Florida IT Trip Project by Amiri Scrutchin https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j Cool Stuff Good Stuff en-us 2017-01-09 17:15:43 UTC 2023-03-09 11:42:01 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Ninja.png Article: Perils of Climate Change Could Swamp Coastal Real Estate ascrutchin2019 https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146055106 IAN URBINA

Climate change is a real problem surfacing the globe today. While debated by the public, the effects of climate change can clearly be seen everywhere-- especially Florida. The water-level is continuously rising in Florida, and while this damages real estate and puts buyers on the coast in peril, it also affects Florida's environment. The Everglades will soon suffer the same effect of climate change if the problem is not averted. As the sea-level rises, salt water will flow into the Everglades, turning the river into a brackish mess. This introduction of salt water can kill off most of the species in the Everglades including one of its most important keystone species: the American Alligator. ]]> 2017-01-09 17:24:41 UTC https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146055106 Food Web: Everglades ascrutchin2019 https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146055268 Saw grass and Periphyton are the producers of the Everglades. They provide all of the energy necessary to support the ecosystem. Red-Eared Sliders, White-Tailed Deer, and Large-Mouthed Bass consume these producers and are labeled as primary consumers. Bass and Sliders also eat insects that eat the producers which would label them as secondary consumers. Great Blue Herons, Raccoons, and other secondary consumers eat these primary consumers. Finally, the Burmese Python, Alligator, and American Crocodile are the top of the food chain, or the tertiary consumers. The Everglades is unique however because the top predators are consumed by lower-class organisms (such as Raccoons, Bass, and Herons) early on in life. Also, the effect of invasive species has impacted this food web greatly. The Burmese Python is an exotic top predator that consumes virtually anything-- even alligators!]]> 2017-01-09 17:25:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146055268 Ecological Foot Print ascrutchin2019 https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146056572 An Ecological footprint is basically your impact on the world. This considers everything you consume and how the resources you use affects the environment. Water, electricity, transportation, and even food all take part in your ecological footprint. If everyone on Earth lived the way that I do, we would need 5.2 Earths in order to sustain the population and 23.3 global acres. I mostly consume service resources that come with living in the United States. Americans have a large ecological footprint because of the standard of living that is provided in the country. Health, entertainment, restaurants, real estate, government, and the military cause a huge footprint. This footprint negatively affects Florida habitats as the impact we leave is detrimental to the environment. Effects like climate change, urbanization, deforestation, and pollution decimate the wildlife and ecosystems. In order to lower our footprint, we need to consume less resources such as: recycling more, eating less processed food, and commuting less often or with multiple people. ]]> 2017-01-09 17:28:32 UTC https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146056572 Worldview: Ecocentric ascrutchin2019 https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146056688 “To admit wildlife into the human cosmos solely as a commodity in the human interest is to make preservation an absolute impossibility.”
John Livingston | Naturalist

In this day and age, it is our responsibility to take care of the earth. We are the ones killing it. We are the ones who need to change. People are not the focus of the entire universe; contrary to what others may believe, we are at the mercy of nature. In this self-centered society, everyone focuses on what they need or what they want instead of what's the best option for everyone. Yes, we need resources, but we can't drain the earth because then the natural habitat will be decimated by society. It is important that we take care of our home and open it to the other inhabitants. 
]]> 2017-01-09 17:28:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146056688 Invasive Species: Nile Monitors ascrutchin2019 https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146056742 Description: Nile Monitors can be up to 15 pounds and are able to grow over 5 feet long. These semi-aquatic lizards are light-yellow, olive, or brown with light-yellow markings all along the back and stripes around the tail and head. Nile Monitors are active in the daytime and spend nights in burrows. When confronted, Monitors usually flee into water. Their tails are tapered in order to assist them in the water.

Native Range: The Nile Monitor originated in Africa; specifically, they lived around The Nile River delta and could also be found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Arrival in Florida: Nile Monitors were introduced in 1990 probably as a result of the pet trade. People would not be able to keep up with the monitor's needs and release them into the water. Currently, the FWC is locating where the Nile Monitors primarily dwell, but breeding grounds have been found in Lee, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. Other sightings were around Tampa, Cape Coral, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, and the Everglades.

Impact: Nile Monitors eat a various amount of animals including: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and eggs. For this reason, Monitors can affect the environment vastly by eating endangered species and competing with them. Nile Monitors are now not able to be acquired as pets in the state of Florida.]]> 2017-01-09 17:29:01 UTC https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146056742 Endangered Species: Florida Bonneted Bat ascrutchin2019 https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146056805 The Florida Bonneted Bat (Eumops floridanus) is only found in south Florida and is Florida's largest bat species and one of the rarest bat species in the world . The bats range from dark gray to brown gray. The bats grow to a large size and have a tail that extends past its membrane. Its ears join at the base and is named after their structure. Bonneted Bats are Insectivorous which means they eat insects. Florida Bonneted Bats can fly from a flat surface unlike most species, which have to fall from their roots in order to fly. Bonneted bats live in colonial root systems, and before 2014 there were no known, natural, active root systems in the wild because people thought of the Bonneted Bat as a subtaxon of Wagner's Bonneted Bat. Now they are their own species, and not a lot of research has been done on them because they were put on the Endangered Species List in 2013. In short, the Endangered Species Act helps to conserve all habitats and ecosystems necessary to the survival of an endangered or threatened species. This means that the Bonneted Bat is granted protected areas of living, such as in the Everglades. Its major adversaries are pesticides, the loss of root systems, and the effects of climate change, especially the rise of sea-level, so people help most by trying to solve climate related problems. Organizations like The Florida Bat Conservancy help protect native bat populations in Florida, including the Florida Bonneted Bat.]]> 2017-01-09 17:29:12 UTC https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146056805 Law/Legislation: Oil Pollution Act (OPA) ascrutchin2019 https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146843725 The Oil Pollution Act was signed in 1990 by President George Bush. This allowed the Environmental Protection Agency to respond to catastrophic oil spills more effectively. Through tax, EPA is given the funds necessary to clean the spill if the corporation responsible refuses to pay for the treatment. The EPA controls the process and requires specific regulations for tankers and storage facilities. The OPA was created after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. After prior negligence, people started to become concerned about the effect of oil spills to habitats and how the huge corporations would neglect to provide support and wouldn't even take responsibility. Now, companies are forced to help EPA clean the spill or face severe consequences. This Act helps because now people can respond to these spills more quickly and efficiently, so the habitat won't be affected as severely. ]]> 2017-01-12 16:50:17 UTC https://padlet.com/ascrutchin2019/ik0xnpxnbc4j/wish/146843725