By: David Schaper
Link:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92309879
Summary:
This article explains about how the water in the great lakes is getting clearer. This isn't really better. This means the zebra mussels are taking all the food which is why the lakes are getting clearer. Now there is a new invasive mussel that is over shadowing the zebra clams. Fishermen are having a problem with this because all the fish they find are small and there is so much less fish around. Another invasive species was also found. It's a disease called viral hemorrhagic septicemia. It kills the fish in the lake which makes finding fish even harder. These people are going to try to get congress to pass laws o invasive species.
Opinion:
I was really suprised about how the bad the great lakes fish can get because of these species that take over the food chain. I feel like that the old species should be able to adapt to these new conditions. I also didn't know that a disease could be an invasive species. I never considered that a disease could count as a species.
Thoughtful Questions:
1. How could the fish in the lakes be saved?
2. What could've brought these invasive species in?
3. How could we stop invasive species from invading?
4. Why would Fishermen have a problem with invasive species in the lake?
Opinion/Reflection
ReplyDeleteWe, or at least I, just learned about the zebra mussels in class today, so this is perfectly timed. I was also surprised that not only one but TWO mussel species were invasive and hogging the food chain. The best thing to hope for for me, in this scenario, is that both species compete so much that they both die out. I was not surprised that diseases could be invasive, but the is argument to whether "viral", which in biology means caused by a virus (however in other forms, such as electronic media, it may mean spread like a virus), diseases are species, as the fact over whether viruses are dead or alive is disputed. If it were, in fact, caused by fungi, protozoans, bacteria, or even animal parasites, a better term to use would be "virulent"
Answer to question 4:
The fisherman have a problem with the lake having invasive species because, as ironic as it may be coming from an industry that by its nature disturbs ecological balance, depend on a stable ecosystem to produce a consistent stream of healthy fish to turn in a profit.
Opinion/ Reflection:
ReplyDeleteI find it kind of sad that we have allowed our ecosystems to get to the point where not one, but two invasive visible species to invade. I can accept a new virus coming since you can't really see when microscopic things are introduced into your environment. But the fact that we do not regulate our waters and transportation enough to prevent a few clams is a little inexcusible. Unfortunately now that they are there we have to find a solution, probably involving the mass killing of a species by chemical or another invasive species.
Response to a Question:
3. How could we stop invasive species from invading?
We could closely regulate our imports and exports for hidden species. We could also restrict the shipping of live invasive species. With the amount of incoming and outgoing transportation, this all will be hard, but could be better than doing nothing.
Opinion:
ReplyDeleteI find it really sad that the ecosystem in the lake has gone down so drastically. It's a beautiful thing when an ecosystem is really big and the number of beautiful fish is big. When I hear stories like this it makes me think of all the people who find enjoy fishing. Not only are all the fish gone, but all the bonding times that people can have are gone as well.
Response to a Question:
3. How could we stop invasive species from invading?
This is the most important thing we can do to stop these species from becoming so threatening is to stop them stop them from invading in the first place. We need to make sure no one takes any species from one ecosystem to the next. A lot of people do this without even realizing.
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised that two invasive species had made their way into the lakes. Considering the lakes have such a huge impact on surrounding areas through hydroelectricity, fishing, and other recreational activities, for its ecosystem to be suddenly altered or eve corrupted could greatly influence these areas. Also, the Great Lakes ecosystem is the world's largest body of fresh water. If it could so easily become disease ridden, what will the future of smaller, more easily invaded ecosystems survive? Hopefully,either through Congress or otherwise, we will be able to better prevent invasive species from disrupting important ecosystems.
Response to Question:
3. We can avoid invasive species by being more aware of the movement of certain species, either by migration or humans. If we can avoid moving species from their natural habitats to a habitat not adapted to having that species there, than we can avoid disrupting normally functioning ecosystems.