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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Ernest Brockenberry UBN Project
Part 1
Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth, at all it’s levels, from genes to ecosystems, from genes to ecosystems, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain it. [It] should be a very big thing in our lives today, especially because there are so many species in the world getting punished as an effect of our unsanitary and uncaring human ways. (pollution, etc.) The things that we do on this Earth affect, not only us, but everyone and everything around us. Another thing that we should care about is urban ecology. Urban ecology is the interaction between organisms in an urbanized community and their interaction with the community that they live in. The things that we do to the Earth are destroying these communities and environments that they live in. If all of the animals die off, then the food chain will be very much altered. We eat the animals that eat other animals, but if all the animals are dead, we will have to convert to cannibalism, which would be a very bad thing.
There were many different projects that I could have chosen, but I decided to choose the Urban Biodiversity Network project. I’ve always been interested in biodiversity and things like that having to do with the Earth and our environment. I was hooked, though, when I found out that we’d be using phones and computers. I love the idea of incorporating modern technology into science because science can sometimes be boring, but using technology with science always makes it more fun and more interesting.
The link below will direct you you to an article about urban biodiversity and urban ecology by J. Niemelä: http://bit.ly/patO0v
Part 2
The first plot that I observed in Central Park, right next to the Delacorte Theater. The are was very grassy, and had many trees. There weren’t very many animals in the plot. There were mostly dogs and people, which I couldn’t use, unfortunately. I was still able to get a good amount of information because there were some invertebrates crawling around in the grass and flying through the air next to the plot.
Map Image of Plot #1: http://bit.ly/svfo16
The second plot that I observed was really a transect. It consisted of about 3 blocks of a consistent sidewalk. Most of the pictures that I was able to take were of concrete, or, the rare times that I got lucky, it was a patch of grass with a bush or a tree. This transect of data made me pretty upset because most of the areas that I looked at had no living organisms on or in them, besides trees or leaves, of course.
Map Image of Plot #2: http://bit.ly/urbQe8
The link below will direct you to an article by K. Tzoulas and P. James about the link between human well being, social and economical, and urban biodiversity: http://bit.ly/t9guUp
Part 3
For my conclusion, I would like to say that it’s the things that we are doing to our Earth that tend to make scientists upset. If all we do is continue pollute the Earth, where will we be in a matter of a few thousand years? We won’t be anything in a couple of thousand years if we continue on this road because the sun’s rays will have penetrated the ozone layer and will all be burned to death. We have to preserve the Earth for the generations to come. Don’t let it be our fault that the Earth gets burned to pieces. I think that if we all make an effort to help clean up the Earth, it will put an end to a lot of the bad things going on. All of the tornadoes and global warming is the Earth trying to fight back. So are we going to help clean the Earth, or will we just sit in the corner living our mundane lives acting like nothing is going on? I hope you answered with the first choice, because the latter will get us in trouble.
I think that the way that we treat the Earth destroys areas like the ones that I was able to observe. With all of the pollution that is going on, plots and transects like this will become more and more scarce. That is why we need to make sure to take care of out Earth and treat her fairly. She [Earth] will no doubt retaliate if we don’t treat her with the respect that she deserves.
There are many different methods that can be used to get people interested in biodiversity, but I think that the most effective way to do it is to get the children of our society to get involved in different activities that deal with urban biodiversity. The best volunteers for things like this are children because it exposes them to new things. If you tell a seven year old that they get to help plant a tree, they would probably be more excited than a 25 year old would be. Here’s a link to an article that better explains my statement: http://bit.ly/sGkwcw. This article is a response to Folke, C. and L. Gunderson’s article "A Kaleidoscope of Change" written in 2003.
Final Paper for UBN
Student 2 Biodiversity Media Project
Biodiversity and ecology is very important in our live. It helps us live and make our lives much more easier. For example, plants are able to clean the air around us by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. They can also be converted into useful materials in our everyday lives like paper and medicine. But the plant population and other populations are decreasing every single day. Many forests are being cut down, habitats are being destroyed, humans are releasing a lot of Carbon Dioxide and other harmful chemicals in the air, and there aren’t many trees in urban areas. This is why biodiversity and ecology are important. If we ignore this, many of our resources, like plants, will not be in reach anymore. If there are no resources, we could live a very difficult life, and in the worst circumstances, humanity would be extinct. I chose to do this project to see how much biodiversity there is in a urban place like New York City. To complete this task, I choose different plots around the city and collected data with applications like google maps, google docs, cameras, and spreadsheets. All these applications were used through smart phones and laptops. The smart phones were taken to the plots and with them, data and pictures were collected. We then returned back to the American Museum of Natural History and transferred the data from the phones to the laptops. From there, we were able to organize the data and work with it to see how much biodiversity there was in the plots. We found statistical analysis like abundance, relative abundance, natural log, and much more. This was all done in spreadsheets.
My first plot is where a lot of biodiversity can be found: Central Park. Central park is very diverse and the home to many plants and animals. Central park is a very big place with about 843 acres of land or 6% of Manhattan (source: http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/general-info/faq/). The plot I chose was a random plot. The plot was mostly grass and some trees. The plot was divided by a cemented road for pedestrians. It was very big. On one side of the plot there is a pond and the Delacorte Theater. On the other side of the plot there are many baseball fields. The plot was mostly grass. There was a plant on the field which is known as the clover (Trifolium spp.). Around the plot there were many birds and squirrels. The plot had a lot of biodiversity and was mostly undisturbed at the time I was there. There was also no predators and the grass was cut so it would not grow very tall.
-This is the picture of the three-leaf clover. (Trifolium spp.)
The second plot was a regular city street. The biodiversity was very low. There were many people walking but the only biodiversity that I found were some trees and very little grass and moss growing in the cracks of the pavement. There were also some dogs but other than that there was not any more biodiversity. The city streets were very boring visually because the biodiversity was very low and there wasn’t much to see. But for data it’s interesting because it shows how humans have affected biodiversity in a negative way by limiting the amount of biodiversity there could be. This picture shows how biodiversity is missing in the city streets.
As you can see, the sidewalk in this area has little biodiversity. There isn’t much to watch and shows how humans have disturbed habitats.
Both Central Park and the city streets have many threats to biodiversity but it is obvious that the city streets have much more problems than Central Park. The only problems that I found in Central Park was the paved walkway that intersected two ecosystems and humans themselves. The paved walkway is a problem because animals could get killed due to walking pedestrians and bicycles. The people walking by is a big problem. Children could destroy the ecosystem by riping off grass or leaves from a tree. Humans could take their pets to the parks. These pets could damage the ecosystems in many ways. The streets present many problems like cars, humans, bicycles, etc.
As I did this experiment, I saw my surroundings in a different way. I realized that biodiversity should be a big concern for every single person in New York City and the world. Many people don’t realize how important biodiversity is. We use a lot of paper, use our electronics, throw out items that can be recycled, litter, and don’t know that this is affecting our environment. We need to know that those resources are possible because of biodiversity. I think that the best way to teach people to take care of biodiversity is to teach young children at a young age to love, care, and appreciate biodiversity. This way, everybody is aware of biodiversity. The city and state should place more trash cans and recycling bins around the city. This way, there would be less trash and many more items could be recycled. It would also be a good idea to make recycling programs around the city to be able to conserve the resources we have. These are good ideas but it wouldn’t help if the community isn’t interested or doesn’t care. I think that that is the biggest problem; many people don’t find a interest in biodiversity. Many people find biodiversity boring and a topic that does not matter. One way the city could make this more interesting is by accepting students helping out with recycling and other activities community service hours. Teens could use this as community service hours. It would benefit them because most schools ask for community service hours and it would also help the community because it preserves and helps save biodiversity. In these ways, biodiversity can be a concern for the world.
Ernest Brockenberry UBN Project
Part 1
Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth, at all it’s levels, from genes to ecosystems, from genes to ecosystems, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain it. [It] should be a very big thing in our lives today, especially because there are so many species in the world getting punished as an effect of our unsanitary and uncaring human ways. (pollution, etc.) The things that we do on this Earth affect, not only us, but everyone and everything around us. Another thing that we should care about is urban ecology. Urban ecology is the interaction between organisms in an urbanized community and their interaction with the community that they live in. The things that we do to the Earth are destroying these communities and environments that they live in. If all of the animals die off, then the food chain will be very much altered. We eat the animals that eat other animals, but if all the animals are dead, we will have to convert to cannibalism, which would be a very bad thing.
There were many different projects that I could have chosen, but I decided to choose the Urban Biodiversity Network project. I’ve always been interested in biodiversity and things like that having to do with the Earth and our environment. I was hooked, though, when I found out that we’d be using phones and computers. I love the idea of incorporating modern technology into science because science can sometimes be boring, but using technology with science always makes it more fun and more interesting.
The link below will direct you you to an article about urban biodiversity and urban ecology by J. Niemelä. http://bit.ly/patO0v
Part 2
The first plot that I observed in Central Park, right next to the Delacorte Theater. The are was very grassy, and had many trees. There weren’t very many animals in the plot. There were mostly dogs and people, which I couldn’t use, unfortunately. I was still able to get a good amount of information because there were some invertebrates crawling around in the grass and flying through the air next to the plot.
Map Image of Plot #1: http://bit.ly/svfo16
The second plot that I observed was really a transect. It consisted of about 3 blocks of a consistent sidewalk. Most of the pictures that I was able to take were of concrete, or, the rare times that I got lucky, it was a patch of grass with a bush or a tree. This transect of data made me pretty upset because most of the areas that I looked at had no living organisms on or in them, besides trees or leaves, of course.
Map Image of Plot #2: http://bit.ly/urbQe8
The link below will direct you to an article by K. Tzoulas and P. James about the link between human well being, social and economical, and urban biodiversity. http://bit.ly/t9guUp
Part 3
For my conclusion, I would like to say that it’s the things that we are doing to our Earth that tend to make scientists upset. If all we do is continue pollute the Earth, where will we be in a matter of a few thousand years? We won’t be anything in a couple of thousand years if we continue on this road because the sun’s rays will have penetrated the ozone layer and will all be burned to death. We have to preserve the Earth for the generations to come. Don’t let it be our fault that the Earth gets burned to pieces. I think that if we all make an effort to help clean up the Earth, it will put an end to a lot of the bad things going on. All of the tornadoes and global warming is the Earth trying to fight back. So are we going to help clean the Earth, or will we just sit in the corner living our mundane lives acting like nothing is going on? I hope you answered with the first choice, because the latter will get us in trouble.
I think that the way that we treat the Earth destroys areas like the ones that I was able to observe. With all of the pollution that is going on, plots and transects like this will become more and more scarce. That is why we need to make sure to take care of out Earth and treat her fairly. She [Earth] will no doubt retaliate if we don’t treat her with the respect that she deserves.
There are many different methods that can be used to get people interested in biodiversity, but I think that the most effective way to do it is to get the children of our society to get involved in different activities that deal with urban biodiversity. The best volunteers for things like this are children because it exposes them to new things. If you tell a seven year old that they get to help plant a tree, they would probably be more excited than a 25 year old would be. Here’s a link to an article that better explains my statement: http://bit.ly/sGkwcw. This article is a response to Folke, C. and L. Gunderson’s article "A Kaleidoscope of Change" written in 2003.
Biodiversity Media Project: Blog Post
In the summer of 2011 at the American Museum I studied urban biodiversity. Urban biodiversity is the study of how biodiversity is in a densely populated area such as New York City. Urban biodiversity is important, and for many reasons. One is that each species has a valuable genetic code unique to that species. These codes could be found as useful in the study of genetics, biochemistry, etc. In addition, there have even been trends found that link the amount and type of biodiversity to factors that influence our own lives. For example, it has been scientifically proven that if one has a certain number and type of tree growing along a street, it will affect the number of burglars and robbers that are likely to break into the houses on the street. Says Michael Foster about this discovery: “An interesting article explores the connection between street trees and human health. Check out Growing Quality of Life: Urban Trees, Birth Weight, and Crime by John Kirkland.” on the UBN blog. Knowing more about biodiversity allows us to make more of these connections; that in turn gives us a chance to benefit, as Michael Foster puts it, “human health”. With the trends being discovered, biodiversity also serves another important purpose. Humans have been steadily bringing about the Sixth Extinction, which may lead to the extinction of all mammals. The Sixth Extinction differs from other past extinctions in that it is not caused by forms of life living on Earth. It is humans, however, that inspire environment harming characteristics, which may lead to the loss of entire species around the five kingdoms of taxonomic classification. The Sixth Extinction also differs from past ones in that it can possibly be stopped or suspended. Biodiversity, especially in an urban environment, where humans are omnipresent helps to measure the rate at which this Extinction is occurring/will occur. A drop in the number of a species could indicate, for instance, that humans have taken their toll on them.
For this project, I took data regarding the types of life around the streets and parks of the big Apple. I used no rulers nor pipettes, instead, I counted upon tools that were mostly digital, including the HTC Aria, a Macbook, and several apps and programs to the job. Before commencing the study, I decided that it was likely that the there would be not much difference in the species richness between my plots and transects, because this was in an urban environment of over 10,000 people where humans were the dominant species.
My first plot was a 50x50 step plot. Located in the middle of Central Park, over a grassy meadow near the Central Park Oval. The plot, being very large required the use of randomization to analyze. Within it were several trees, many insects, a large mass of grass. We conducted the analyzation by using the website Random.org to produce us with a set of random numbers on our phones. We used those numbers to find the numbers of steps that we should take in order to find random spots throughout our plot. Whenever we can to a stop, we produced a circle on area that we were studying with a piece of string. Then a thorough examination of the area was conducted, sifting through soil, canvassing the trunks of the trees, brushing through the grass. Pictures were taken every section that we can past. In plot one, we came across the two large clusters of mushrooms at the base of a tree, we strongly suspected that although there were well over a hundred caps, the clusters were connected below the ground and were one large colony. Later, the idea of them being honey mushroom fungi emerged. On other trees we also observed many tiny mushrooms that involved deep squinting to fully observe. At some points, there was nothing but grass and weeds, in those spots, the we sifted to uncover organisms, though we came upon none.
The second was a transect that was shared by thousands of New Yorkers and tourists, the very sidewalks of the city. Once again, we called upon the numbers of Random.org, using the numbers generated to figure out the number of steps between each stop where we would take data. At many points, we came to a stop on solid asphalt, and could find organisms visible to the naked eye. The shoes and people wearing them had caused many of the other organisms to leave or get killed. At other stops, we came to a spot where a tree was planted in the asphalt and there we were able to find more organisms. There were trees, and in addition to that there were also various plants growing in the patches of soil that surrounded the tree. Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) and pansies, (V. tricolor). We also came upon some bright green plants that we suspected were potato vines. At some parts, we stumbled upon planters that were set up by residents and/or store owners. These were not that many in number, and were planted by the dominant species. Here, the dominant species were responsible for controlling the species that were allowed to exist in this area. This went on for several blocks.
These two places were studied on the same day. The temperature fluctuated slightly over the course of the day, from 21-24ºC. However, the arithmetic mean and media were both 22 degrees. The variance was about 0.41 and the standard deviation, σ, roughly 0.64. Please refer to Figure for reference. Our sampling efforts in collecting any data was rather high, as we divided the plots in a large number of randomized sections. After collecting data, we returned and spent time analyzing it. We counted on Google Docs to provide us with fusion tables, spreadsheets, and documents to allow us to make calculations and have them posted. With this, we relied upon spreadsheets mainly to make calculations, such as for finding the Simpson’s Diversity Index and the Shannon-Weaver Diversity Index. The fusion tables provided us with the data we collected, while the documents allowed us to make drafts of our blog posts etc.
It was noted that in at least a couple randomized spots of our plots that the dominant species of humans maintained control of what species were allowed to even exist in New York. The trees had been planted at regular intervals that were regulated by humans. Decorative plants had been picked out for planting. This sort of choosing often either leads to or is the result of invasive species. The potato vine, for example, is native to South America, though it grows in the city of New York among the more indigenous plants. The pansy is another example. Other species were also encouraged or discouraged. There were many people, especially children, chasing after squirrels and feeding pigeons. Even as an act of recreation, the biodiversity was affected by the whims of even the youngest of the dominant species. With this sort of behavior, biodiversity is constantly controlled by humans. For further information, please follow the link to the article Human Domination of Earths Ecosystems, at http://bit.ly/pWE7ht.
The plots had different values for species richness. The plot in Central Park registered eight different divisions on the taxonomic classification. The transect in New York, however, had only five. This demonstrates the way humans are in control of the biodiversity within an urban center such as New York. Central Park is considered one of the most natural places in the city, where one can be surrounded by a more pristine environment on the pristine-urban gradient. Thus, many more of our natural species exist, giving us a wide range of organisms. In sidewalk environment, where the ground is paved and plants are picked, pruned, and weeded by humans, only those picked for their beauty and aesthetic purposes are allowed to grow. Therefore, the organisms are limited to a handful of taxonomic divisions, in contrast with the larger number found in Central Park. The New York City and State governments should put greater emphasis on the biodiversity in New York. We live in a place where urban biodiversity is key to our success and survival as humans, and the government should place greater emphasis on the conduction of studies that track urban biodiversity in this way.
For this project, I took data regarding the types of life around the streets and parks of the big Apple. I used no rulers nor pipettes, instead, I counted upon tools that were mostly digital, including the HTC Aria, a Macbook, and several apps and programs to the job. Before commencing the study, I decided that it was likely that the there would be not much difference in the species richness between my plots and transects, because this was in an urban environment of over 10,000 people where humans were the dominant species.
My first plot was a 50x50 step plot. Located in the middle of Central Park, over a grassy meadow near the Central Park Oval. The plot, being very large required the use of randomization to analyze. Within it were several trees, many insects, a large mass of grass. We conducted the analyzation by using the website Random.org to produce us with a set of random numbers on our phones. We used those numbers to find the numbers of steps that we should take in order to find random spots throughout our plot. Whenever we can to a stop, we produced a circle on area that we were studying with a piece of string. Then a thorough examination of the area was conducted, sifting through soil, canvassing the trunks of the trees, brushing through the grass. Pictures were taken every section that we can past. In plot one, we came across the two large clusters of mushrooms at the base of a tree, we strongly suspected that although there were well over a hundred caps, the clusters were connected below the ground and were one large colony. Later, the idea of them being honey mushroom fungi emerged. On other trees we also observed many tiny mushrooms that involved deep squinting to fully observe. At some points, there was nothing but grass and weeds, in those spots, the we sifted to uncover organisms, though we came upon none.
The second was a transect that was shared by thousands of New Yorkers and tourists, the very sidewalks of the city. Once again, we called upon the numbers of Random.org, using the numbers generated to figure out the number of steps between each stop where we would take data. At many points, we came to a stop on solid asphalt, and could find organisms visible to the naked eye. The shoes and people wearing them had caused many of the other organisms to leave or get killed. At other stops, we came to a spot where a tree was planted in the asphalt and there we were able to find more organisms. There were trees, and in addition to that there were also various plants growing in the patches of soil that surrounded the tree. Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) and pansies, (V. tricolor). We also came upon some bright green plants that we suspected were potato vines. At some parts, we stumbled upon planters that were set up by residents and/or store owners. These were not that many in number, and were planted by the dominant species. Here, the dominant species were responsible for controlling the species that were allowed to exist in this area. This went on for several blocks.
These two places were studied on the same day. The temperature fluctuated slightly over the course of the day, from 21-24ºC. However, the arithmetic mean and media were both 22 degrees. The variance was about 0.41 and the standard deviation, σ, roughly 0.64. Please refer to Figure for reference. Our sampling efforts in collecting any data was rather high, as we divided the plots in a large number of randomized sections. After collecting data, we returned and spent time analyzing it. We counted on Google Docs to provide us with fusion tables, spreadsheets, and documents to allow us to make calculations and have them posted. With this, we relied upon spreadsheets mainly to make calculations, such as for finding the Simpson’s Diversity Index and the Shannon-Weaver Diversity Index. The fusion tables provided us with the data we collected, while the documents allowed us to make drafts of our blog posts etc.
It was noted that in at least a couple randomized spots of our plots that the dominant species of humans maintained control of what species were allowed to even exist in New York. The trees had been planted at regular intervals that were regulated by humans. Decorative plants had been picked out for planting. This sort of choosing often either leads to or is the result of invasive species. The potato vine, for example, is native to South America, though it grows in the city of New York among the more indigenous plants. The pansy is another example. Other species were also encouraged or discouraged. There were many people, especially children, chasing after squirrels and feeding pigeons. Even as an act of recreation, the biodiversity was affected by the whims of even the youngest of the dominant species. With this sort of behavior, biodiversity is constantly controlled by humans. For further information, please follow the link to the article Human Domination of Earths Ecosystems, at http://bit.ly/pWE7ht.
The plots had different values for species richness. The plot in Central Park registered eight different divisions on the taxonomic classification. The transect in New York, however, had only five. This demonstrates the way humans are in control of the biodiversity within an urban center such as New York. Central Park is considered one of the most natural places in the city, where one can be surrounded by a more pristine environment on the pristine-urban gradient. Thus, many more of our natural species exist, giving us a wide range of organisms. In sidewalk environment, where the ground is paved and plants are picked, pruned, and weeded by humans, only those picked for their beauty and aesthetic purposes are allowed to grow. Therefore, the organisms are limited to a handful of taxonomic divisions, in contrast with the larger number found in Central Park. The New York City and State governments should put greater emphasis on the biodiversity in New York. We live in a place where urban biodiversity is key to our success and survival as humans, and the government should place greater emphasis on the conduction of studies that track urban biodiversity in this way.
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