...than marvelling at them at a zoo. But there are other people I know who would never go because of all the dangerous creatures in Australia. They really don't know what they miss! However, for most people in the northern hemisphere the Australian wildlife is just something special, despite spiders, snakes and crocodiles. In this section about Australian animals I am going to tell you about the most common and cutest, as well as the most dangerous species of native Australian animals. You also learn why many introduced animals are considered "a pest" in Australia. Scary? I don't think so. I always say to myself (and to the worried people) "Hey, more than 20 million people live down under. It can't be that dangerous!" Why is Australian wildlife so unique? koala on a tree Koala in the Adelaide Hills Climatic and geologic events helped Australia to form its unique fauna. Australia was part of Gondwana, the huge super-continent of the southern hemisphere. About 50 million years ago Australia became an island. Due to this isolation and the lack of predators, Australia's unique fauna developed. Marsupials that originated in Gondwana adapted in Australia, and survived until today. Australia's climate became drier about 15 million years ago, resulting in more uniquely adapted species. Now this is only a very short introduction into the geology of Australia. I really don't want to bother you with a lengthy scientific excursion. If you are interested to read more, you'll...
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...Lantana is a very invasive, poisonous species of plant that spreads very quickly. The scientific name for lantana is Lantana camara. Lantana originated from South America, Central America and Mexico, and was first introduced to Australia in 1841 in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens being brought to Australia as an ornamental plant. It quickly spread and became one of Australia’s worst weeds and a weed of national significance. This is why it is now illegal in all states and territories of Australia to buy or sell any variety of lantana. Although it was introduced for use as a fence for cattle because it could grow up to 5 metres, it failed because if cattle ate it they would die because lantana is poisonous to cows. According to research from the...
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...More than honey The movie takes a good look at bee colonies in the USA, Australia, Switzerland and China. Throughout the movie, its creator Markus Imhoof repeats Einstein’s saying:“When the bee population dies out, humans will die out 4 years later.“ Seems ridiculous and phony, but when you take a moment to think about the fact that one third of our food is pollinated by bees, you start to think differently. One third may be pollinated by bees, but at least another third relies on the pollination of honeybees. Yet the bee colonies are starting to disappear. The movie tries to explain why and how while showing how they are being treated in different environments. The movie describes brilliantly how the bees live: how they work together in their hive from the moment they are born. They remain loyal to their family no matter what and work to create a queen and keep the colony running like clockwork. The movie shows the many reasons that together make the lethal combination for the bees: toxins, transportation and diseases. To say honestly, it is heartbreaking, even for the viewer, to see a beekeeper open a hive and see thousands of little dead bodies on the ground with no particular reason. I guess that is what the movie relies on - the compassion and heart of the viewer. In China, once Mao Zedung told to kill all the sparrow because they eat the seeds on the crops. As a result there were so many insects that they had to start destroying them too. Due to that in some districts...
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...black widows do. The black widow female is instantly recognizable by the red hourglass on the bottom of its belly. To most people scream “DANGER”! Honestly, you are more dangerous to a black widow then they are to you. Most people are wrong. These creatures are largely misunderstood. I want to clear up a couple common misinterpretations. Number 1: Females only rarely eat their mate. Only certain species eat their mates after mating. Even then, only if they aren’t well fed before hand. I’d say there is about a 30% rate of males being eaten. Also, baby spiders may eat each other, but would you rather have cannibalistic babies, or up to 3600 babies per mom? You decide. Just to help you decide- that is a LOT of black widows running around if a couple don’t get weeded out. When they aren’t eating each other, which is most of the time, black widows will eat whatever gets caught in their webs, which includes other spiders, insects and small mammals....
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...Pollution Pollution Table of Contents Introduction 1 Causes and effects 1 Impact of the issue on the world 3 Impact of the issue in the U.A.E 4 Comparison of the issue U.A.E. V.S China 4 Conclusion 5 References 5 Introduction Pollution is the contaminates of the natural environment. There are many types of pollution such as air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, land pollution. It’s an important issue because its more safer and healthier to live in clean environment. Causes and effects Causes and effects of Air Pollution: * Industries * Vehicles and Domestic fuels * High proportion of gases such as: A. Carbon monoxide: produced when carbon do not burn to fossil fuels. Takes away oxygen from the body which leads to headaches, fatigue, and impaired vision. B. Sulfur dioxide: produced when coal and fuel oil are burned. Causes respiratory symptoms and disease, difficulty in breathing which can lead to asthma. C. Nitrogen dioxide: produced when nitric oxide combines with oxygen in the atmosphere. Affects lungs and increases the chance of respiratory infection. D. Ground level ozone: Ozone protects Earth from sun’s harmful UV rays at upper level. While at ground level ozone is harmful toxins formed from car, power, and chemical plant use. In China around 656,000 people die each year because of air pollution. In India, around 527,700 people suffer from air pollution a year. Water Pollution: it can be: ...
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...Systemic Pesticides and the Honeybee Population Beekeepers have been experiencing a large decline in their honeybee populations for the past decade at a startling rate. The disappearance of the honeybees has a much larger impact on daily life in the United States as well as around the world than many would believe, as they are cornerstones in a healthy and prosperous ecosystem. The extremely complex yet small honeybee is responsible for a large majority of the food we consume everyday. While there are multiple theories surrounding the disappearance of the bees, the use of systemic pesticides is leading the way as the culprit. The use of systemic pesticides needs to be banned in the United States due to the negative impact they are having on the honeybee population. As the population of the United States continues to grow exponentially annually, so does the need for an increased food supply. Monocultures have been the answer to this need due to the fact that they allow farmers to mass-produce a single item much cheaper and easier than traditional farming in which multiple crops are grown on a single plot of land. There are many possibilities for the types of plants that can be found in a monoculture but typically wheat, corn, and soy are the main monocultures crops in the United States due to the wide use of these plants in countless products on the grocery store shelves. These monocultures have caused the use of pesticides to reach levels never seen before by the agricultural...
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...Natural Insect Repellents | | | Maintain a healthy lifestyle with ALVEO | Around the world millions of people spend a lot of money on buying insect repellents for domestic use. This is a very important investment for families as insects and various arthropod pests spread dangerous diseases, killing or sickening millions of people each year. In fact, the health of a family may sometimes depend even on the choice of insect repellent being used at home. Insects and other disease spreading pests can threaten the health and lives of families and individuals in a community, many lethal diseases such as Lyme disease, bubonic plague, dengue fever and malaria, for example, are spread by biting or stinging pests. The pests include all insects, example, the mosquito is responsible for spreading malaria, as well as ticks which spread Lyme disease. The citizens of first world countries typically tend to become infected through the bite or sting of insects and bugs while they are abroad. Indeed, travelers to exotic locales are often affected by nasty diseases transmitted by insects or bugs and bring such disease home with them. The greatest dangers lurk closer home and one need not travel across the world to face tiny pests. Many local insects and bugs in North America can cause serious diseases. Therefore, protecting the entire family through the prudent use of good quality insect and bug repellents is a necessity. Insects and bugs as vectors Each year, millions of people die...
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...hit with a rolled-up magazine for sure. This type of cockroach is clean, odorless, sanitary, docile and harmless. Besides size and personal hygiene, the hissing cockroach is unique for the sound it makes. The hissing noise can be heard during mating rituals, aggression between males or when an adult males, adult female or nymph are handled or disturbed in some way. Studies have shown that males can tell each other apart by hissing, which also tells them something of size of their potential opponents. Also, females are attracted to the tone and strength of male’s hissing. Hissing cockroaches also enjoy a rather large range of diet. They are also long-lived creatures, from an insect point of view. They can live up to five years. Another unusual pet is the Sugar gliders. They are marsupials native to Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia that have been blessed with the ability to fly glide, through the trees in...
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...implantation in which they suspend dormant fertilized eggs until the conditions are ideal for bearing their young. Rainforests are the most diverse having more than 15 million species living in the biome. The rainforest biome is sometimes separated into two different biomes. They are referred to as tropical and temperate. The tropical rainforests are located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. More than half are in Latin America and about a third are in Brazil. The rest are in Southeast Asia and West Africa. Temperate rainforests are located along the Pacific Coast of North America stretching from Oregon to Alaska and in South America along the coast of Chile. They are other small areas found along the coasts of Australia, United Kingdom,...
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...certain specie to disappear without a trace? Could this be possible? Apparently it is. Since 2006 the Honey bees have become a great deal of worry not just in the US, but around the world. They have begun to disappear without leaving any trace behind, denominated, Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). This phenomenon that has been hunting many for a few years has not yet been understood. Honey Bees are an essential part of human survival. Thanks to them we are able to eat every day. Many of the plant’s survival depend on the honey bees since “one third of the world's agricultural production depends on the European honeybee”(Cox-Foster ). They are the ones that can pollinate a certain amount of plants much quicker and easily compared to other insects. There have been many hypotheses concerning the loss of bees in the past years. One suspect that caused the disappearance of honey bees was the vorroa mites. These are parasites greatly responsible for the loss of a large number of bee colonies between 1987 and 2006. However, as the bees were studied there was found many unknown symptoms. This is how a hypothesis was developed stating that something was making bees more fragile. Its immune system was becoming weaker making them suffer different types of infections. However, the numbers of the vorroa mites were not extremely significant as to be the ones killing the bees. Another suspect mentioned was parasites. Some of the bees that were found in the colonies were discovered infected by...
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...WHAT EFFECTS ARE CANE TOADS PRODUCING TOWARDS THE SUSTAINABILTY OF ECOSYSTEMS AND THE SURVIVAL OF NATIVE SPECIES Chelcy Jordan SUST 1000 October 10 2012 The introduction of invasive species can often lead to unpredictable alterations and a shift within natural ecosystems. Cane toads were originally introduced to Australia in 1935. They were brought into Australia to prey on specific pests that were attacking sugar cane plants. Cane toads are highly adaptive and can easily adjust to climate changes and feeding grounds. The growth of reproduction in cane toads has formed a species invasion on the habitat of native animals. Immense competition and a shift in ecosystems are a result of their significant growth rate. What effects are cane toads producing towards the sustainability of ecosystems and the survival of native species? Many animals, and plant species have been either finding new ways to adjust to changes caused by the introduction of cane toads. Cane toads have impacted natural ecosystems so drastically that they have left a strenuous effect on native species ability to maintain their own survival. This is crucial when looking at the effects cane toads have on sustaining plant and animal life within ecosystems. Dramatic changes in an ecosystem could potentially fail due to inadequate nutrients and energy distribution. It is important to examine ways in which cane toads affect ecosystems so environmentalists can predict potential negative shifts and try to develop...
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...Sara Kim Mr. Benard Kong Research and Presentation March 23, 2018 Animal Experimentation Nowadays, more than ever, people are raising pets. If you stroll around a park or even walk around the streets, we can see few people walking the dogs. In fact, there are many places that allow pets and there are even pet cafes opened in a lot of places. Dogs and Cats are the mostly raised, as well as some wild animals or insects as followed. In Korea, there’s a proverb stating, “A Dog’s lot in the happiest gall” meaning that, living life as a dog is better than I do. This proverb comes from how pets are spoiled under the master’s hand; almost like the babies, they get taken care of. But would this mean that all those people whom raising pets are like the...
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...For example, • Rhubarb leaves, green potatoes are dangerous due to their toxic components. • Some foods like cow’s milk and egg cause allergy in some people. To prevent harmful bacteria growth we must careful in preparing food. We develop the method to preserve food from bacterial growth and use for long period of time using techniques like salting, pasteurization cooling and canning etc. Today we increase array of new food and food chemicals that do not have history of use in society. Before using these foods and food chemicals as food supply ensures that they don’t have harmful effects to humans. Regulation of Food in New Zealand and Australia For public health and safety protection New Zealand and each state of Australia designed food safety law. These laws for food safety and reliability are enforced and interpreted by their respective government. While setting food regulation must know history of food usage and this regulation effects level of risk a community accept due to food relation. IN New Zealand and Australia food for sale must comply trade laws and other laws which protect environment and less usage of...
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...PHILIPPINE FLORA AND FAUNA Flora and fauna refer to plant and wildlife, respectively. The indigenous plant and wildlife of a geographical region is often referred to as that region’s flora and fauna. Both are collective terms, referring to groups of plant or wildlife specific to a region or a time period. For example, the flora and fauna of a warm region may consist of tropical to warm-temperate vegetation and exotic species of birds. By definition, flora is a word of Latin origin referring to Flora, the goddess of flowers. Flora can refer to a group of plants, a disquisition of a group of plants, as well as to bacteria. Flora is the root of the word floral, which means pertaining to flowers. Fauna can refer to the animal life or classification of animals of a certain region, time period, or environment. Fauna is also of Latin origin. In Roman Mythology Fauna was the sister of Faunus, a good spirit of the forest and plains. The flora and fauna of any given region is usually explained in biological terms to include the genus and species of plant and animal life, their preferred growing or breeding habits, and their connection to one another in the environment as well. In addition to geographical groupings, environment also helps further classifications of flora and fauna. For example, aquatic flora andfauna of a region refers to the plant and animal life found in the waters in or surrounding a geographic region. FLORA Garden Plants and Flowers By Johnamendall (see also Flowers...
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...Working safely with trees recommended practices for the amenity tree industry WORKING SAFELY WITH TREES Foreword The amenity tree industry presents a challenging and changeable work environment associated with a high rate of injuries and several fatalities – the majority involving unexpected falling trees and branches. Tree-related fatalities were examined in depth as part of the Work Related Fatalities Program – a joint venture involving the Victorian WorkCover Authority, the State Coroner’s Office and VIOSH Australia (University of Ballarat). The Tree Felling Safety Group (TFSG) was formed as a result of this work to promote health and safety in forestry, arboriculture and urban tree industries. The TFSG includes representatives from industry, local government, unions and WorkSafe Victoria – the operational name for the health and safety arm of the Victorian WorkCover Authority. The Group is keen to see potential solutions implemented to help to prevent death and serious injury involving tree workers. The development of this guidance material was a TFSG initiative. The result is a practical and user-friendly guide produced by industry representatives that aims to improve workers’ awareness and understanding of common hazards, risks and safety requirements, while assisting employers to meet their legal obligations. I urge everyone working in the amenity tree industry to use this booklet as a constant reference point, particularly supervisors and team...
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