Science Rocks
AP Environmental Science
Category: Educational
Removing barriers and opening up opportunities
To drown a river beneath its own impounded water, by damming, is to kill what it was and to settle for something else. When the damming happens without good reason . . . then it’s a tragedy of diminishment for the whole planet, a…
Ignorance is our enemy
Why do we spend time and money to protect species? The bog turtle which is North American’s smallest turtle cannot be so important that we must try to protect it from extinction. This turtle is only about 4 inches long as an adult. How…
What is coevolution?
Coevolution is a reciprocal change in the genetic composition of one species in response to a genetic change in another. Coevolution is likely to happen when different species have close ecological interactions with one another. These relationships include predator/prey, parasite/host, competition, and mutualistic species….
How do plants know how to evolve?
Evolution is not planned. An organism does not evolve because of a want or a need. Evolution is not organisms adapting to their environment. Evolution is gradual and is looked at through generations, not individuals, and within populations of the same species. The evolution…
How do we protect biodiversity?
“Biodiversity as a whole forms a shield protecting each of the species that together compose it, ourselves included.” — E.O. Wilson, “Half-Earth” Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth at all its levels from genes to ecosystems. Biodiversity is important because it provides…
How does agriculture affect the hydrologic and nitrogen cycles?
While on a recent drive through the southeastern part of Georgia I passed by several cotton fields. I was reminded of the class discussion about how human activities influence the biogeochemical cycles. An earlier blog posting shared the importance of our biogeochemical cycles. It…
What does the ITCZ have in common with our hurricane season?
It is hurricane season. The official hurricane season for the northern hemisphere is the beginning of June to the end of November. This morning Tropical Storm Michael in the Gulf of Mexico was promoted to the status of hurricane. As I sit here at…
