The number of planet Earths that would be required if everyone on Earth lived my lifestyle is 4.4, which is just under the national average of 5 planet Earths.
Maximizing transportation seemed to have the largest impact on my ecological footprint, raising the number of planets Earths form 4.4 to 8.9. Transportation would also be easy for me to cut down on as a New Yorker if I use the subway/bus more often. I’ve also noticed that maximizing electricity usage and shelter space had a large impact on the footprint. I could reduce the amount of packaged and processed foods I eat. This may be difficult with my busy lifestyle, but it
Society as a whole can cut down on consumption of fossil fuels by using public transportation rather than driving everywhere. It would also be beneficial to cut down on plastic consumption and recycle instead, which is capable of harming other organisms in our ecosystem through pollution.
Invasive species are an issue in New York City because of the potential threats that they offer to native species, such as habitat loss and niche occupation. In order to preserve the ecology of New York City, it may be necessary to take measures that favor the control of foreign species such that the native species are not forced to compete. We wanted to see how Bioblitz, an event geared towards increasing the Macaulay student body’s understanding of biodiversity, played a role in their perception of invasive species as threats. Thanks to all who participated in our survey!
I chose to observe spectators viewing the ‘Lives in the Balance: Endangered Species’ and ‘The Dzanga-Sangha Rainforest’ exhibits for this assignment. The first exhibit, ‘Lives in the Balance: Endangered Species’, consists of a large glass box with several true-to-size replicas of several endangered animals, such as the Giant Panda and Dugong. The rainforest diorama is a recreation of part of the actual rainforest in the Central African Republic, complete with dozens of animals both hidden and visible within the plants and terrain.
During the 15 minutes that I observed the Endangered Species case, 49 visitors had viewed the exhibit, the majority of which were elementary school students. This exhibit was shared the center of the Hall of Biodiversity with the rainforest, making it an easily accessible location that individuals can quickly glance at while they browse the place. Most of those who viewed the case were interested in the larger animals in the display, particularly the Siberian Tiger. This tiger captured the attention of both adults and children with its massive body weight and intimidating stance. Many people crouched down to view its open jaw. Visitors were amazed at how lifelike the replica was, with several children asking “if it’s real”. Tigers are animals that many of us become very familiar with from an early age, which could be one of the reasons why it attracted more attention than the dugong and dodo bird. I’ve witness three of the teachers who passed by with their classes teach their students about endangered species, explaining to them that despite the tiger’s impressive body, it is still threatened due to factors like habitat loss and hunting.
I tallied 56 visitors while observing the rainforest diorama for 15 minutes. Once again, there were visitors of all ages visiting with their classes or with friends and family. Many children stretched over the metal railing to try and locate as many animals as possible. They were able to notice birds and other reptiles that I hadn’t been able to spot, despite having visited this replica a number of times throughout the past few years. As with the Endangered Species case, teachers who came through here with their classes taught their students about the display–they explained the features of the rainforest and how a large variety of animals can reside in them, making them valuable ecosystems. The information plaques were a bit difficult to read in the dark, but 20 of the individuals who passed by stopped to read them.
I believe both of these exhibits are great educational tools. The endangered species exhibit that showcases a few of the many endangered species on Earth is exciting to look at, especially because it contains terrestrial, marine, and arboreal animals from different parts of the world. The rainforest exhibit is a unique display in how it depicts the biodiversity of a region that is threatened by human interference. By replicating the density of the forest and richness of species, people can take simply take a walk through this pathway and momentarily feel as though they are visiting the Dzanga Sangha rainforest.
Extremely high and low temperatures have been plaguing people globally in recent times. The seemingly-endless winter in Northeastern US and the unbearable summer in Australia last year were enough to raise concern among the public about the climate reacting negatively to what most likely would be human activity. Events like the Climate March that took place a few weeks ago were examples of people spreading awareness and demanding action with hopes to work towards a solution to this problem.
Gillis discusses the statements that researchers have made regarding the link between human activity and climate change in “Scientists Trace Extreme Heat in Australia to Climate Change” in the New York Times. He describes how five groups of researchers studied retrospective data showing temperature changes between 2013 and 2014 and created computer models that show what the climate would have been like without human emissions. They have found that the human emissions throughout the years have caused accumulative changes in the atmosphere that made the heat waves more severe this year than they could have been. Climate scientist David Karoly from the University of Melbourne said that climate change is the definitive answer to the drastic rises in temperature. Although computer models are not always able to provide calculations and analyses that are accurate, Gillis mentions that similar results were widespread among different groups of scientists, which is why they were able to come to this conclusion.
In contrast, Gillis also explains how scientists were unable to make conclusions about the relationship between green house emissions and occurrences like droughts in California. While one group had found evidence supporting the negative effect of human activity of climate change in California, two groups were not able to make connections. Nevertheless, they were all able to agree on the fact that global warming can contribute to droughts by creating hotter climates in which waterfall evaporates. Dr. Myles B. Allen from Oxford University believes that scientists should not be quick to blame harsh climate changes on human activity, especially because there is not enough data to support this conclusion fully.
As Australia and several parts of Europe and Asia continue to experience extremely warm summers, the public is pushing researchers to work towards finding analyses that offer explanations. Climate change is also becoming a key issue in political debates as politicians either support action that regulates emissions or turn a blind eye to them. Gillis’ article is good in that it is inclusive of contrasting conclusions and the studies that that support them, making it informative in that they educate readers on different sides of the issue of global warming.
I enjoy being outdoors. I like being surrounded by trees of all sizes and shades of green. One of the most stimulating experiences of my life was definitely smelling real pine for the first time while hiking in Montreal. Although our time at Bioblitz was brief, we learned a great deal about plant observation methods.
Our exploration took place in the Thain Family Forest. The ‘Plant’ group was fairly large, so we split into smaller groups to survey the place. My group decided on focusing on trees as there were many different species to look at and we enjoyed looking through the tree guides to identify them.
While a few of the trees we found were very familiar to us, such as the Norwegian Maples and the Red Oaks, others were like nothing we had seen before. Sassafras trees have leaves with three lobes that are very fragrant when crushed. These trees are especially important in the production of root beer, and its parts were often used as antiseptic treatments by Native American tribes.
The leaves of the Tuliptree were the most interesting to look at; they resemble tulips!
Tuliptree leaves
While some trees towered over us like skyscrapers, others where low and had different conformations. The American Hornbeam tree shown below, for example, grows in a “crown formation”, which means that it spreads radially from its trunk.
American Hornbeam
Plants seem to only contribute to the ambience around us, but they can be as complex as we are. Scientists specializing in this field have extensive knowledge about all kinds of traits of plants: what they look like, how they’re useful to humans, and how they interact with other organisms in their environment. I was honestly amazed at the number of idiosyncratic facts our scientist shared with us during our shift. Considering that he worked at the New York Botanical Gardens as a graduate student, he was very familiar with the environment. He showed us one type of plant was capable of stinging, and another that is used in birch beer and tastes like wintergreen when chewed. I honestly never thought I would pick a leaf off a tree and start chewing on its stem but he convinced me to do so.
I’m happy that I finally got the chance to visit the New York Botanical Gardens. It’s amazing how much variety there is in the environment of NYC due to green spaces like parks and gardens. I’ve heard of Central Park being referred to as the “lungs of Manhattan”, and I’ve always liked that comparison because the dramatic change in scenery is refreshing for us and beneficial for other organisms that can now thrive in an environment that may otherwise be unsuitable. I appreciate getting the chance to finally smell Sassafras without having to leave the city; it’s not the kind of tree you’d see in Flatbush.
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