Green Options » Population Dynamics

Coral Reef Fish Experience Middle Class Crunch

Bryan Nelson — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:59:19 +0000

The economic downturn is making it tough to be a member of the middle class, now there’s evidence that ‘middle class’ coral reef fish are hurting too.

According to a new Wildlife Conservation Society study, reef fish levels along middle class coastal communities in Eastern Africa tend to be significantly lower– up to 4 times lower– than along areas bordering wealthy or poor communities.

Reasons for the disparity are numerous, and they involve a complicated interplay between traditional customs, economic development and population dynamics. But middle class apathy could also be to blame.

Near Extinction of Emperor Penguins Predicted by 2100

Bryan Nelson — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:04:19 +0000

According to research based upon sea ice models from the IPCC report, Antarctica’s iconic Emperor Penguins could face extinction by the end of the century due to habitat loss.

By comparing observations spanning 43 years of population dynamics against models which project the declining levels of Antarctic sea ice, the study predicts that the giant penguins will be too slow to adapt to changes wrought by global warming.

The startling prediction is being called a conservative estimate by researchers, who claim that the data has as much as a four-in-five chance of being accurate. This number is particularly high because individual Emperor Penguins are long-lived and, as a result, biologically slow learners. Thus, they are unlikely to shift their breeding patterns fast enough to match the rapidly changing climate.

Yellowstone National Park Wolf Population Dropped Sharply in 2008

Levi Novey — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:57:30 +0000

After completing its annual wolf population estimate, Yellowstone National Park has announced that the number of wolves inside the park has declined by 27% since the end of 2007. 124 wolves are now thought to reside in the park, down from 171. Is this a normal fluctuation?

Study Indicates That Montana and Glacier National Park’s Grizzly Bear Population Has Grown

Levi Novey — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 06:02:32 +0000

Researchers and officials from the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service on Tuesday presented the findings of a 4 year study that estimated the population of grizzly bears in Montana. The results confirmed what was assumed: the endangered grizzly bear population has grown. There are now an estimated 765 bears living in northwest Montana, in places like Glacier National Park. This number indicates that the population has grown by about 2.5X since the last survey was conducted.

Source: Montana’s News Station

Photo Credit: xoque on Flickr under a Creative Commons license