Urban Warming Slows Tree Growth and Photosynthesis

Abstract

This research discusses urban warming describing how it slows down the growth of trees. The research shows that urban warming not only directly impact on growth of trees but affects indirectly as well. Urban warming is caused by a number of factors mainly from depletion of the ozone caused by anthropogenic and natural activities. Anthropogenic activities such as burning fossils fuels contribute much towards global warming especially in the cities which are congested and thus much heat is retained there. Urban warming has increased the rate of pests that attack trees. Pests that attack trees have continued increasing and they are resistant to drugs since the weather conditions have allowed their growth and increased chances of their multiplication and continued survival. As the paper concludes, it is learnt that trees have purposes and should therefore be conserved.

Introduction

From the research carried out urban warming has been seen to reduce the rate of growth in trees and the ability of trees up taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Insects are part of the problem of slow tree growth but heat too has been researched to be a contributing factor. Urban warming is as a result of global warming that has been brought about by peoples interfering in the ozone layer. Ozone layer depletion has caused global warming which is intensified in cities which are much congested compared to rural areas which are rather forested thus less heat exist there. Urban warming is mainly caused by anthropogenic activities for example burning of fossil fuels which can be reduced but people continue to increase them thus depleting the ozone more and ensuring warming is possible. This warming not only affects the cities but aquatic environments as well since the warm water affect the aquatic species and do not support their growth. Therefore urban warming has been a major problem currently since it is a global problem and thus has affected the cities more since cities are congested and lack vegetation cover. Vegetation cover is important in ensuring that people get fresh air since carbon dioxide is absorbed by the plants especially from the industries found in cities. Therefore this paper will focus on discussing how urban warming leads to slow growth in trees and reduces the rate of photosynthesis.

Cities are over 7 degrees warmer compared to rural areas and this condition is known as heat island effect which is caused by global warming. Thus urban warming increases the chances of survival of plant eating insects which feed on trees and cause harm to them and in turn slow their growth. The warm climatic conditions favor survival of these pests that cause harm to the trees from the research carried out by students from North Carolina State University (Meike et al, 1). As the global temperature increase, different types of pests evolve which are favored by the temperatures and thus end up eating the trees and reducing chances of trees growth.  This has been a concern since trees are important in the urban areas as they act as carbon sinks. This means that trees are the main carbon dioxide absorbers in cities since the rate of carbon dioxide generation is much because of the congested vehicles, people and industries. Carbon dioxide reduces growth of trees by 12% indicating that it is harmful to the plants. Burning of fossil fuels in cities is in large quantities because the numbers of vehicles increases each day since people have refused going green and prefer vehicles that consume carbon fuels (Meike et al, 1). The industries are many in cities that emit carbon dioxide and other gases which is unfortunate since the levels of carbon dioxide increases which in turn lead to global warming therefore causing the heat island effect. As a result of the heat island effect, pests are able to survive which reduce the chances of survival for trees which are needed much in the cities where carbon dioxide levels are on the increase each day.

The pests or insects that eat trees ensure they suck off all the nutrients from the tree thus trees cannot survive. Such pests are herbivores and include the pine processionary moth and the pine beetles that feed on tree nutrients for survival (Watts & Robert, 77). They suck all the energy thus ensuring the tree cannot grow further and eventually cause death to the trees which are of importance to the city atmosphere. For example growth of the gloomy scales indicates presence of the pests which will take in all the tree nutrients and eventually result to death of the tree which would have helped in cleaning the city polluted air. Thus pests prefer warmer areas since warmer areas increase chances of their survival and reproduction rates (Meike et al, 1). Thus increase in the global temperature will cause more pests and in turn result to reduced number of trees in our cities which is an environmental problem since trees are ecologically important. In cooler areas from the experiments and research carried out, the rate of chances of pests’ survival is low compared to warmer areas. 200 pests are seen to survive in warmer areas more compared to cooler areas therefore indicating that the heat island effect is the major contributing factor to survival of pests in cities which in turn kill the trees (Stinziano et al, 426). Pests are the biggest threat to growth of city trees since they suck all the nutrients and energy from the trees and causing death to the most valuable trees. In order to solve this problem, the environment should be conserved thus reducing the high rates of global warming which in turn reduces the chances of the heat island effect. Pests should not kill the most beautiful trees in the cities and thus scientists should come up with solutions which will ensure the trees are safe from the pests regardless of the climatic conditions found in cities.

Another effect of urban warming on growth of trees is the fact that the warmer temperatures reduces the chances of some trees getting water and other nutrients from the roots and transport them to the other parts of the plants for example the leaves (Teskeyet al, 1670). Trees need water for them to survive and when these two are absent the trees will die. Thus people should plant more trees in the cities, water them till they mature and ensure they survive in order to deal with the problem of heat island effect which has contributed to the increased species of pests that kill the trees. Trees which are infected with pests and those infected with pests look different since the infected ones have less branches. From the research carried out trees in hotter areas infected with pests or non infected have less trunks that trees in cooler areas which have thicker trunks and thus has high biomass. Strong trees have thick trunks which indicate they are healthy and thus urban warming causes reduced trunks in trees and in turn reduced biomass thus trees remain unhealthy (Dawes, 2006). Pests’ invasion in trees is the major problem brought about by urban warming but the temperatures too reduce the trunks of trees even if they are not infested by the pests. This indicates that urban warming is harmful to the growth of trees since it reduces the chances of trees to intake carbon dioxide thus reducing chances of their survival and growth. Due to increased human activities such as burning fossil fuels, the rate of carbon dioxide in tree growth will continue being down thus causing growth of trees with less carbon and more pests.

Trees are very important in the atmosphere as they act as carbon sinks thus cleaning the air by absorbing carbon dioxide, provides habitats to both animals and plants, provide shade and mostly prevent global warming through filtering the air and causing precipitation during evapotranspiration. Trees during photosynthesis take in carbon dioxide thus reducing the concentration of unwanted carbon dioxide which is a major green house gas that causes carbon dioxide. Mature trees are rather not affected by the issue of urban warming unlike the immature trees which are killed by the pests that invade them (Marzluff & John, 258). Photosynthesis is reduced by global warming which in turn reduce the numbers of trees in the cities where trees are needed so that they can filter the polluted air. Water is needed during growth of trees and thus luck of water as a result of warming indicates reduced chances of survival of the immature trees since they cannot survive without water. Thus urban warming reduces the chances of trees getting enough water which will lead to their growth until they mature. Trees in the cities are faced by challenges since pests invade them unlike those trees in cooler areas that pest species find unsuitable for laying eggs and surviving. The pest species in urban areas are unique and are not found in rural areas since they prefer warmer conditions for their survival and growth.

Trees are important since they have an aesthetic value thus ensure the cities look green and beautiful. Infested trees with pests are not beautiful and thus scientists and researchers should come up with drugs that ensure trees survive regardless of the climatic conditions (Costello et al, 67). These drugs should ensure the eggs of the herbivorous pest species die in order to reduce chances of their survival since they lay many eggs and end up multiplying thereby endangering the tree species. The drug should ensure the trees are safe and it should be environmentally friendly in order to avoid other environmental problem that could lead to outbreak of other pest species. They should also come up with pest resistant trees that will endure the harsh climatic conditions in the cities and by doing this they will save the trees which are important and have an ecological value. Urban planners should ensure they research well before planting tree species in the cities since planting the trees that only survive well under cool conditions will only reduce the survival chances of those trees (Falkner & Robert, 120). Trees that do well in warm areas should be planted in the cities since cities are warm thus the climatic conditions will support growth of the tree species. Urban warming which is mainly caused by inexistence of urban forests should be prevented through growth of lots of vegetation cover and trees. Vegetation cover and trees through evepotranspiration contribute to precipitation and thus enough water will be provided for growth of the vegetation and the warmer cities will become cooler. Reducing the rate of carbon fuels will greatly reduce chances of global warming. Reducing the rate of industries and congestion in the cities will reduce amount of carbon dioxide and other green house gases produced thus preventing warming and in turn reducing the rate of heat island effect. Trees are important and should be prevented from being invaded by the species so that they can be useful to the cities.

Conclusion

Urban warming is a threat to our city trees since it only contribute negatively towards their growth and survival. Trees from warmer areas from the research have less chances of survival compared to trees from the cooler parts of the world. Thus urban warming increases the chances of survival of plant eating insects which feed on trees and cause harm to them and in turn slow their growth. Growth of trees in the cities is hindered by some reasons such as lack of enough water to support the growth of trees, reduced rates of photosynthesis in trees and increased survival of herbivorous pests that feed on the trees thus slowing their growth. Trees have ecological importance since they are habitats to different wildlife, filter polluted air and act as carbon sinks and without them especially in the cities the rates of carbon dioxide will increase and in turn more heat and unwanted carbon dioxide retained. Thus the problem of urban warming should be solved in order to ensure that trees grow and mature in the warmer areas without the problem of heat island effect as one of the hindrances.

Works Cited

Falkner, Robert. The Handbook of Global Climate and Environment Policy. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley             Blackwell, 2013. Internet resource.

Costello, Laurence R, Bruce W. Hagen, and Katherine S. Jones. Oaks in the Urban Landscape:                Selection, Care, and Preservation. Richmond, CA: University of California, Agriculture              and Natural Resources, 2011. Print.

Meike.E, Youngsteadt.E, Dunn.R &Frank. D urban warming reduces aboveground carbon              storage,2016retrievedfrom                  http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/283/1840/20161574

Dawes, Melissa A., et al. "Soil Warming And CO2 Enrichment Induce Biomass Shifts In Alpine Tree Line Vegetation." Global Change Biology 21.5 (2015): 2005-2021. Academic                Search Premier. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Teskey, Robert, et al. "Responses Of Tree Species To Heat Waves And Extreme Heat Events."                 Plant, Cell & Environment 38.9 (2015): 1699-1712. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Stinziano, Joseph R., and Danielle A. Way. "Combined Effects Of Rising [CO2] And       Temperature On Boreal Forests: Growth, Physiology And Limitations1." Botany 92.6          (2014): 425-436. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Marzluff, John M. Urban Ecology: An International Perspective on the Interaction between           Humans and Nature. New York: Springer, 2008. Internet resource.

Watts, Robert G. Global Warming and the Future of the Earth. San Rafael, Calif.: Morgan &        Claypool Publishers, 2007. Print.

Weather and Climate

1. The human activities which include the burning of fossil fuels are altering the concentration carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. These effects can be seen in the whole natural cycling of carbon between the land, atmosphere and the oceans (Huang, 2016). The magnitude of the issue is big considering that the rate of carbon is taken up in the land and sinks in ocean will determine the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that will remain in the atmosphere. A startling fact is that only half of carbon dioxide produced and let out into the atmosphere by such activities stays there. About 9 billion tons of carbon is emitted by human being activities per year. In addition to the quantity of carbon absorbed by land in normal circumstance, another 3 billion tones is added which is quite too much.  Disorienting the role of plants and animals in the carbon cycle has an overall effect of disrupting the life on earth (Climate Literacy, 2014).
2. The reasons offered to explain the role of human activities in disrupting carbon cycle leave me with no doubt about the changes in climate being results of such activities.  The lack of equilibrium in the land and ocean ecosystems can only be explained as such.
3. My individual role in reducing carbon footprint involve thinking about lifestyle decisions and that way look for ways in which I can minimize their effect on carbon cycle and thus climate impact. Taking public transport rather than driving will reduce the amount of carbon released in the air. The other way is to choose energy efficient appliances which do not use carbon fuel such as microwaves.

References

Climate Literacy (2014).4.2 Human Perturbations of the Carbon Cycle. Retrived from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiX3D6zr_Dw&

Environment

1. Demographic changes – Growth in population is connected to increased resources consumption. This results to activities that result to habitat loss such as intensified use of land, expansion and exploitation of marginal areas of the land
2. Inequality and poverty – in equality in terms of income and the distribution of resources has been blamed for degraded environment. Poverty leads to poor resource management. The governments’ efforts to eliminate poverty has led to construction of dams have great environmental degradation effects.

• Social change - culture influences population, settlement patterns and economic activities that affect the biodiversity. For instance western culture expansion has brought about social change globally with people preferring to reside in urban areas which favor industry over agriculture lead to neglect of traditional cultures that are less destructive to the environment.

1. Climatic changes - These changes results from human activities which interrupt the conditions necessary for plants and animals survival. Such causes include global warming and pollution.
2. Micro-economic policies and structures – these includes policies that tend to favor industrialism and consumerism with little regard on the effect on the environment. An example is policies that encourage oil drilling whose effect on biodiversity is quite significant.
3. Public policies – these are policies put in place which favors the destructive human activities such extensive agricultural activities which can lead to habitat fragmentation. For example –deforestation has great influence on biodiversity.

Invasive species

1. Cane toads - these toads acts like pests and and are known to quickly poison native species
2. Killer algae (Caulerpa) - it spreads quickly and replaces sea-grasses and native algae after crowding them out.

• Carcinus meanas (green crab) – its eating activity greatly impacts on the population of other species such as the mussels, dog whelks and cockles.

1. Zebra Mussel- the species has reduced the availability of food for game and commercial fish and devoured plankton.
2. Sea Walnut- it feeds on zooplznkton consumed by commercial fish and has lead to collapse of local fisheries

Endangered species

1. Mexican wolf - the animals decline in numbers is attributed to inbreeding , pups dying before maturity and illegal shooting.
2. Red wolf – the decline in number is mostly attributed to extensive hunting

• California condor- its population decline is attributed to extensive poaching

1. Stella sea lion - population decline is attributed to possible warming in Bearing sea and Gulf of Alaska.

Biodiversity

1. Ecuador is tiny but very diverse in vegetations. The most types of its vegetation is found in the rainforest especially rainforest, more so the hilly forest where rainfall flooding or river water level flooding does not occur. The forest has an average height of between 25 to 30 m, and beneath tall trees are growth of diverse epiphytes and vines (Bendix, 2013). A similar case is that of Vietnam, with the northern part being on the edge of tropical climatic region. The region is rich in vegetation with more than 1500 woody plants species in that country and many species of herbaceous plants and woody vides (International, B. P. U., 2007). In essence, the two countries have open and dense forests , brush land ,savannas and bamboo covering major parts of the country especially Vietnam. Canada on the other hand, has the major part of land less covered by vegetation such as the Arctic Tundra which has low temperatures in summer and cold soils thus short season of plant growth. It has variation in vegetation occurring in boreal forest biome.

2. Canada and Russia have huge lands which are in arctic tundra areas. The landscape is mostly bare and frozen much periods of the year including soils that are very cold. These cold temperatures make it difficult for plants to grow which means that vegetation is limited to few grasses, shrubs and mosses. Canada is more biologically diverse than Russia especially when it comes to vegetations. Canada has more mountains or plains especially in the west while Russia has more broad plains. Canada receives 17 percent more rainfall than Russia (Mayhew, 2015).
3. Biological diversity rank
4. Florida
5. Washington
6. Idaho
7. Wyoming
8. Montana

This rank is based on the distribution of species of plants and animals derived from Natural Serve Central Databases (States of the Union, 2002).

4. Major land-based biome
5. Australia- deserts and Xeric Shrub lands
6. Chad- desert and tropical lands
7. Dominica- wet forests
8. Egypt- deserts and Xeric Shrub lands
9. Estonia- Taiga coniferous forest
10. Indonesia- Dry forest lands
11. Kazakhstan –Palearctic deserts and Xeric Shrub lands
12. Saudi Arabia- deserts and Xeric Shrub lands
13. Tanzania- Tropical grasslands

References

 Mayhew, S. (2015). A dictionary of geography. Oxford [u.a.: Oxford Univ. Press.

Bendix, J. (2013). Ecosystem services, biodiversity and environmental change in a tropical mountain ecosystem of South Ecuador. Berlin: Springer.

International, B. P. U. (2007). Vietnam ecology & nature protection handbook. S.l.: Intl Business Pubns Usa.

States of the Union,(2002). Ranking America’s Biodiversity. Retrieved from: http://www.natureserve.org/library/stateofunions.pdf

Argue against the continued use of plastic packaging

Clarke, S. (2015). Plastic proves its worth for brands. Packaging News, 10-12.

The source of the article is packaging news. It discusses the industrial plastic packaging and the challenges they face despite the advantages they have. They are lightweight, easy to open, stable and transparent but the ability to print on the material is harmful to the food and to healthcare. There rises the need to cater for the on -going lifestyle with more convenient packaging which is easy to carry, weightless and secure without compromising on the barrier materials and cost-effectiveness (Clarke, 2015). “Biodegradable plastics could be the solution” to plastic packaging as it will be beneficial to all the brand owners and the users  p. 11(Clarke, 2015). Hybrid packaging made from different combinations will not only have attractive features but they will add to barrier protection. But trying to attain the use of rigid plastic as a way of facilitating health care for all there are challenges such as the material, sustainability, political and economic factors facing its achievement (Clarke, 2015).

BLAKE, M. (2014). ARE ANY PLASTICS SAFE?. Mother Jones, 39(2), 18-61.

The source of this article is from mother Jones. The article represents the health effects and the problems that result from the use of plastic materials. “Are any plastics safe?” p. 18 (Blake, 2014). There is the need to stop using baby bottles and Sippy cup for the children as they contain an additive bisphenol which imitates hormone estrogen which has been linked to serious health problems (Blake, 2014).  The fight over the use of plastic bags is of great interest since diseases such as cancer, reducing fertility and shrunken sexual organs will be eliminated.  The findings of the health complications due to the use of plastics threaten the plastic and the chemical makers as they are also in direct contact with the materials (Blake, 2014). As a way of protecting the workers, they work in hand gloves in order to minimize the risk. It is true to say that the use of any plastic is not safe as there are numerous health risks that are as a result of the plastic use hence the need for eliminating them.