Rainbow Trout

The Origin Of The Rainbow Trout;
     The Rainbow Trout is native to the Pacific coast of the United State and eastern parts of Asia. In the picture to the left the map shows where Rainbow Trout can be found naturally, farm raised, and areas where the fish has been introduced to as well. The orange-brown section is where Rainbow trout can be found naturally. The dark pink areas are places where there are some but few Rainbow Trout. The maroon color shows areas where Rainbow Trout are not native but have been introduced to lakes, rivers, and streams. In these maroon areas these fish are seen more often then in the darker pink areas but not as highly seen as in the orange-brown areas. Every area except for the orange-brownish area are stock by humans. They transport these fish to areas of interest to the people. They do this for many reason; recreation, expand and deepen the diversity of the area, and the number reason is sport fishing.

Rainbow Trout and The Local Ecosystem;
   Rainbow Trout have to compete with other fish like brown trout, brook trout, and bass. These fish are not a big threat to the waters, but the are in danger all the time by other animals. Some animals that prey on Rainbow Trout are northern water snakes, minks, kingfishers, herons (bird) and sometimes otters. The only time these fish cause a threat to other fish and smaller animals in theses waters is when they grow to be 12" or more. Rainbow Trout and other brook trout eat bugs. This is the only insect that these fish have a big impact on. They keep and help control the bug population as well.


How They Compete in Their Ecosystem;
     The Rainbow Trout does not have a problem competing with other fish on native plants and other animals. The Rainbow Trout feed off the bottom of lakes and ponds, and usually feeds off the top of streams, rivers, and small inlets. They will feed off of both the top and bottom of shallow areas. They mostly feed off of small flies; mayflies, caddis flies, stoneflies, and their larvae. They also eat small bait fish, worms, and salmon eggs.


Reducing Their Impact;
     There is not being anything done to reduce their impacts on nature because they are not a major threat to the ecosystem. They are also not a threat at all to humans. If anything they would be putting more trout into the ecosystems because they help control they insect population and help to clean the bottoms of the water bodies.




images; Google images
http://www.nps.gov/shen/naturescience/rainbow-trout.htm

http://www.missouriscenicrivers.com/Rainbow.html

Endangered Animals

Animals are becoming endangered more and more every year.  They become endangered by the destruction of habitats and the selling of their body parts on the black market. Also on top of being killed, animals die from disease, pollution, and natural causes. If we don't fix this problem then wildlife as we know it will be gone.

http://www.endangeredspecie.com/

Poaching

 Each year more and more animals are killed and sold on the black market. We need to find a way to stop this from happening. No only is it illegal but it is killing off the animal population. We need to stop this as soon as we can. I believe that if this keeps up then more and more animals are going to become extinct.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhnWN2gJWiw

Are We Poisoning The Sea?

Everyday we poison the sea with toxic waste. We destroy habitats by putting trash, chemicals, oil, and many other things into our seas, lakes, and ponds. When we do this we not only put the wildlife living in these habitats in danger but ourselves as well. These chemicals are not good for us or animals. The toxic chemicals enter our bodies and can cause damage. Humans are affected with a range of symptoms including skin irritation, stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle and joint pain, blisters of the mouth and liver damage. Animals, birds, and fish are all being affected by this as well.

http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_shaw_the_oil_spill_s_toxic_trade_off.html
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/diseases/cyanobacteria/en/

Rise In Sea Levels

The global climate has gone up only by 0.6 degrees Celsius (1 degree Fahrenheit) in the last 130 years and it has affected us greatly. Scientist say that if the global climate change rises to 2.5 degrees Celsius (36.5 degrees Fahrenheit) then we are going to see the major effects of the ice melting at the polar caps. In 1998, 46 million people lived in areas that were in risk of flooding. Scientist say that if the sea level rises by only 50 centimeters the number of people in risk of floods would rise from 46 million to 92 million people. Coastal wetland ecosystems would also be effect greatly since they are generally a few feet from sea level. Important parts to animal ecosystems such as salt marshes and mangroves would be particularly vulnerable to rising sea level. These areas provide habitat for many species, play a key role in nutrient uptake, serve as the basis for many communities’ economic livelihoods, provide recreational opportunities, and protect local areas from flooding. If the sea level were to rise all those roles that wetlands provide wold be gone. The rise in sea levels would also have an affect on weather. This could cause storms to be a lot more destructive then they have ever been. There would be more flooding, bigger and stronger hurricanes, and more northeastern storms.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/index.html

Does climate change impact Ecosystems and Wildlife?

Does climate change effect ecosystems and wildlife in present day, or is the change in ecosystems and wildlife caused from other reasons like over population and the business industries. I believe that the cause for change in our ecosystems and wildlife today is because of climate change. One reason I believe this is true is because tens of thousands of Adelie penguins have died in Antarctic, this is because ice no longer extends far enough into the sea for them to reach their breeding grounds. Another concern are the Polar Bears. Since the ice in the Arctics is melting at a steady pace the Polar Bears can no longer go out on the ice to hunt seals and are falling through the ice and drowning. This is causing them to adapt to the land and to find new food sources. The ecosystems of the certain Tigers that live in the mangrove islands in the Sundarbans of India are in trouble.  They say by the 2020 that a dozen islands will disappear beneath rising seas. All because of a couple degrees of temperature change world wide. Turtles are one of the most effected animals. This is because the temperature of the sand determines the sex of the turtle. If the sand is cool it produces males if the sand is hot it produces females. Climate change is real and is effecting the world we live in today.