The Impact of Monoculture and the Removal of Hedgerows on the Environment.
The Impact of Monoculture and the Removal of Hedgerows on the Environment Modern developments in agriculture have had far-reaching effects on both economics of farming and the environment. I am going to focus on a discussion of monoculture and removal of hedgerows, and the impact these actions have on the environment. Monoculture is the devotion of a crop to a single plant species year after year. Monoculture was designed to increase the productivity of farmland by growing only the best variety of crop, allowing more than one crop per year and reducing labour costs. Monoculture however is a threat to a part of our environment. Worldwide, monocultures have increased dramatically. Fields which in the past have had a number of crops growing, or the only crop had a high degree of genetic diversity, are now devoted to a single crop where there is no genetic variation. Pest outbreaks often occur when large numbers of immigrant pests, inhibited populations of beneficial insects, favourable weather and vulnerable crop stages happen simultaneously. The depletion of soil organic matter has also reduced the food supply of soil organisms leading to less diversity of soil life, and therefore less natural control on potential pest problems. Due to the high demand of certain nutrients in the soil by certain species has meant fertilisers are required to maintain soil fertility. This
The effect of antibiotics on the growth of bacteria.
The effect of antibiotics on the growth of bacteria. The Aim: The aim of this investigation is to find out what effect out of two antibiotics, penicillin and streptomycin has on the growth and multiplication of two different species of bacteria. The two different types of bacteria we will be using are E-coli and micrococcus luteus. The Apparatus: * Four sterilised Agar plates, * Glass spreader, * Masking tape, * Wax pencil, * Lab roll, * A beaker with 70% alcohol, * E- coli (Culture) * Micrococcus luteus (culture), * Penicillin (antibiotics), * Streptomycin (antibiotics). Scientific Knowledge: E-coli: E-coli are a common type of bacteria and are short for the medical term Escherichia coli. This normally lives inside your intestines, where it helps your body break down and digest the food you eat. E. coli bacteria was discovered by a German bacteriologist Theodor Escherich in the 1885.The organism can be found on a small number of cattle farms and can live in the intestines of healthy cattle. But also we need it in our bodies to keep them healthy we pretty much depend on E-Coli in our intestines to provide us with Vitamin K and B complex vitamins which play a vital role in keeping us strong and healthy. Penicillin: Penicillin was the first naturally-occurring antibiotic discovered and was the first one to be used therapeutically Penicillin was discovered by
P1- Describe the major habitats found in Britain and the ecological factors that influence plant and animal distribution, giving appropriate examples
P1- Describe the major habitats found in Britain and the ecological factors that influence plant and animal distribution, giving appropriate examples Urban habitat There are many Habitats within Britain however I feel that the Urban habitat is very dominating. Towns and cities are packed with buildings. Shops, offices, factories, schools, churches and houses are all man-made structures designed with people in mind, but which also provide an important refuge for wildlife in an urban environment Many animals that live in these areas are domestic; cats, dogs, hamsters, mice etc although a large proportion of animals living amongst us are feral, such as squirrels, hedgehogs, foxes and some species of rabbit, which many are known as 'vermin'. There are many areas in which our plants and animals survive: Churchyards A group of plants known as calcicoles are often found in churchyards. The soil is nourished by a combination of decomposing bones and lime, which leaches into the ground from the weathered headstones above. Limestone also provides ideal conditions for lichens and the golden yellow Xanthoria parietina. Parks, gardens and allotments Parks and gardens are among some of the most important and diverse urban habitats in the UK, supporting a great variety of animals and plants. City parks with their planted trees and ornamental water features are a valuable source of
Charles Darwin, The evolution theory.
Charles Darwin The evolution theory Charles Darwin's theory of evolution centres on the idea that species compete to survive, and those favorable characteristics are passed on from one generation to the next. Darwin said that evolution took place by a process of natural selection or survival of the fittest. This meant that the animals and plants best suited to their surroundings survived and were able to pass on their genes to their offspring. The ones that weren't best suited died off and didn't get the chance to reproduce. Animals and plants had to change or evolve due to environmental pressures. Over millions of years the conditions on the Earth have changed tremendously, the environmental conditions we have now are very different. If organisms hadn't adapted or changed to live in those changing conditions we would have no life on Earth. Those organisms that had the characteristics, which allowed them to survive, as food became scarce or the temperature got colder or warmer were able to survive and pass on the characteristics to the next generation. In any generation there are a variety of characteristics e.g. taller, shorter, run faster, stronger etc and these may give an evolutionary advantage. Darwin noted four things from his observations: . All organisms produce an abundance of offspring, many more than is necessary 2. There is a fairly constant population size
Chemistry Open Book Paper - Biohydro-metallurgy.
Biohydro-metallurgy is an application used in mining to extract certain metals from their ores using specialised bacteria such as Thiobacillus ferro-oxidans which metabolise certain substances in the ore to gain the energy they need to live, Chemistry Open Book Paper ) Biohydro-metallurgy is an application used in mining to extract certain metals from their ores using specialised bacteria such as Thiobacillus ferro-oxidans which metabolise certain substances in the ore to gain the energy they need to live, which breaks it down and releases the metal ions into solution from which they can be extracted. The bacteria require very little else to perform this task, as they require no organic nourishment, apart from a slightly acidic environment, access to carbon dioxide and oxygen from the air and an ambient temperature of around 30?c for optimum performance. Thiobacillus ferro-oxidans oxidise both Fe? and S? ions allowing the insoluble minerals of copper, zinc and lead to be broken down as they also contain S? ions. The process can be demonstrated by the oxidation of arsenopyrite seen in the equation below 2FeAsS + 7O + 4H + 2H O ? 2Fe + 2H AsO + 2HSO The bacterial oxidation occurs in two stages, the first involving reactions at the boundary between the surface of the bacterial cell and the asenopyrite, where the bacteria catalyse the formation of soluble compounds of
Uses of Nitrates
Science Lab Bobby Bowman December 3 In the English language, even the slightest variation of spelling can change the meaning of a word completely. The words condemn and commend may look alike, but their meanings are opposites. The words nitrates and nitrites may look alike, but that one vowel change completely alters their meaning. The same happens with the words sulfate and sulfite, and phosphate and phosphite. Even the composition of the ions is similar: Nitrate, NO3- to Nitrite, NO2-; Sulfate, SO42- to Sulfite, SO32-; and Phosphate, PO43- to Phosphite, PO33-. That one modification of oxygen atoms entirely changes the ion. Nitrates are very valuable in the world for many different reasons. Nitrates are used in some medicines, and in photographic films. Nitrates are also used in fireworks, and other explosives. The most widely use for Nitrate is in fertilizers. In medicine, doctors use silver nitrate to cauterize wounds, prevent bleeding or infection, and for the removal of warts. When diluted, a mild solution of silver nitrate can be used to treat eye and skin diseases, and as an antiseptic. The eyes of millions of babies across North America are treated with a 1% solution of silver nitrate every year to destroy harmful gonococcal bacteria. This process is even required in some U.S. states as a precautionary measure to prevent possible blindness. In photography,
Can areas where accidental contamination with petroleum products be efficiently bioremediated and which bacteria are best suited for the process?
Extended Essay Subject: Biology Topic: Bioremediation of areas accidentally contaminated with petroleum products. Research Question: Can areas where accidental contamination with petroleum products be efficiently bioremediated and which bacteria are best suited for the process? INTRODUCTION The advent of heavy industrialization and manufacture of various chemicals has brought forth the curse of an environment polluted with potentially hazardous and toxic organic compounds. Slowly the influx of such compounds in soil, air and water is increasingly resulting into the deterioration of ecosystem. If these are not checked and controlled the entire ecosystem will be seriously damaged. The microorganisms, more specifically bacteria, are the workhorses of biotechnology and today they seem to provide many solutions to the abundant man made problems. Biotechnological answers are emerging rapidly. Today we see numerous uses of biotechnology, the possibility of treating almost all human disorders with the use of stem cells, the possibility of increasing our food production manifold and of course the ability to use a naturally occurring process, speed it up and clean the environment we ourselves have polluted. This technology is bioremediation. Bioremediation: "Remediate" means to solve a problem, and "bio-remediate" means
'The Call of the Wild' by Jack London - review
James Wilson The Call of the Wild: Nature, Red in Tooth and Claw' The title of the book is 'The Call of the Wild' and was written by Jack London in 1903. He was the son of an Irish-American astrologer and his mother was Flora Wellman, the odd one out of a well to do family. They lived a life of poverty in Pennsylvania. Jack read a lot and at the age of fifteen left home and travelled around North America as a tramp. On charges of vagrancy, he spent 30 days in prison. After educating himself he managed to gain entry to a university, before being caught up in the Klondike River Gold Rush in North Canada, 1896. On his return he began to write, but he drank heavily and eventually took his own life. The Call of the Wild is a moving story of how a St. Bernard, Scotch Shepherd cross breed dog called Buck escapes captivity to become the proud leader of a wolf pack. Buck was born a privileged, dignified dog with a loving family but was taken from his warm Southern Californian home to be shipped to the cold recesses of Alaska during the 1890's Gold Rush. After being mistreated by many owners he soon learns that the only rule in this harsh environment is 'the law of club and fang' which very much differed from the rules of a civilized society. After he experiences a loss of one of his fellow dogs, he soon realizes that he is not just fighting to prove himself but fighting for
Find out how halogens are used in the manufacture of herbicides and polymers and environmental problems associated
Find out how halogens are used in the manufacture of herbicides and polymers and environmental problems associated. Organohalogen compounds are organic compounds that contain at least one halogen (fluorine [F], chlorine [Cl], bromine [Br], or iodine [I]) bonded to carbon. They are subdivided into alkyl, vinylic, aryl, and acyl halides. In alkyl halides all four bonds to the carbon that bears the halogen are single bonds; in vinylic halides the carbon that bears the halogen is doubly bonded to another carbon; in aryl halides the halogen-bearing carbon is part of an aromatic ring; and in acyl halides (also called acid halides) the halogen-bearing carbon is doubly bonded to oxygen. Organohalogen compounds differ widely in chemical reactivity, depending on the halogen and the class to which they belong, and they may even differ within a class. A halogen substituent is considered a functional group, and the transformations of organohalogen compounds rank among the most important in organic chemistry. Many organohalogen compounds, especially organochlorine compounds, are important industrial chemicals; they are used as solvents and pesticides and as intermediates in the preparation of dyes, drugs, and synthetic polymers. More than 1,500 organohalogen compounds have been identified as naturally occurring materials and are produced by various plants, fungi, bacteria, and marine
Are Blue-Green Algae Bacteria?
ARE BLUE-GREEN ALGAE BACTERIA? Russell Nash Blue-Green Algae, or Cyanophyta, are simple organisms that are believed to be the evolutionary link between bacteria and green plants. Fossils that are over three billion years old have been discovered in sediments and are concluded to be one of the first organisms to release oxygen into the atmosphere. Today, Cyanophyta are abundant throughout the world, found in salt marshes, on tree trunks, in fish tanks etc. Besides the typical bluish-green colour, Cyanophyta can vary from a blackish-green to an orange-yellow. As well as providing an evolutionary link, Blue-Green Algae serve an integral part of our lives with its importance in food supplements as well as its ability to cause economic damage via algal blooming. In this essay I aim to show the similarities and differences between Cyanophyta and bacteria using points of comparison, to answer the question whether Blue-Green Algae can be classed as bacteria. Blue-Green algae are prokaryotic, unlike the rest of the algae family, which can also be said for bacteria. Most of bacteria and Cyanophyta can only be seen through a microscope because they have only one cell and are around 1µm in diameter. In both bacteria and Cyanophyta, the cells have rigid walls. Bacteria have external flagella, which aid movement. Cyanophyta never have flagella. The DNA is able to float freely in a
