Guess Who? You're hanging out on an island, perhaps getting some sun, and BAM! theres a giant turtle walking out of the water, but you notice theres another one behind it, but it looks completely different. Then, you start to notice that this island is swarming with turtles of all different sizes and shapes and colors. You are Charles friggin Darwin and you just discovered the painstaking process of Evolution! Okay, so maybe the scenario didn't pan out exactly like that. But he really was on an island (intentionally) and he really did discover all those turtles (and tortoises) and through years of study and research, he came up with his theory of Evolution.

Starting in 1831, Darwin started traveling to start his research; this included rounding Cape Horn. In 1835, he eventually landed on the Galapagos Islands and ended up staying for two months. The only things Darwin knew about these islands was that (1) it had a very minute human population and (2) the animals that he saw were not the same as the animals he saw in South Africa. As he began his research, he took notice that the tortoises on one island were not the same as the tortoises on a different island. He knew that the animals came from South Africa over a thousand years ago, but he wanted to know why and how. Thus, beginning his marvelous research of Evolution and Natural Selection.

References:

http://www.zephyrus.co.uk/charlesdarwin.html

Picture:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/800/galapagos-tortoise.jpg

Biotechnology. Genetic Engineering. Recombinant DNA Technology. These phrases all mean the same thing: Genetic Modification. And GM foods are more common than you think. What it means to be GM is that the genetic makeup of the food was directly altered through genetic engineering. More specifically, the rDNA of the food is altered. When you walk through a grocery, you can try to buy something that is not GM, but it may be a little hard. GM does not flat out have a warning that says "CAUTION: THIS FOOD IS GENETICALLY MODIFIED". You have to know what to look for and read the ingredients. Here is an example of what you might see:











If your food product contains any of the following, then make sure to double check whether the ingredients label includes a note that says if it was genetically modified.

• Corn
• Canoloa (edible oil mainly used for cooking)
  
• Flax (a plant used for clothing, seeds and such)
• Soybeans
• Squash
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
  

So I put myself to the test. When my roommate and I went grocery shopping at Publix, I bought the food I normally would, except this time I wanted to buy everything free of genetic modification. My conclusion? It was pretty hard. I had to buy a specific type of milk made by Silk. The chips I had to buy . Cheese wasn't really a problem, but anything with soybeans, which is a lot of food, I had to surpass. Corn was an option, it was just really hard to find a can of all natural corn.


Resources:
http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Foo-Hea/Genetically-Modified-Foods.html
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~umwaldn6/PLNT4600/mini3/GM%20label.jpg (picture)

Endangered Species: a species at risk of extinction because of human activity, changes in climate, changes in predator-prey ratios, etc., esp. when officially designated as such by a governmental agency such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Florida Keys are home to some of the worlds most beautiful and diverse habitats. Over the years, the Keys have seen many changes, some of them natural, but most of them man-made. Hurricanes have taken their toll throughout the past century, and have slowly withered away the Keys every season. Global warming is responsible for the declining loss of one the worlds last living Coral Reefs, which, in return, loses the capability to provide a home to many diverse underwater species. This alone has put a devastatingly decrease in tourist attraction. Big name corporations are coming in and clearing out the mangroves on newly bought land, which has never seen a human footprint because it was bought out of sanctuary protection, to provide unwanted condominiums, housing, and timeshare resorts. Because of habitat destruction and economic expansion, diverse species are earning an unwanted spot on the Endangered Species list.

Schaus Swallowtail Butterfly

With an average of 200 adult butterflies, this butterfly has been on the Endangered Species list since August 31, 1984. This butterfly lives strictly in subtropical forests, and can be found between Key Biscayne Park to Upper Matecumbe Key of the Florida Keys.
http://www.butterflyrecovery.org/species_profiles/schaus_swallowtail/

Key Deer

The Key Deer is no indigenous to the Keys, but they have become a well-known and popular trademark. It is believed that they migrated down to the Keys during the Wisconsin Glaciation. They are very human friendly, but it is illegal to come into contact with them. The Key Deer can mostly be found on Big Pine Key and No Name Key, al though they have been spotted as far south as Summerland Key. They look just like their cousins, the White Tale deer, except a bit smaller. Many different theories have developed as to why they are so small. A local favorite is because they eat the leaves of the mangroves, their growth has stunted through evolution because of all of the salt on the leaves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Deer

Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit

Picture courtesy of the Florida Department of State

The Marsh Rabbit is one of the three Marsh Rabbit species. This rabbit is found anywhere between Big Pine Key and Key West. They are marked with dark brown fur, and a white belly. Commonly, the Marsh Rabbit grows to an average of 350 mm.
http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/images/pdflibrary/lkmr.pdf

Key Largo Woodrat

www.favorfloridakeys.com/WoodratSmall.jpg

By its name, you can probably guess where this species resides: Key Largo of the Florida Keys. It feeds mostly on fruit and leaves, and are known for the houses that they build out of sticks. They average about 200mm in length.

http://www.fws.gov/southeast/vbpdfs/species/mammals/klwr.pdf

Key Largo Cotton Mouse

Photo courtesy of the FWS.gov website

This mouse is the most common animal in south Florida. Now, they can be found in the Northernmost part of Key Largo. With a red coat of fur, they can grow up to almost 200mm.

http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/images/pdflibrary/klcm.pdf

Green Sea Turtles

There are seven species of sea turtles, and they can be found in all of the world's oceans, except for the Arctic Ocean. The Green Sea Turtle is known specific to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Because of their beautiful shell, they are a prime target to be illegally caught by poachers. The Florida Keys serve as a main feeding and nesting ground.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Sea_Turtle

American Crocodile

Ranging from 150 to 450 pounds, this massive animal can grow anywhere from 7 to 14 feet long. In the lower keys, it is common, sadly, to see an American Crocodile as roadkill. Eventhough they are a harshly protected species in the Florida keys, they are illegally poached for their skin, teeth, and tails. Alligator meat is highly prized.

http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/crocodile.php

Main Source:

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/FISH/SouthFlorida/coral/endangeredkeys.html

Karma isn't the only thing! The Carbon Cycle is the cycle by which carbon is exchanged, transferred, and used among Earth's different spheres. Here is an extremely simplified explanation:

Animals absorb carbon dioxide through the plants that they eat. The carbon is then released through decaying plants and animals into the soil, which is when the decomposers break down the remaining matter all while releasing carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. Also, plants and trees release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as a product of respiration, as so do humans. Plants then use the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to perform photosynthesis. Like I said, extremely simplified.

Unfortunately, carbon dioxide is a Greenhouse gas. "Atmospheric CO2 is currently increased by .5 percent every year, and the increase is expected to continue." Global warming is caused when the amount of energy escaping the atmosphere is less than the amount of energy that is being reached by the earth from the sun.

There are so any ways that you can decrease your carbon footprint. Dont know what your footprint is? Check out this websites:
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx
http://green.msn.com/tools/calculator.aspx


Reference:

Barry W. Barker (2003). Environmental Studies: Concepts, Connections, and Controversies. 2nd ed. Iowa, United States: Kendall/Hunt. 37-38.

Picture: http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/earth_system/carbon_cycle_NASA.jpg

Greenpeace v. NRDC v. Wild Spots

Greenpeace.org

Greenpeace is a completely non-profit organization that works solely on donations. Greenpeace was established in 1971 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, but their first act was to stop the United States from testing nuclear weapons off the coast of Alaska. By putting themselves, literally, between the Coast Guard and Alaska, they successfully showed how powerful and influential they could be by using non-violent methods of protest. This was only the tip of the iceberg. Greenpeace is now global, and recognized in more than 40 countries. Some of the current issues they face as a team are global warming, preserving the oceans, and saving ancient forests.

NRDC.org


The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is also a non-profit organization, and is ranked among America's top 100 charities. Its foundation in 1970 was the "forefront of the environmental movement." Made of more than 300 scientists, lawyers, and environmental experts, the NRDC takes action by lobbying Congress about protecting our natural environment. The NRDC uses its lawyers, scientists, and global support system to help protect the earth from global warming, saving the wildlife, and finding new ways to harness energy.












Wildspotsfoundation.org

Wildspots Foundation focuses mainly on protecting the value of biodiversity, and saves the habitats of endangered species all around the world. The Foundation uses various forms of artwork to do so, as well as activism, travel and education. One of their current projects includes the Wolong Panda Project, which focuses on the repopulation of the Giant Panda. Dr. Barry Barker, who so happens to be from Nova Southeastern University, is in cooperation with the Wolong Panda Project and offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to China and work with the pandas.


Three absolutely wonderful non-profit organizations that are bent on saving the world, one protest, presentation, and picture at a time. So which one should I join? I choose Wildspots Foundation. Okay, maybe there is a little bias because pandas are one of my favorite animals and working with them is a personal dream of mine. Bias aside, Wildspots has a very strong and straight forward mission statement. They have one simple mission: to preserve biodiversity around the world by protecting the habitats of endangered species. And they actually do what they say they are going to do, and they do it with a vengence.