Ecology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ecology - Essay Example Global warming is however beginning to have significant impact on this insect. This impact may as yet not be dramatic for decades but a clue of what is in the offing, if unchecked, is already visible in the study of this insect. A major contributing factor to the issue of global warming is the dependence of industrial sectors on fossil fuels which are rich in carbon and when burned combines with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide. The Sinai Baton Blue butterfly is found in the terrestrial ecosystems around the globe. Unfortunately global warming is having a very harmful effect on the Natural habitat of this butterfly. This butterfly must maintain a level of interaction with its abiotic environment in order to survive. Proteins and nucleic acids are essential nutrients to this insect and the growth of plants from which it derives these nutrients is being severely hampered by the reduction in nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen fixation by decomposers is already being affected by global warming. Also affected in its terrestrial ecosystems is the water cycle, over 90 Percent of the moisture that enters the ecosystem passes through plants and evaporates from their leaves. A reduction In soil nitrogen therefore affects the water cycle. The earths rising temperature are beginning very noticeable impact on this butterfly. Its ecosystems are changing on the individual, population and community levels. At the individual level of its ecology this butterfly may not survive in a region above certain degrees in termperature.the change being witnessed now is an estimated average of 0.6C within the last 100 years. It therefore implies that with the current rate in global warming more drastic changes will occur that will lead to the outright extinction of this butterfly. The Sinai Baton blues are beginning to breed and migrate earlier than expected. They have shifted ranges northward by 200km in Europe and north America-a pole ward shift and as well movement towards higher elevations. In the next 50 years the Sinai Baton Blue Butterfly will have migrated to areas, which were uninhabitable to it in the past. Another area where the potential effect of global warming will be felt greatly are the categories of plant it helps pollinate. Plants are among the slow movers in reaction to changes in global warming. a direct implication therefore will be extinction of large numbers of plant species. As more and more of this butterflies jostle for the available conducive habitat, a trend will set in-the survival of the fittest. This happens because the population will continue to rise without limit thus ensuing gross overcrowding and the habitat becomes saturated with the butterflies as it reaches its full carrying capacity and can support no more, thus leading to invariable reduction in population. Global warming also has the potential to decrease the diversity of the butterfly, which occurs when their habitat is drastically altered. Interactions among these butterflies and other species also result. In conclusion the current rate of global warming is very disturbing. Severe stress and pressure is being mounted on the butterfly and there is an urgent need to quickly find ways of reducing the harmful impact of the

The US Presidential Electoral System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The US Presidential Electoral System - Essay Example After the election, the delegates cast their electoral vote and the winner is decided. This system was necessitated at the birth of the nation when counting a national popular vote was impractical. In addition, it protected the government offices from being decided by an ill-informed electorate. Though it is generally an adequate reflection of the voters' preference, it has several weaknesses. One weakness in the electoral college, that a popular vote system would rectify, is the unequal distribution of voter power. Under the current system, the number of electoral votes is equal to the number of House members plus two. Since the number of House members is based on population, this gives an advantage to the smaller states (Bennett 3). Voters in the least populated states have more power with their individual votes than the voters in the larger states do. In addition, since the apportionment of electoral votes is based on the census, it is always out of date, sometimes by as much as 1 0 years (Edwards 2). A popular vote system would alleviate both of these problems and accurately reflect the population on an equal basis. Individual voter power is further hampered when the minority (loser) in the large states are awarded no electoral delegates at all. Leib and Mark state that, "Minority voters in large non-swing states—say Republicans today in California or New York, as well as Democrats in Texas—have the most reason to be upset with the current method of awarding electoral votes" (106). Uneven apportionment, out of date census data, and no minority voice creates an unjust system of voter unfairness. One of the purposes of an electoral system is to facilitate and encourage voter participation. When voters feel like their vote is of little or no value, they will be discouraged from participating in the process. As an example, Indiana has traditionally voted overwhelmingly for the Republican presidential candidate in the last several elections. Though Democrats make up as much as 40 percent of the vote, their votes have not been counted for years. For all practical purposes, they have no reason to vote for a candidate that can not carry the state. "These disincentives essentially take the form of reducing the perceived benefits of voting for a Presidential candidate by restricting the power of votes to state jurisdictions rather than allowing all votes equal value (power) in a national election determined strictly by a popular vote" (Cebula and Murphy 188). Reforming the electoral college to reflect a more equitable system of voter power would encourage greater voter participation. Moving to a popular vote system would not only more fairly represent the voters, it would also reduce the special favor spending projects that are awarded