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Re: [RC] Wildlife encounters - Truman Prevatt

Part of the problem with "invasive" and what window of time to use is how well a plant and/or animal do in an ecosystem is depending on a large number of variables. One of the most important variables is the climate. The diansours were naitve but are no longer and if reintroduced would not fare well except in maybe a very small area.

The reason for this is climate change. For a specific plant the location of favoriable growing conditions is not static by it is dynamic. Climate change is both man made and natural. There is significant evidence today that the warming and cooling cycle of the earth is correleated with the oscillation of the eccentricity of the earth's orbit around the sun. The change in eccentricity is very slow and very small but it does exist and it does have significant impact on the warming and cooling of the earth, which has an impact on the mean temp and rainfall, etc. in a specific location. Part of this oscillation is caused by small changes on the gravational field around the earth caused by movement of other bodies. Part of it is brought on by changes in the earth itself. For example the recent 9 earthquake in the Indian Ocean not only produced a killer Tsunami but it cause a slight compaction in the earth which caused a minor - but meaurable - increase in the rotation rate. While this effect is very small it is causing a slight shift in the eccentricity of the earths orbit. This will have a long term effect on world wide climate.

Eccentricity perturbation most likely has a much greater effect than the impact of mankind on climate change - but when they reinforce one another the climate change can be catastrophic.

Along with physical changes in the earth and the earth's orbit, there are the issues of ultraviolent radiation caused by fluctuations in the ozone layer. Some of these fluctuations are natural and have been going on for a long period of time - some are man made. Varying ultraviolent amounts of impact climate.

To some extent the discussion of invasive species is being taken out of context. It needs to be taken in context of the dynamics of the egosystem which has to be taken in context to the dynamics of the earth and man's interaction with the earth. What was native 1000 years ago in a specific location may not fare well today. What fares well today may not have 1000 years ago. That's not to say we should not be vigilant when it comes to invasive species, but must put the discussion into a larger context and cannot just pick a window of time and say "this is the way it was so it is the way it must be." We can't go backwards in time.

Truman


Karen Sullivan wrote:



*Thank goodness it's a popular cause....and what is different now is that there is a better understanding of the damages due to advances in science and better understanding of fragile ecosystems. Just becuase exotics were introduced several hundred years ago, it's no reason turn our backs on it now...





--

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." Albert Einstein





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Replies
Re: [RC] Wildlife encounters, Karen Sullivan