Environmental Ap Essay G

B) I believe that an increase in the gypsy moth population will always result in a decrease in the oak tree's production of acorns. To test this hypothesis an adequate number of an experiments will need to be performed, including analysis of previously acquired data. To initially confirm the hypothesis at least two test sites will need to be established. In these two sites there must be an ample amount of oak trees as well a fair amount of gypsy moths. By observing both the number and gypsy moths present and the number of acorns being produced you can begin to verify that your hypothesis is correct. After a few cycles of acorns being produced you may have what seems to be undisputable evidence, but you should take it one step further to ensure that your observations were just was coincidences. Although destruction of a habitat is not normally advisable in this case it may prove necessary to artificially control the gypsy moth population in half of your testing sites. Your method of doing this can range from destruction of their nesting sites to use of pesticides. The importance lies in the result, a drop in their numbers which should be verified. With the lowered population of gypsy moths this testing site should show a dramatic increase in acorns production when compared to the unaltered secondary site. To further confirm this its advisable that controlling the gypsy population should continue for a few acorn cycles. The number of experimental sites and length of the experiment can be adjusted within the limits of your planned budget.

C) Controlling black tick populations proves to be very challenging due to the fact that the tick's home is also its food source. In many instances when you want to manage a species you can look at taking away its food supply and destroying its habitat. In this case its habitat and food source are other living creatures, and while it is possible to eliminate them from the picture, it's also highly inefficient. Not to mention the diverse effects it would have on the ecosystem. If you killed off the majority of the white-footed mice ticks may have less animals to reproduce on, but the gypsy moth population will begin to grow out of control. A viable strategy for reducing the tick population is the use of pesticides. While pesticides may be harmful to other aspects of the environment they are highly effective and fairly efficient. The pesticides will kill the effected ticks