastal ecosystems, a Northern Sea Otter found in the harbor of Homer, Alaska. This one is part of the southcentral (Alaska) population of sea otters, which occupies the coastal waters from west of Glacier Bay to the eastern edge of Cook Inlet.
Northern sea otters are generally larger than their Southern Sea Otter cousins, with males reaching up to 100 pounds, while females are up to 70 pounds. Southern sea otters, also known as California sea otters, are smaller, with males reaching up to 90 pounds and females weighing 35 to 60 pounds.
Respectfully referred to as 'The Mountain' by local residents.. Mt. Rainier rules & reigns!
Other: Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning five major rivers. Subalpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forest cloaks Mount Rainier's lower slopes. Wildlife abounds in the ecosystems of this national park. Approximately 96% of it is wilderness designated.
Visitors welcome to peruse my photostream & albums for a variety of seasonal landscapes/wildlife/florals. All comments or favs sincerely appreciated.
TMI: your ART & NATURE
October Contest - Fresh Water Wonder
www.flickr.com/groups/impressionists/
~ai/pixlr
Daniel 10:6 “His body also was like beryl [with a golden luster], his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and his feet like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words was like the noise of a multitude [of people or the roaring of the sea].”
Il nuovo servizio ARS Altomann gestito da Rail Traction Company / Lokomotion da Verona QE per Monaco è da poco ripartita dal passo del Brennero verso Innsbruck al traino della 189.917 ed è qui ripreso sul celebre curvone di St Jodok. (10/3/16)
The new ARS Altmann train from Verona QE to München has just letf the Brennerpass station pulled by the Br189.917. (2016/3/10)
Grizzly Bear
The Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), also known as the North American brown bear or simply Grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the Brown Bear inhabiting North America.
Grizzlies, like black bears, come in a variety of colors. They can range from blond to nearly black. Sometimes they have silver-tipped guard hairs that give them a "grizzled" appearance. Grizzlies often have a dished-in face and a large hump of heavy muscle above the shoulders. Their claws are around four inches long. Grizzlies usually weigh around 300-600 pounds but can grow up to 1,400 pounds. Adult Grizzlies can be six feet or more when standing on hind legs, and three to four feet when standing on all fours. Based on a multi-year DNA study, it's estimated that there are roughly 750 grizzly bears living within the Greater Yellowstone Area.
For more info: www.livewaterjacksonhole.com/the-jackson-hole-way/grizzly...
Female. Pollinating an apple tree.
In Germany, three quarters of flying insects have vanished in 25 years ( www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/18/warning-of-ec... ).
One third of all invertebrate species are endangered or have already gone extinct in Germany.
The loss of biodiversity on land worldwide amounts to 20 % ( IPBES (2019): Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (Version 1). Zenodo. doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5657041, page 31 ).
I didn’t know if the first picture of this place worked out, so I took it again on the way back.
Job 33:14 “For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.”
While the storm conditions prevented much color in the sunrise this morning, it still provided a dramatic backdrop at the always nice South Tufas.
Reminder that the Los Angeles DWP is keeping Mono lake artificially low below the state-mandated level and actively harming its ecosystems in order to supply only ~1-2% of just the city of LA's water supply. The city of LA uses ~30% of its water on watering grass lawns.
Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve
While mushrooms are my subject, my focus was capturing the entire scene, illustrating an old yet constantly renewing ecosystem. The soft light was captivating and it also reminded me of Michigan’s Armillaria on the northern peninsula, it has remained genetically stable for nearly 2500 years. The mushroom is the reproductive structure of the fungus, releasing spores to propagate. We tend to think of it as an individual 'plant' but it's not.
In this photo, the preparation of the ground for the installation of an almond tree, whose shapes resemble tombs, portrays the destruction of an entire natural ecosystem representative of a region.
Happy Nature Photography Day!
Monitoring the incoming tide, this elegant female ae’o searches for fish, arthropods, and various invertebrates in a coastal salt marsh. Periodically flooded by tides, this type of coastal ecosystem is the favorite habitat of Hawaiian stilts. A non-migratory, endemic subspecies of the black neck stilt, it has the second longest legs (after flamingos) relative to body size among birds. Though frequently seen in the main Hawaiian archipelago, the ae’o is listed as endangered due to loss of habitat and predation by introduced species.
Ogni volta che leggo di qualche disastro ambientale, come è accaduto in questi giorni, mi chiedo fino a che punto potremo arrivare.. Un giorno dovremo competere per le risorse e la sopravvivenza come la maggior parte delle speci viventi.. e in quel caso, si salvi chi può...
Foto di archivio, un angolo di barriera corallina, dall'acquario di Genova.
#reef #genova #acquario #acquarium #seaworld #echosystem #ecosistema #pesci #natura #corallo #coral #pollution #inquinamento
The Gannett Hills in SW Wyoming. Salt Hollow. The creek is covered with watercress. This is on the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Wood decay fungus along a rain forest trail. These types of mushrooms are an important part of the forest ecosystem and nutrient recycling. More importantly, they are an opportunity to title an image with a word beginning with the letter “x” and a rhyme.
🇫🇷 Le Petit Capricorne
Dans les🌳fourrés🌳, le Petit Capricorne, contrairement à son grand frère - le Grand Capricorne, peut être vu en journée et il affectionnerait même voler en plein soleil. Il n'est pas rare de le voir butiner, comme ici sur un rosier sauvage
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿 🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
🇺🇸 ️The Little Capricorn
In the🌳underbrush🌳, the Lesser Capricorn, unlike its big brother - the Greater Capricorn, can be seen during the day, and is even fond of flying in full sun. It's not unusual to see it foraging, as here on a wild rose.
Petit Capricorne / (longhorn beetle) / Cerambyx scopolii
Milieu naturel, écosystème :🌳 Fourré🌳
Natural environment, ecosystem:🌳 Underbrush 🌳
Lieu : Forêt de Fontainebleau / Seine-et-Marne / France
📷ISO 400, 105mm, f/10.0, 1/400sec
web site : pascalechevest.com
THE SIXTH EXTINCTION
Exerpts by Niles Eldredge
There is little doubt left in the minds of professional biologists that Earth is currently faced with a mounting loss of species that threatens to rival the five great mass extinctions of the geological past. As long ago as 1993, Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson estimated that Earth is currently losing something on the order of 30,000 species per year — which breaks down to the even more daunting statistic of some three species per hour. Some biologists have begun to feel that this biodiversity crisis — this “Sixth Extinction” — is even more severe, and more imminent, than Wilson had supposed.
Extinction in the past
The major global biotic turnovers were all caused by physical events that lay outside the normal climatic and other physical disturbances which species, and entire ecosystems, experience and survive. What caused them?
The previous mass extinctions were due to natural causes.
First major extinction (c. 440 mya): Climate change (relatively severe and sudden global cooling) seems to have been at work at the first of these-the end-Ordovician mass extinction that caused such pronounced change in marine life (little or no life existed on land at that time). 25% of families lost (a family may consist of a few to thousands of species).
Second major extinction (c. 370 mya): The next such event, near the end of the Devonian Period, may or may not have been the result of global climate change. 19% of families lost.
Third major Extinction (c. 245 mya): Scenarios explaining what happened at the greatest mass extinction event of them all (so far, at least!) at the end of the Permian Period have been complex amalgams of climate change perhaps rooted in plate tectonics movements. Very recently, however, evidence suggests that a bolide impact similar to the end-Cretaceous event may have been the cause. 54% of families lost.
Fourth major extinction (c. 210 mya): The event at the end of the Triassic Period, shortly after dinosaurs and mammals had first evolved, also remains difficult to pin down in terms of precise causes. 23% of families lost.
Fifth major extinction (c. 65 mya): Most famous, perhaps, was the most recent of these events at the end-Cretaceous. It wiped out the remaining terrestrial dinosaurs and marine ammonites, as well as many other species across the phylogenetic spectrum, in all habitats sampled from the fossil record. Consensus has emerged in the past decade that this event was caused by one (possibly multiple) collisions between Earth and an extraterrestrial bolide (probably cometary). Some geologists, however, point to the great volcanic event that produced the Deccan traps of India as part of the chain of physical events that disrupted ecosystems so severely that many species on land and sea rapidly succumbed to extinction. 17% of families lost.
How is The Sixth Extinction different from previous events?
The current mass extinction is caused by humans.
At first glance, the physically caused extinction events of the past might seem to have little or nothing to tell us about the current Sixth Extinction, which is a patently human-caused event. For there is little doubt that humans are the direct cause of ecosystem stress and species destruction in the modern world through such activities as:
-transformation of the landscape
-overexploitation of species
-pollution
-the introduction of alien species
And, because Homo sapiens is clearly a species of animal (however behaviorally and ecologically peculiar an animal), the Sixth Extinction would seem to be the first recorded global extinction event that has a biotic, rather than a physical, cause.
We are bringing about massive changes in the environment.
Yet, upon further reflection, human impact on the planet is a direct analogue of the Cretaceous cometary collision. Sixty-five million years ago that extraterrestrial impact — through its sheer explosive power, followed immediately by its injections of so much debris into the upper reaches of the atmosphere that global temperatures plummeted and, most critically, photosynthesis was severely inhibited — wreaked havoc on the living systems of Earth. That is precisely what human beings are doing to the planet right now: humans are causing vast physical changes on the planet.
What is the Sixth Extinction?
We can divide the Sixth Extinction into two discrete phases:
-Phase One began when the first modern humans began to disperse to different parts of the world about 100,000 years ago.
-Phase Two began about 10,000 years ago when humans turned to agriculture.
Humans began disrupting the environment as soon as they appeared on Earth.
The first phase began shortly after Homo sapiens evolved in Africa and the anatomically modern humans began migrating out of Africa and spreading throughout the world. Humans reached the middle east 90,000 years ago. They were in Europe starting around 40,000 years ago. Neanderthals, who had long lived in Europe, survived our arrival for less than 10,000 years, but then abruptly disappeared — victims, according to many paleoanthropologists, of our arrival through outright warfare or the more subtle, though potentially no less devastating effects, of being on the losing side of ecological competition.
Everywhere, shortly after modern humans arrived, many (especially, though by no means exclusively, the larger) native species typically became extinct. Humans were like bulls in a China shop:
-They disrupted ecosystems by overhunting game species, which never experienced contact with humans before.
-And perhaps they spread microbial disease-causing organisms as well.
The fossil record attests to human destruction of ecosystems:
-Wherever early humans migrated, other species became extinct.
-Humans arrived in large numbers in North America roughly 12,500 years ago-and sites revealing the butchering of mammoths, mastodons and extinct buffalo are well documented throughout the continent. The demise of the bulk of the La Brea tar pit Pleistocene fauna coincided with our arrival.
-The Caribbean lost several of its larger species when humans arrived some 8000 years ago.
-Extinction struck elements of the Australian megafauna much earlier-when humans arrived some 40,000 years ago. Madagascar-something of an anomaly, as humans only arrived there two thousand years ago-also fits the pattern well: the larger species (elephant birds, a species of hippo, plus larger lemurs) rapidly disappeared soon after humans arrived.
Indeed, only in places where earlier hominid species had lived (Africa, of course, but also most of Europe and Asia) did the fauna, already adapted to hominid presence, survive the first wave of the Sixth Extinction pretty much intact. The rest of the world’s species, which had never before encountered hominids in their local ecosystems, were as naively unwary as all but the most recently arrived species (such as Vermilion Flycatchers) of the Galapagos Islands remain to this day.
Why does the Sixth Extinction continue?
The invention of agriculture accelerated the pace of the Sixth Extinction.
Phase two of the Sixth Extinction began around 10,000 years ago with the invention of agriculture-perhaps first in the Natufian culture of the Middle East. Agriculture appears to have been invented several different times in various different places, and has, in the intervening years, spread around the entire globe.
Agriculture represents the single most profound ecological change in the entire 3.5 billion-year history of life. With its invention:
-Humans did not have to interact with other species for survival, and so could manipulate other species for their own use
-Humans did not have to adhere to the ecosystem’s carrying capacity, and so could overpopulate
-Humans do not live with nature but outside it.
Homo sapiens became the first species to stop living inside local ecosystems. All other species, including our ancestral hominid ancestors, all pre-agricultural humans, and remnant hunter-gatherer societies still extant exist as semi-isolated populations playing specific roles (i.e., have “niches”) in local ecosystems. This is not so with post-agricultural revolution humans, who in effect have stepped outside local ecosystems. Indeed, to develop agriculture is essentially to declare war on ecosystems - converting land to produce one or two food crops, with all other native plant species all now classified as unwanted “weeds” — and all but a few domesticated species of animals now considered as pests.
The total number of organisms within a species is limited by many factors-most crucial of which is the “carrying capacity” of the local ecosystem: given the energetic needs and energy-procuring adaptations of a given species, there are only so many squirrels, oak trees and hawks that can inhabit a given stretch of habitat. Agriculture had the effect of removing the natural local-ecosystem upper limit of the size of human populations. Though crops still fail regularly, and famine and disease still stalk the land, there is no doubt that agriculture in the main has had an enormous impact on human population size:
-Earth can’t sustain the trend in human population growth. It is reaching its limit in carrying capacity.
-Estimates vary, but range between 1 and 10 million people on earth 10,000 years ago.
-There are now over 6 billion people.
-The numbers continue to increase logarithmically — so that there will be 8 billion by 2020.
-There is presumably an upper limit to the carrying capacity of humans on earth — of the numbers that agriculture can support — and that number is usually estimated at between 13-15 billion, though some people think the ultimate numbers might be much higher.
This explosion of human population, especially in the post-Industrial Revolution years of the past two centuries, coupled with the unequal distribution and consumption of wealth on the planet, is the underlying cause of the Sixth Extinction. There is a vicious cycle:
-Overpopulation, invasive species, and overexploitation are fueling the extinction.
-More lands are cleared and more efficient production techniques (most recently engendered largely through genetic engineering) to feed the growing number of humans — and in response, the human population continues to expand.
-Higher fossil energy use is helping agriculture spread, further modifying the environment.
-Humans continue to fish (12 of the 13 major fisheries on the planet are now considered severely depleted) and harvest timber for building materials and just plain fuel, pollution, and soil erosion from agriculture creates dead zones in fisheries (as in the Gulf of Mexico)
-While the human Diaspora has meant the spread, as well, of alien species that more often than not thrive at the detriment of native species. For example, invasive species have contributed to 42% of all threatened and endangered species in the U.S.
Can conservation measures stop the Sixth Extinction?
Only 10% of the world’s species survived the third mass extinction. Will any survive this one?
The world’s ecosystems have been plunged into chaos, with some conservation biologists thinking that no system, not even the vast oceans, remains untouched by human presence. Conservation measures, sustainable development, and, ultimately, stabilization of human population numbers and consumption patterns seem to offer some hope that the Sixth Extinction will not develop to the extent of the third global extinction, some 245 mya, when 90% of the world’s species were lost.
Though it is true that life, so incredibly resilient, has always recovered (though after long lags) after major extinction spasms, it is only after whatever has caused the extinction event has dissipated. That cause, in the case of the Sixth Extinction, is ourselves — Homo sapiens. This means we can continue on the path to our own extinction, or, preferably, we modify our behavior toward the global ecosystem of which we are still very much a part. The latter must happen before the Sixth Extinction can be declared over, and life can once again rebound.
© 2005, American Institute of Biological Sciences. Educators have permission to reprint articles for classroom use; other users, please contact editor@actionbioscience.org for reprint permission. See reprint policy.
Paleontologist Dr. Niles Eldredge is the Curator-in-Chief of the permanent exhibition “Hall of Biodiversity” at the American Museum of Natural History and adjunct professor at the City University of New York. He has devoted his career to examining evolutionary theory through the fossil record, publishing his views in more than 160 scientific articles, reviews, and books. Life in the Balance: Humanity and the Biodiversity Crisisis his most recent book.
www.gc.cuny.edu/directories/faculty/E.htm
Articles and Resources on The Sixth Extinction
Consequences of the Sixth Extinction
The article “How Will Sixth Extinction Affect Evolution of Species?,” on our site, describes how the current loss of biodiversity will affect evolution in the long run.
www.actionbioscience.org/newfrontiers/myers_knoll.html
BioScience Article
“Global Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.”
Habitat destruction has driven much of the current biodiversity extinction crisis, and it compromises the essential benefits, or ecosystem services that humans derive from functioning ecosystems. Securing both species and ecosystem services might be accomplished with common solutions. Yet it is unknown whether these two major conservation objectives coincide broadly enough worldwide to enable global strategies for both goals to gain synergy. In this November 2007, BioScience article, Will Turner and his colleagues assess the concordance between these two objectives, explore how the concordance varies across different regions, and examine the global potential for safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services simultaneously. Read the abstract, or log in to purchase the full article.
caliber.ucpress.net/doi/abs/10.1641/B571009
Biodiversity in the next millennium
American Museum of Natural History’s nationwide survey (undated) “reveals biodiversity crisis — the fastest mass extinction in Earth’s history.”
cbc.amnh.org/crisis/mncntnt.html
National Geographic
A 2/99 article about the Sixth Extinction, with views from several leading scientists.
www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/9902/fngm/index.html
Extinction through time
Find out about cycles of life and death and extinction patterns through time.
www.carleton.ca/Museum/extinction/tablecont.html
Is Humanity Suicidal?
Edward O. Wilson asks us why we stay on the course to our own self-destruction.
www.well.com/user/davidu/suicidal.html
A Field Guide to the Sixth Extinction
Niles Eldredge writes in 1999 about a few of the millions of plants and animals that won’t make it to the next millennium. The second link takes you to the site’s main page, entitled “Mass Extinction Underway — The World Wide Web’s most comprehensive source of information on the current mass extinction,” which provides links to numerous other resources.
www.well.com/user/davidu/fieldguide.html
www.well.com/user/davidu/extinction.html
Global Environment Outlook 3
The United Nations Environment Programme released this major report in May 2002. The report collated the thoughts of more than 1,000 contributors to assess the environmental impact of the last 30 years and outline policy ideas for the next three decades. It concluded that without action, the world may experience severe environmental problems within 30 years. The entire report can be read online or purchased online.
www.unep.org/geo/geo3/index.htm
Test your environmental knowledge
A 1999 survey showed that only one in three adult Americans had a passing understanding of the most pressing environmental issues. How do you measure up? Explanatory answers provided.
www.youthactionnet.org/quizzes/global_environment.cfm
World Atlas of Biodiversity — interactive map
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released the firstWorld Atlas of Biodiversityin August 2002. This link takes you to their online interactive map that helps you search for data about species/land/water loss, extinction over time, and human global development. Click on the “?” for a help page that explains how to interact with this map.
stort.unep-wcmc.org/imaps/gb2002/book/viewer.htm
The Sixth Great Extinction: A Status Report
Earth Policy Institute’s 2004 update on the status of loss of biodiversity.
www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update35.htm
Books
» The Biodiversity Crisis: Losing What Countsby The American Museum of Natural History (New Press, 2001).
» The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of of Life and the Future of Humankindby Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin (Doubleday and Company, 1996).
Get Involved
The Biodiversity Project
You can choose a way to get involved in protecting biodiversity — from educational resources to community outreach.
www.biodiversityproject.org/html/resources/introduction.htm
The Nature Conservancy
Select a state from the menu and find out how you can become an environmental volunteer in that state.
Information for Action
“This website explains the environmental problems & offers solutions to fix them. There are many valuable resources available” including lobbying info, contacts database, & news updates.
Harmony
“Harmony Foundation is all about education for the environment. We offer publications and programs… ‘Building Sustainable Societies’ offers innovative training for educators and community group leaders to support local action on important environmental issues.”
Earth Talk: Environmental advocacy for professionals
This discussion community and learning network seeks to contribute to global ecological sustainability by enabling communication connections between those working on behalf of forests, water, and climate.
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Tiger Illustration by Dorothy Lathrop from
"Fierce-Face: The story of a tiger" by Dhan Gopal Mukerji (1936)
There must be some connection between nature + government + health, hey? Here in New Zealand, where I am so grateful to live, we just hit 100 days with no COVID-19 transmissions. Maybe this is just my hippy side, but I think being one with nature and taking care of the Earth around you helps the expanded ecosystem. I mean, everything is not perfect here and there are still problems to protect the environment, but we're on the right path. If you want to watch some good movies about this stuff, I recommend Samsara and Baraka. This photo is from the Southern Alps. [ Note this photo is not sponsored by New Zealand Tourism or anything Well, actually I do 0% sponsored posts but I think it's good to say anyway. ]
The Harz is the highest mountain range in Northern Germany and its summit, the Brocken, reaches 3,186 feet (1,141 Meter). Meadows are dominant in many parts of the East Harz foothills, bursting with flowers during the spring and early summer months.
If you like my work, please feel free to check out my website at Imagine Your World and galleries on Fine Art America and Redbubble. Thank you for visiting me on Flickr!
A view I'd seen from images captured by another photographer for a sunrise. Sadly with the overcast skies, I wasn't to have that view. I decided to angle my SLR camera slightly downward capturing the grassland and towering badlands formations to my front. I could then work an angle to include the upper portions of the butte and pinnacles off in the distance and not include any overcast skies. I later used a Pro Contrast and Skylight CEP filter in Capture NX2 for the final image to address what I felt was the more muted colors from the overcast skies above.
Went out for a walk in the rocky shore of Vuosaari, Helsinki.
I found a nice location and started to wander around.
Found this composition after getting my shoes and socks wet, because I wasn't paying attention to the waves. Lesson learned.
I proceeded to set the tripod, grabbed the camera from the backpack as well as the Sigma 18-35mm lens.
After taking a couple of test shots, it became obviously clear that the image needed a polarising filter to expose more detail underwater, and a graduated filter to calm down the bright sky.
I took three shots, first focusing on the rocks in the foreground, then the partially submerged rocks just a few meters away and then all the way to the island with the trees.
After finishing the trip I sat down in front of the computer monitor and started working on the images. I processed the images the way I liked them and proceeded to focus stacking them in Photoshop.
So here's the result of a lovely mid-day walk with wet shoes, hope you enjoy the image.