BIOLOGY

FORM 3:1, 3:3, 3:5

S. RAHAMAN-JOSEPH

21/1/22

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 Deforestation

Deforestation is the cutting down of trees in the forest to clear the land for
other uses. Deforestation has occurred in Trinidad and Tobago, just as it
has in other areas of the world. Scientists estimate that 80,000 square
kilometers of forest are lost from the world each year.

Forest was cleared in Trinidad to allow sugar to be grown. In Brazil, large

areas of rainforests are being cleared to create cattle ranches. Wood is an

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important commodity used for building lots of things. Another reason why
forests are cleared is to sell the wood obtained from the trees.

In the last note, biodiversity was defined as a measure of how many

different species of plants are found in an area. Forests generally show a
high biodiversity because there are a number of different habitats suitable
for different plants and animals.

Cutting down trees does not just affect the plants and animals that live in
and on them; it also affects those that live on the forest floor. The plants
that can only live in shade are exposed to the strong sunlight when the
trees are removed. When these plants die, they no longer provide cover for
the animals that live around them, so the animals are also lost.

Deforestation can also lead to other undesirable environmental effects. It

increases the likelihood of soil erosion during heavy rains. Burning the trees
that have been cut down raises carbon dioxide levels in the air, and many
more species of plants and animals are lost.

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Threatened species in Trinidad and Tobago

The International Union for Conservation of Nature places threatens

plants threatened plants and animals into three categories:

● . Vulnerable species have a high risk of becoming extinct in the wild in

the medium term future.
● Endangered species have a very high risk of becoming extinct in the
wild in the near future.
● Critically endangered species have an extremely high risk of
becoming extinct in the wild in the immediate future.

Pawi

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The Pawi are at risk of extinction because of hunting and loss of habitat. It
is now only found in an area of 150 kilometers square of forests in the
North East of Trinidad.

Ocelot

Ocelots live alone and hunt at night. They asked if it is not threatened with
extinction worldwide as it is found in some other countries. However, the

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population of ocelots in Trinidad is falling due to hunting and loss of
habitat.

The West Indian manatee

The manatee has no natural enemies but is under threat due to the
activities of people. These include collision with boats, ingestion of
fishhooks and litter and entanglement in fishing nets.

Trinidad white fronted capuchin monkey

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At the last census of these monkeys, in 2008, the estimated total population
of this monkey was only 61. The number is small due mainly to a loss of
habitat.

Invasive alien species

Sometimes species from one area of the world are introduced into another.
This might be by accident., such as insects arriving with imported goods, or
it might be deliberate, such as the introduction of a new food crop.

Invasive alien species(IAS) are species that have out-competed native

species and have spread throughout their new environment.

One major contributor to the success of an introduced species is a lack of

natural predators and foodstuff; the populations of many species are

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controlled by predators, which eat them. Where there is no natural
predator, the population of a species increases unchecked.

The pink mealybug is a serious pest to agriculture because it attacks

important crops.

The black wattle acacia tree produces lots of seeds. The species is
out-competing native forest species for resources.

The red palm mite is so small it can be carried on the wind. It attacks
coconut and other palms such as bananas.

The ancient the Asian green mussel has spread from Asia to other parts of
the world in the ballast water of ships.

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Genetically modified(G.M) crops

Genetically modified crops are produced by using genetic engineering to

modify its characteristics.

Genetic engineering is taking the gene for a particular feature of one

organism and inserting it into the chromosomes of another.

The nucleus of a cell contains information that will allow the cell to copy
itself. This information is found on tiny ribbon light structures called
chromosomes. Each chromosome contains many genes. Each gene is
responsible for some feature of the Organism it comes from. For example,
your chromosomes contain genes that determine such things as the color
of your eyes.

Scientists can take the gene for a particular feature of one organism and
insert it into the chromosomes of another. This is called genetic

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engineering. The technique is used to alter the characteristics of food crops,
producing genetically modified crops by modifying the genes of a food
crop it may be possible to do things like:

● make the crop more resistant to disease.

● make the crop more resistant to drought.
● increased the yield of the crop.

Some scientists have concerns about GM crops. They say the GM

crops could:

● alter the flavor of the food made from them

● cross pollinate with wild species
● lead to the development of superweeds or super pets that are not
killed by herbicides and pesticides.
● cause health problems for the organisms that eat them.

The world's leading producers of GM crops United States, Argentina,

Brazil, Canada, India and China the most commonly grown GM crop in
terms of area under cultivation is maize or corn followed by cotton and
then rapeseed.

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