What Is an Edge Habitat

Across the globe, human development has fragmented once-continuous landscapes and ecosystems into isolated patches of natural habitat. Roads, towns, fences, canals, reservoirs, and farms are all examples of human artifacts that alter the pattern of the landscape. At the edges of developed areas, where natural habitats meet encroaching human habitats, animals are forced to adapt quickly to their new circumstances--and a closer look at the fate of these so-called edge species can give us sobering insights into the quality of the wild lands that remain. The health of any natural ecosystem depends significantly on two factors: the overall size of the habitat, and what is happening along its edges. For example, when human development cuts into an old-growth forest, the newly exposed edges are subjected to a series of microclimatic changes, including increases in sunlight, temperature, relative humidity, and exposure to wind. Plantlife and Microclimate Create New Habitats Plants are the first living organisms to respond to these changes, usually with increased leaf-fall, elevated tree mortality, and an influx of secondary-successional species. In turn, the combined changes in plant life and microclimate create new habitats for animals. More-reclusive bird species move to the interior of the remaining woodland, while birds better adapted to edge environments develop strongholds on the periphery. Populations of larger mammals like deer or big cats, which require large areas of undisturbed forest to support their numbers, often decrease in size. If their established territories have been destroyed, these mammals must adjust their social structure to accommodate the closer quarters of the remaining forest. Fragmented Forests Resemble Islands Researchers have found that fragmented forests resemble nothing so much as islands. The human development that surrounds a forest island acts as a barrier to animal migration, dispersal, and interbreeding (its very difficult for any animals, even relatively smart ones, to cross a busy highway!) In these island-like communities, species diversity is governed largely by the size of the remaining intact forest. In a way, this is not all bad news; the imposition of artificial constraints can be a major driver of evolution and the flourishing of better-adapted species. The problem is that evolution is a long-term process, unfolding over thousands or millions of years, while a given animal population may disappear in as little as a decade (or even a single year or month) if its ecosystem has been wrecked beyond repair. The changes in animal distribution and population that result from fragmentation and the creation of edge habitats illustrate how dynamic a cut-off ecosystem can be. It would be ideal if—when the bulldozers have disappeared—the environmental damages subsided; unfortunately, this is rarely the case. The animals and wildlife left behind must begin a complex process of adaptation and a long search for a new natural balance. Edited on February 8, 2017, by Bob Strauss

Brittany Portwood. Educ 2130. Dalton State College. March

Brittany Portwood EDUC 2130 Dalton State College March 23, 2017 Introduction Psychology is full of theories that explain why we think the way we think. Of those theories, is the popular Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Jean Piaget introduced a variety of ideas and concepts to the world of psychology describing logical thinking in children and adolescents. To fully comprehend just how valuable his theories are today, it is important to explore the life of Jean Piaget, his educational background, and the stages of cognitive development and how the stages impact the classroom. This will give a further analysis and explanation of how Piaget has helped to shape our viewpoints as teachers today. Biographical Background of (Jean†¦show more content†¦By studying the cognitive development of children and adolescents, Piaget identified four major stages of mental growth which are sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete, and formal operational. He believed that all children pass through these phases to advance to the next level of cognitive development and in each stage children demonstrate new intellectual abilities and increasingly complex understanding of the world (Zhou Brown, 2015). He also believes that no stages can be skipped and that the intellectual development always follows the sequence. The first stage of Piaget’s cognitive development is sensorimotor, which begins at birth and last until eighteen months to two years of age. This stage is the use of motor activity without the use of symbols, so when it comes to this stage is based on physical interactions and experiences and knowledge is very limited. Infants cannot predict reactions and therefore must constantly experiment and learn through trial and error (Zhou Brown, 2015). A good example of this would include shaking a rattle or putting objects in the mouth. As infants become more mobile their ability to develop cognitively increases and early language development begins. Object performance also occurs at seven to nine months, demonstrating that memory is developing. The next stage is the pre-operational stage, which usually occurs during the period of twenty-four

The Godfather free essay sample

A brief review of the book The Godfather by Mario Puzo. This paper provides a brief synopsis of this novel, relating the main plot and storyline. It is a story of an immigrant from Italy, who failing to find a reasonable source of income, becomes a Don. The story revolves around the Don and his family. This paper focuses on the character of the Don. The main character of the novel, the Don, had a kind of small kingdom of his own in the localities of New York. The novel starts with a scene of a court where an affluent young man was being accused of torturing a young girl, who was an Italian immigrant. The judge dealing with the case is biased or influenced by the family of the young man and therefore orders to release the guy. Not getting justice from the court, the father of the young girl being tortured goes to the Don and asked him for help. We will write a custom essay sample on The Godfather or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Don responds him with warmth and promises to help him out. In return, he asks the person to be ready to do a favor to the Don in future. This introduction of the novel gives the impression that the character of Don though apparently seems to be an evil one but in actual he is an honest and fair person who tries to help others out through his own ways.

Negotiation Case Essay Example

Negotiation Case Essay Post-Negotiation Analysis For The Paradise Project In this case, I was playing the role of chief project manager of the Paradise Project, and I was negotiating with my Manager of Artistic Design (Angel) and Manager of Client Contracts and Customer Relations (Elion) in order to resolve the conflict between each of them. Overall, I was satisfied with the final agreement, which paid 3,000 more pesos to Angel and ensured that he would change the color of the tiles and finish the job before the deadline. At the same time, Elion would be helping him get the work done. Because we were able to reach a mutually satisfying agreement, I would like to analyze three aspects of our negotiation process; how I implemented it as a chief manager, what I learned from it, and how I can improve my negotiating skills in the future to achieve even better results. First of all, because I was playing the role of chief manager of the project; I assumed that I should be the one that controls the meeting. Therefore, I set up a brief outline for this negotiation before we met each other, and tried to keep our discussion organized. I think this was one of the significant factors that helped me steer the whole meeting toward my target outcome. Secondly, I didn’t spend too much time talking, instead, I spent lots of time asking them questions and listening carefully to their responses. I believe that nobody likes being asked to do something, but people usually like to provide ideas about how to do something. We will write a custom essay sample on Negotiation Case specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Negotiation Case specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Negotiation Case specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Third, during the meeting, I tried to encourage the other participants to provide their own solutions. Although some of their proposals weren’t feasible, I didn’t reject them outright, at least not at first. I pointed out the difficulties and allowed them to rethink. In fact, by employing these three strategies as a manager, I achieved a deal that was close to my target outcome, even better than my BATNA. After the meeting, I figured out that I made the mistake of treating both Elion and Angel as subordinates on the same level as each other. In fact, as a manager of client contracts and customer relations, Elion should have a closer relationship to me because it’s both of our jobs to get the project done and satisfy our clients. For Angel, the artistic value of his work is most important. Therefore, I should have considered each individual’s relationship towards me more clearly so that I could control the negotiation process even better. In addition, I figured out finding common interests amongst each party are crucial for finding a mutually agreeable solution. Angel was confident about his design. If I wanted him to change his color choice, I would have needed to convince him that changing his design doesn’t necessarily mean that he made a bad choice, only that it is a client request. Even though I reached an agreement efficiently, I still need to improve my negotiation skills. First, I should have been able to consider if there is another option besides of changing the color. For example, the option of keeping the color, and then convincing our client to accept it. Second, I could have been more aggressive during the meeting in order to save as much money as possible. Because I am the chief manager, and any extra cost will directly create a negative effect on my supervisor’s evaluation of me. To sum up, participating in this case gave me an opportunity to understand how a chief manager should perform in a negotiation process. By reviewing the result, I have learned I considered more clearly each party’s relationship towards me, and I should been more aggressive during the meeting to purse them. I am looking forward to the next one.