The cane toad, exotically known as Rhinella marina, is a large, non-native amphibian introduced into Australia in 1935. Native to South and Central America, Giant toads are viewed as invasive species in Florida and Australia. They are poisonous to animals that try to devour them. Not every non-native species introduced in a new region is invasive. They are labeled as invasive only when they compete with native flora and fauna for resources and alter or damage the ecosystem. Cane toads are invasive as they outnumber the native fauna with their breeding and insatiable appetite.
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Ocean acidification is frequently interpreted as the evil twin of climate change. For about three centuries, there has been an unnatural spike in carbon dioxide concentrations in our oceans. There’s more of it in the atmosphere than there was in the last 20 million years. This comes from human-based sources mostly. Fossil fuel refineries, fossil-based power plants, industries, land-use changes, and transportation are the main outlets of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide gas. These unbridled carbon dioxide emissions are responsible for ocean acidification.
Oceans cover two-thirds of the earth's surface and absorb about one-quarter of the carbon dioxide. Oceans help sustain life on earth. They are the home to oxygen-generating phytoplankton, kelp, and algae. They also provide nutrients and maintain food webs as well as support the fish and tourism industry, absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide, and regulate the climate. The emblem of the Tasmanian state, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), is the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world. It is found on the island of Tasmania, Australia. Fossil evidence suggests that it once occupied the entire Australian mainland some 3,000 years ago. “Devil” was attributed to these animals for their appearance and otherworldly/unearthly screeches at night. These sounds are reflective of fear rather than aggression, however. About the size of the dog, these red-eared devilish creatures can devour medium to large-sized mammals as well as invertebrates with their wide jaws and sharp teeth. However, they serve their ecological role more like scavengers than predators. They feed on carcasses. The nocturnal animal lives in solitary, changing dens every third day of the week, and can travel about 6 miles at night. The fact that human-induced emissions have largely contributed to climate change, is overwhelmingly endorsed by researchers and scientists. This has led countries to introduce and implement stringent environmental regulations and taxes. The ever-present emissions of greenhouse gases are expanding planetary temperature graphs, thawing glaciers and permafrost, changing atmospheric circulations and precipitation patterns, increasing sea-levels, washing out coral reefs, and affecting flora and fauna biodiversity in terrestrial as well as aquatic ecosystems. These changes in environmental processes are responsible for the collateral damage of the infrastructure, the agricultural productivity, and the economy. However, these socio-economic costs are not considered in the prices for energy commodities. Thus, legislations like the carbon dividend act are the blueprint to mitigate the looming climate crisis. Carbon pricing provides strong market incentives for emission reductions and alternative energy resources. Mining sites have considerably increased in number worldwide with the high demand for valuable minerals and geological materials. The non-renewable products are mined on large-scale that cannot be fabricated artificially. These naturally exhaustible resources are now an everyday commodity. We interact with minerals, including the calcite from our toothpaste, phosphate in fertilizer, gold and diamonds in our jewels, copper in wires, and plastics from fossil fuels. The mine project, Pebble Mine, is aimed at the extraction of precious metals like gold and toxic metals like copper. Copper is of real concern, since it is widely used in wiring, electric appliances, medical instruments, solar panels, wind turbines, and various other infrastructure developments. However, it is not the only mineral that is extracted in the United States. Columbia is worth seeing for its golden, palm-fringed beaches, lofty, snow-covered mountains, dense tropical rainforests, and scenic lakes. However, wild hippos are now a sight for sore eyes in the Magdalena River of Columbia, thanks to notorious camel Pablo Escobar. From Burmese Python in Florida to wild boars in Texas, European Starlings of the U.S to wild hippos of Colombia; invasive species have made whole ecosystems go haywire. “An invasive species is a non-native organism that causes ecological or socio-economic damage in a new environment”. These species muscle out native flora and fauna, competing for resources and territories and thus reducing biodiversity and altering habitats. Of the invasive species introduced by humans, Columbian hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius) date back to their exporter, cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar. Native to Sub-Saharan Africa, these third-largest land mammals are not only relocating native Colombian animals but also altering the water channels and water quality. Where the world is witnessing the record lows of Arctic Minimum Ice Extent, Global Methane Emissions strike the record high! Global atmospheric concentrations of various greenhouse gases, i.e., carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and other halogenated greenhouse gases, have constantly amplified over the past few hundred years. Each of these gases hangs around in the atmosphere long enough to ensure uniform mixing. It means that the amount of the gas measured in the atmosphere is roughly the same all over the world, regardless of the source of the emissions. Axolotls could help in regeneration! You might be reading this headline for the first time, but it is true. When it comes to regeneration, Urodele Amphibian, better known as Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) are the champions. They don’t form scars on wounds, instead they regrow their lost parts. Scientists are hopeful for human limb regeneration based on this knowledge. Like their striking regeneration ability, they possess distinguished larval features as well. These include a flat body, dorsal fins, three pairs of protruding feathery gills, and a slight grin. They can grow up to one foot. These long-living Mexican salamanders live up to 15 years. Unlike other salamanders that metamorphose into terrestrial amphibians, the fleshy-pink Axolotls defy the biological laws of metamorphosis. They hold onto their juvenile features throughout their adulthood, so they are known as neonates. When was the first time you heard the phrase; The Arctic Is Melting? I have grown up through adulthood listening to and reading this expression. Like some climate skeptics, I also wonder, “Has it not already melted?” It was prophesied that the ice of the Arctic Ocean would disappear by 2035. But now scientists are proposing a new end mark: 2050. However, it has already lost two-thirds of its ice sheet. The icy Arctic is a climate-sensitive, fragile ecosystem. It is characterized by its ice and snow-covered land, peaks, and native wildlife including polar bears, reindeer, walruses, arctic cod, and seals. Currently, the polar natives are left with only small chunks of ice. In a few decades, the Arctic, and all its native life, will vanish. |