Global Warming

Global Warming is the increase of Earth's average surface temperature due to effect of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels or from deforestation, which trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth. This is a type of greenhouse effect.

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There are 2 types of causes for global warming:

- Natural Causes:
A release of methane gas from arctic tundra and wetlands. Methane is a greenhouse gas. A greenhouse gas is a gas that traps heat in the earth's atmosphere.
Earth goes through a cycle of climate change. This climate change usually lasts about 40,000 years.

- Man-Made Causes:
Pollution such as burning fossil fuels, mining coal or oil.
Increase in population, which leads to more burning of fuels, more cars and more pollution.

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List of effects of global warming:
- Ice melting worldwide, especially at the Earth's pole.

- Decline of the Adélie penguins on Antarctica, where their numbers have fallen from 32,000 breeding pairs to 11,000 in 30 years.

- Sea level rise became faster over the past century.

- Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe, on average.


Other effects that could take place later this century if the warming continues:
- Rise of sea levels between 7 and 23 inches (18 and 59 centimeters), and continued melting at the poles could add between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters).

- Hurricanes and other storms are likely to become stronger.

- Floods and droughts will become more common.

- Less fresh water will be available. If the Quelccaya ice cap in Peru continues to melt at its current rate, it will be gone by 2100, leaving thousands of people who rely on it for drinking water and electricity without a source of either.

- Ecosystems will change—some species will move farther north or become more successful; others won’t be able to move and could become extinct.


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Reduce Global Warming:

- Reduce, reuse, recycle. (By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually)

-Use less heat and air conditioning. (Setting your thermostat just 2 degrees lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.)

-Change a lightblub. (If every U.S. family replaced one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light(CFL), it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road.)

-Drive Less, drive smart. (Every gallon of gas you save not only helps your budget, it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.)

-Buy Energy-Efficient Products. (If you reduce your household garbage by 10 percent, you can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.)

Iberian Lynx (Critically endangered)

Type of species:
Iberian lynx is the world's most threatened species of cats.

Breeding habits:
Female lynxes generally give birth between March and April with an average litter size of 3. (Rarely more than 2 young surviving weaning)
Kittens leave the den between 8 and 23 months.

Diet:
They mostly depend on wild rabbits. If densities of wild rabbits are low, they’ll feed on ducks, young deer and partridges.

Sample food chain:
Sun -> Plants -> Rabbits -> Iberian Lynx

Why is critically endangered?
- Decrease of food base
- Habitat loss and degradation (roads, dams, railways and other human activities)
- Hunting (for fur, meat)
- Car Hits because of high speed roads and highways, splitting up the Lynx habitat.

Current conservation efforts:
Protection of Iberian Lynx’s habitat.
No legal hunting.
Breeding programs.


Short Video of Iberian Lynx:

Source used for research and reference:

http://www.lcie.org/Docs/Iberian%20lynx/iberianlynx_wayforward.pdf
http://www.theanimalfiles.com/mammals/carnivores/lynx_iberian.html
http://www.iberianature.com/material/iberianlynx.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberian_Lynx
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/species/profiles/mammals/iberian_lynx/

Biology Assignment

Difference between Prokaryotic & Eukaryotic

Prokaryotic cells are found in "simple" organisms(bacteria and cyanobacteria).
Eukaryotic cells are found in "complexed" organisms(all plants and animals).

Prokaryotic cells do not have nucleus.
Eukaryotic cells have nucleus. (true nuclei)

Prokaryotic cells have cell walls.
Eukaryotic cells do not have cell wall. (for the animal ones)

Prokaryotic cells do not contain mitochrondia.
Eukaryotic cells contain mitochrondia.

Prokaryotic cells mostly reproduce by binary fission.
Eukaryotic cells reproduce through a process called mitosis.

Prokaryotic cells DNA is circular.(it has no ends)
Eukaryotic cells DNA is linear.

Eukaryotic cells are 10 times bigger than prokaryotic cells!


Here's a short whiteboard animation video:

Source used for research and reference:
http://http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/E/eukarycell.html
http://biology.about.com/od/cellanatomy/ss/prokaryotes.htm
http://biology.about.com/od/cellanatomy/a/eukaryprokarycells.htm
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_differences_between_prokaryotic_cells_and_eukaryotic_cells