Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Welcome to Enriched Biology

Your first assignment is to read the Blog Assignment #1 article found in the EDLINE Assignments Folder. The article is titled "Blog Assignment #1". Then come back to the blog with a formulated comment to add regarding causes of this extinction.
The question to respond to is: Do you feel humans should do more to protect the diversity of living organisms, or not? If you feel humans should protect biodiversity, then be sure to supply a supporting reason or two. If you feel humans should not protect biodiversity, then of course provide supporting a reason(s) as to why not.
Don't get too argumentative. Keep it concise and to the point please, I have to read these:-)

51 comments:

Sarah J said...

I think that humans should not protect biodiversity because in the long-run, there's nothing that we can do. It's going to happen whether we try to do anything to slow it down or not. We can't save 50%- 95% of all species on Earth. Especially when we don't even know of most of them. If this is the sixth mass extinction, then it is, and there nothing we can do to stop it. To try to slow it down would be a waste of time and resources that could be better applied to something else.

abby buuck said...

I think that humans should definitely work to protect all living organisms for two reasons. First, we all know that all species rely on one another to survive. So why some might not care that species that they've never heard of are dying, eventually they will feel the effects too. Secondly, the sixth mass extinction is occurring now! If we want to change the future, our generation is the one to do it.

Unknown said...

Micaela Huerta

I think we need to do more to protect, because as we are looking at all the different ways different organisms are helping each other like mutualism, the more we lose organisms like that the more it will effect our planet. Everything helps each other, just like the trees help by giving us oxygen, the birds help by spreading the tree seeds.

Abbi Butterfield said...

Humans should definitely do more to protect the diversity in our biosphere. This extinction is pretty much our fault, and we have to take responsibility for our actions. And if responsibility isn't enough motivation, we should remember that everything is connected. Even the smallest bug does something vital to life. If we just keep letting this continue, who knows what effect it'll have on the environment, and, ultimately, on us?

Carter K. said...

Although the extinction of a huge number of the earth's species is unfortunate, I believe that there is very little that we as humans are really able to do about it. If this mass extinction is truly the sixth mass extinction, then that means that this process is a natural one, and therefore is something that we as humans have very little control over. I seriously doubt that if we recycled a bit more, or if we all drove hybrid cars that we could do anything but slow down the process a bit. It is inevitable, and the earth will in all likelihood recover just the same as it has the last five times.

Carter K. said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Tyler K's Blog said...

Tyler K, one above this

Chris Anderson said...

Yes, we should try to protect the biodiversity of life on Earth. We might not be able to stop it, and earth has endured 5 other mass extinctions, but that doesn't mean that we shouldnt try. If we actively try to harm the ecosphere, then we may cause more harm then we expect to, since we are causing this mass extinction to occur at a faster rate, we dont know what will happen since it isn't following the normal background rate. Since we know that this is happening, if we dont try to stop it or slow it, then we actually are trying to destroy the ecosphere, because by not preventing it we will still continue to harm it. Haha, long post.

Chris Anderson said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Nick said...

I think that humans should definitely do more to protect the diversity of living organisms. This article provides ample evidence to indicate that we are not on the right path. It seems to predict, reasonably, that the 6th mass extinction will be larger than any others thus far. The implications for the extinction we're facing are scary and deserve more attention.

Maddie said...

There's nothing really that humans can do stop this mass extinction. The majority of the damage to the Earth caused by humans has been done, and it's probably too late to stop this problem all together. Humans can always do little things to slow down the process,but there's no need to go into extremes to "stop" our species from dying out. We might as well use the resources we have now since apparently we're the last generation in the species.

Brown Bear said...

Nadini Hettigei

I think that we should try and do more to stop this extinction, because the future of the human race depends on it. It might be tigers and pandas, but then it might lead to fish, or cattle or chicken or other meats, and then we'd have to exploit another source of food (or resort to vegetarianism), again and again, until we won't have any resources left. Then we might be the species that becomes extinct in the 7th mass extinction.

—A.M. Landreville said...

In all the generations on this earth, none have done so much damage as fast as the previous few generations. With the massive losses of species recently, its hard to believe there are still companies out there lobbying for looser environmental laws. As human beings, we all should start down the path of active conservation in order to restore lost habitats. This would bring back species on the brink of extinction to healthy levels. As the stewards of this planet, and also as the cause of most pollution, it is only natural that we clean up our mess and help out our friends. We should go to extremes to protect the earth that god gave to us and entrusted us, but that which we abused.

That was Alex L by the way, of P1

—A.M. Landreville said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Sarah said...

While the amount of species going extinct is amazing and unfortunate, and given that this extinction may have something to do with humans, I think that we shouldn't do too much more to protect the diversity of living organisms. The extinction of species is a natural process that needs to happen for other, more advanced species to emerge. We can't keep all the species alive and if there are so many species alive right now, and many more developing, imagine how many there would be if we managed to keep them all! This is the sixth mass extinction, which means they've happened before, without human interruption, so it sounds like we've just go to let the world do its thing. Even though many animals will have to die, it's just the natural order, like the wolf hunting the baby caribou.
(Sarah A. from 2nd Hour)

Sarah said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
keredthemanraf42 said...

Not only does humanity not have a moral obligation to artificially protect and enhance biodiversity, it has an obligation not to. Our interference in nature has always had terrible effects, and this will not change, as the biosphere is far too complex for any human or similar sentient mind to comprehend and analyze. As species die off, their remains will support some other species further along in the stream of time. Let the inferior make room for the superior!

Meredith said...

I think that I have an indifferent opinion on this topic. In the article it states that in the year 2100, half of all th animal and plant species will be vanished. By hearing this, I would definetly say that humans should start helping to protect the species. However, I feel that there is not much we can do; the cycle for these animals are natural, and in many years our "help" may not even affect the cycle of life for all the living organisms.

Steph said...

Steph Walczak
hr 2

I believe that humans do need to do something about biodiversity. They shouldn't go to extreme means to protect biodiversity because that would be upsetting the course of nature. I think that we should fix what we have broken. It is our fault that this is happening and we should do something about it. If humans would fix the errors of our ways I think that we would see a great improvement in the condition of biodiversity. If our planet continues down this path, it will affect us in ways many think aren't possible. These species help us in ways that we don't know how, and it would be unfortunate to lose them.

pvich said...

I believe that we need to do a lot more to protect all living organisms. With technology getting more and more advanced every day, who knows what we will have invented by the year 2100. We need to do all we can to protect what we haven't ruined already because there may be a chance that we can change the fate of our race. Although we can maybe use technology to help us prevent extinction, we might not be able to bring back all of the living organisms that are going extinct every day.

Anna M said...

We are all somewhat connected so it would be foolish not to contemplate doing something about the extinctions. However, there is a limit to what we as humans can do. If there have really been 5 mass extinctions already, we probably won't be able to stop this one. And besides, in the past, whenever we've really tried to alter the course of something, it blows up in our faces. We should let nature take it's course and deal with it's effects.

WattsUp03 said...

I feel that protecting diversity of animals is not up to us. If we were to start thinking about it all the possibilities and of helping and hurting "all" species we would find that anything we do helps or hurts any species We probably don’t want to help out the organisms that try to kill us either (germs, viruses and bacteria.) Our niche is not to find other organisms’ problems until we fix our behavior, focus and personal problems. So if we live through this extinction maybe we'll have our own problems in order to slow the seventh great extinction.

Tyler K's Blog said...

I feel humans should do more to protect the diversity of living organisms such as providing a world without pollution. Another thing that humans can do is to protect their natural habitat. Some species have become extint due to hunting and other unnecessary activities by humans. It is my belief that these activities should be stopped. Mother nature is so powerful that it should be able to control the destiny of all orgainsims with minimal help from humans.

Tyler K.

Jared said...

We should definately try to slow down or halt (not likely) the 6th mass extinction. As far as I know, humans are in all likelihood the cause of it (or a large part of it), so we should be doing something to stop it. Its insane to think some people believe we should let this go. It's not hard to do your part somewhere, such as recycling when you can, and/or not being wasteful. At the high end of the estimates, if scientists think theres a chance that 270 species are being 'erased' every day, we should treat it like that. If humans were one of the species steadily dieing off, I'm sure all the nay-sayers would have a different opinion.

Jeff Krause said...

From The New York Times...
We know, when we stop to think about it, that the Earth is in fact a planet of rock and water, with an existence quite separate from our own. But we don’t believe it in our bones. Perhaps the best proof is the discovery of a planet orbiting a star called V 391 Pegasi, some 4,500 light years from us.

That planet appears to have survived the transformation of its sun into a red giant. That is the very fate predicted for our own Sun some five billion years from now, when it will swell to a size that engulfs the orbits of Mercury and Venus. But to suggest that Earth might survive the Sun’s senescence is to say something about this lump of rock we live on, not our species. And yet we have trouble reading it that way.

Most of us have come to terms with the notion that the Sun will swell catastrophically — some day. Five billion years is roughly 25,000 times longer than Homo sapiens have lived.

Still, once upon a time, even to talk about that distant catastrophe was to assume that it would somehow be a human event. You may remember learning about Earth’s eventual fate with a sinking feeling.

The grimmer realization of recent decades — a time of looming man-made cataclysms — is that we do not live in geological or astronomical time. We live in ethical and cultural time, that is, human time. The sensible questions are how to live that time to the fullest and how to stave off a premature ending.

Ben Biewen said...

I believe humans should do all they can to help species from going extinct. Although this is known as the 6th mass extinction, we don't know what the cause is, and humans and global warming could be the cause. Humans are mamals just like many of the species who are going extinct everyday. If humans were on the same side as the the species going extinct everyone would take action to try to keep their lives.

Eric said...

i think that something should definitely be done. the first sentence says we're losing about 1 million species per year. thats a huge number. and humans are the main cause of it all. because of that a ton of those species will never be known. humans share the earth with other animals and despite the fact that our brains are larger, we do the most damage to the planet.

sarah jo said...

I think that humans should do everything in their power to protect the diversity of living organisms. From our book we learned that supposedly in the next 100 years 20% of living things could be extinct. Since there have been six great extinctions(one going on right now) and the last one was 439 million years ago, I think it is safe to say that we had something to do with it. If we have somthing to do with it we should do everything in our power to stop it. By not helping now, who knows, the cows and animals we rely on for food could be the next great extinction and then humans would become extinct, it seems like a cycle that inevitably we are tangled up in so we should halt it now, if not for the animals, then for the future generations of humans.

Aaron Lomicka said...

I believe that humans should do everything they can to help protect the diverity of living organisms. Humans are the main contributor to the unnature environmental problems of the earth, with our fuels and other chemicals, but it is unclear if we are causing a mass extinction. No matter if we are causing it or if it is just an inevitable part of nature, people should find ways to act on this problem and help all species. For it maybe only a matter of time before the human species is faced with the same threat of extinction.

Eleanor said...

I think humans should do more to protect biodiversity. The environmental damage we have done is contributing to the alarming rate of extinction, so in some ways we have a responsibility to try to fix the problem we created. Even if this "moral" reason were dismissed, humans still have an incentive to protect biodiversity because of the interconnectedness of all species. If species we depend on go extinct, we will definitely be at risk as well. We have to try to slow the rate of extinction for our own survival.

Erin said...

I think that human do need to do more to help protect the diversity of different organisms. The article said that humans are killing off many different species at an alarming rate. If we had just left them alone, and they kind of lived separately from humans, then I would believe that we should not help. But, since they are so inter-related with humans I believe that we should help. If their is a complete extinction by 2100, all forms of life are going to have to start over, and I know many humans would not want to do that. So, if you don't feel like it is your job to help the animals, then help yourself. -Erin Connors, e bio 1

kelsey a said...

I feel that humans should do more to protect living organisms. Since the 6th Mass distinction is causing plants and animals to go extinct, I believe that we need to do need to do more to save them. It is estimated that in 2100 half of all animal and plant species would be extinct. We need to protect these species because without them,there is a chance that big changes could happen in the environment surrounding us.

Andeh said...

I think humans should definitely try to at least slow down the rate of extinction, although it's pretty much inevitable that most things are going to end up going extinct sooner or later. Sure, humanity might be partially to blame, but I really don't think it's possible to convince the entire world, or at least enough people to make a considerable difference in the current rate these species are going extinct. Take global warming, for example. Some people say humanity is to blame for that too, but it doesn't seem like enough people are caring to make a major difference in retaining a normal climate.

CJ Bear said...

Well yes, not only for the sake of all those species, but the article also mentioned how human existence is also impacted by their survival. One of the reasons cited in the article was global warming; it would be to our benefit if we curbed global warming. We can help slow extinction of threaten species, and by protecting these species we protect ourselves.

yasmine ghanem said...

The sixth mass extinction could prove to be deadly if we don't try to slow it down. We really need to act somehow; even if it's small acts in every day life. If 1 in every 4 mamals is going to be extinct we have to act. I feel that this is one case where letting nature run it's own course could prove to be devastating.

Kevin said...

i think that humans should try to protect as many species from extinction that they can. However, i dont think we should get in the way of nature. It seems that global warming, which has been blamed on humans, may be the cause of the next great extinction. I think we should do all in our power to preserve life the best we can.

alex eastman said...

I can't say I really have a set opinion on whether humans should do more to protect the diversity of living organisms or not. I would most definitely say yes because of the overwhelming fact that 1 in 4 mammals, 1 in 8 birds, 1 in 3 amphibians, and many other species are in danger for extinction. Human beings seem to forget sometimes that we are animals too, and it's only right to help protect the others we're sharing the planet with. Also, with the year 2100 set as the year in which predictions say that half of all plant and animal species will be extinct, technology is improving everyday. Who knows, maybe a resolution to the problem will be solved in that amount of time. The only reason I would say no to helping species on the brink of extinction is that, in a way, it could be considered completely natural. If it's happened 5 times before already, perhaps it's just a way for nature to take it's course.

SarahZZ said...

I believe that humans should protect the diversity of organisms. The world would be less interesting and then each area might not be occupied like it should be if all the species morphed together. Who would live in Antarctica if there were no penguins and polar bears? I believe that we have done too much to destroy species, we should do as much as we can to reverse/stop the damage.

-Sarah Zuhlsdorf

Sean said...

It's easier to say that we need to protect the biodiversity in the world than it is to actually do it. Of the possible 100 million species in our planet and us only acknowledging about 1.5 million we can't really know how to help them all. But as we all know there are many forms of mutual relationships between different species there could be organism that we can't even notice that need to survive because in some way we might benefit from them. 1/4 humans dying off is a scary number, and i guess the only way to solve our problem is to put all the great minds of our world (such as mine) together and actually start solving some world issues instead of waging war against everyone.

Daphni said...

I think that we should try to help and curb the extinction so that it's effects aren't so massive but at the same time not interfere so much that no evolution happens and species don't improve to conditions. Even if we can prevent the species from becoming extinct now, if they don't adapt to their surroundings, they will become extinct anyway. So basically we should help as much as we can without becoming too interfering and mess everything up.

Steve H rocks said...

I think that we deffinetly need to try to reduce our impact for many reasons. We share this plannet with other organisms and with many more to come, including more humans. And if we destroy this plannet physically, or the beauty in the diverse life on it, we dont get a second chance to take it back. We have one plannet that we need to make it to last and to fit into to the lifecycle, rather then end it.

Peter Lord Of The Animals said...

Ok, obviously I feel that humans need to protect the diversity of living organisms. If these numbers about extinction are accurate, that means that in 30 years only domesticated animals and a couple other species will be left, and that would just suck. As shepherds of the earth, its our duty to not completely ruin it. Personally, im a nature freak, and so i actually care if a bald eagle goes extinct. I mean, how could you not care. its disgusting to think of how people say "oh well, im not gonna be alive so i dont care"...yea well other people are you idiot. And i personally wouldnt enjoy if my parents screwed everything up, had me, then died. And that argument of not being alive isn't even valid in this case, because if the predictions are true, and you plan on living past 40...your going to be in the 6th mass extinction

that was really sloppy and poorly written but it got the point across

laura frey said...

I believe that we, as Americans, with the highest consumption rate of anyone else on earth, have the duty to try and prevent the extinction of species. And protect the biodiversity of species. America consumes more 'stuff' than any other country in the world, yet we don't even have close to the largest population. We're not using our resources wisely. Examples of polluting the environment and adding to the risk level of specie extinction are cars like Hummers (guzzling the gas), 20 minutes showers, leaving water running while brushing your teeth, and littering. Humans can't and shouldn't totally stop species from becoming 'extinct'. Sometimes, thats just the way of natural selection... however, if it's OUR fault that organisms aren't ABLE to adapt to the harmful environment we've made, thats wrong, and should be changed!

Danny Rose said...

After reading the article I think that humans should not do more to protect the diversity of living organisms. This is because as stated in the article, it is a natural process of extinction that has happened before in the history of the world. This natural cycle is just that, a natural event that species will come and go, if the current species disappear, new ones will evolve. This is not saying that we should do thing to hurt the natural process, we just need to let it be and have no effect on it whatsoever.

Anonymous said...

i think that humans should be able to protect biodiversity. Because people have made such a huge impact on our earth's environment, many animals have had to adapt in new ways to fit our needs. So, because humans have already done so much bad to the planet, we may as well save animals from becoming extinct. yeah...

Unknown said...

I definitely think that humans need to do more about the environment, if for no other reason that self preservation. The world is dying, and because we live on it and because we have nowhere else to go, we better make it last. Therefore more attention MUST be paid to our environment, including animals and fresh water. If rivers dry up and animals go extinct it could be a fatal blow to the food web. This would eventually lead to the demise of all living things on this planet. Also, nature is awesome and some of the coolest places on earth are not inhabited by human beings. We must work to preserve these habitats such as ecosystems such as to build up a better future for our children.

Connor said...

I absolutely with out a doubt believe that people should help protect the biodiversity of life; for one main reason only, we're causing this mass extinction. If we're the one that is responsible we should take as much action as possible. For example: When the eagle was close to extinction, conservationists took action and saved our nations symbol from utter destruction.

Dani said...

I don't think there's anything we can do. If species are going to go extinct, then they're going to go instinct. We can't change how the earth works. And I highly doubt it's our fault in the first place. We can't change something as big as that.

megan said...

I did this assignment wrong the first time but i swear i did it in time. After reading the article, I think that we should help and it would be the "right" thing to do because we are causing the extinction however, it is the cycle of life. Things live and then they die. The rate at which they are becoming extinct has increased a lot but we recovered from the dinosaurs all going extinct and as hard as it is, it's just the way of life for things to die.

Corrin said...

of course i think that humans should protect the other species sharing the world with us, but what really can we do? the article said that biologists have estimated millions of different species. it's not like we can find all of these, put them all into their own special, climate regulated enviroments with everything they need to survive. even if the numbers of different organisms have been dissapearing more rapiddly than could ever be normal, this is a natural (well, kind of) process of life that we can't really do anything to help.

Steve H rocks said...

We def need to protect all of the species. The variety of organims is what makes this earth so beautiful and wonderful. With species evolving every day and new species being discovered it will only add to the richness of the earth. WE need to do alot more to protect all of these species and the new ones to come. We have the power, and we are mostly creating the problem, so its our job to fix it.