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Kadie Surgenor Honors American Studies Mr. Wimmer 1/26/11

26 January 2012 “How humans spread both ecological disruption and diversity.” As humans, we depend on biodiversity for food, shelter, and even health. For example, the species that are hunted or fished are used as food, and without diversity among that there would be no differences in what we eat and it would be harder to catch such mass amounts of those species. Another example is how we use trees and such to create the shelters that we have today, and if there were only one kind of shrub in America then we would have a hard time creating shelter for ourselves. 2. What causes the biodiversity to spread amongst America? 3. If diversity in America is so rich and important, why do many Americans resent the incoming immigrants? 4. How can habitats be protected from human invasion? 5. How does the diversity amongst plants and animals in America affect the people living here? 6. In regards to the last question, are there more positive or negative affects? 7. Is America truly more diverse than other countries?
 * Summary**: Erle Ellis is a biologist that has been tracking the diversity in plants, caused by human actions. After doing his investigation, he has conquered that Americans spread the diversity by aiding species invasions. Contrary to what you would think, our human systems have actually caused an increase in the numbers of both plants and animals, and have also caused there to be such diversity within the two. The number of species is also described as "richness", and this richness is the measure of biodiversity.
 * Relevance:** America itself thrives off of diversity. Not only is there diversity in the people, religions, and cultures, but there is also diversity in the plant and animal life. Each person, each culture, each plant, and each animal, all contribute to what America is today. Although when some people hear the word diversity they automatically think of diversity among races, which is not always the case. Biodiversity is also a part of diversity in America, and it is just as important as all of the other sections of diversity. This biodiversity is so important to America because it can enrich the quality of our lives.
 * Evaluation:** It is apparent that diversity in America is crucial. It is a good thing that humans are helping to spread it when it comes to the plants and animals, but humans are also spreading it by interracial marriages. Overall, American diversity simply comes from the humans that live and thrive here in America. Whether it’s the many different races of people we have living here, or the number of exotic plants being spread around the country, America is filled with diversity that keeps us Americans going. On the website that Erle Ellis and others had created, it really gives you the insight on how humans have transformed plant biodiversity in America. While Ellis himself even said “we don’t have a clue how to manage this planet”, he realizes that it is merely impossible to find a habitat untouched by man. Although he brings up a controversial topic by stating that humans moving invasive species into America is good because it creates the diversity. While this is true, there is also the side of the argument that moving one species from one continent to another doesn’t create anymore new species in the world. The article written by Erle Ellis has created arguments among bystanders because the people cannot come to an agreement on whether a human spreading the biodiversity is a good thing or a harmful thing. I personally can see how it is a good thing, because the spread and increase in richness gives us the food shelter and health that we need.
 * Questions:** 1. Is there any way that these habitats can be safely guarded from becoming “profitable monocultures”?

"Culture of the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. . " Human Landscapes | All is not loss: Plant Biodiversity in the Anthropocene." //Laboratory for Anthropogenic Landscape Ecology//. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. []. REVKIN, ANDREW C.. "How Humans Spread Both Ecological Disruption and Diversity - NYTimes.com." //Natural Resources and the Environment - Dot Earth Blog - NYTimes.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. []. "The World & I Diversity in America." //WorldandI.com - Your Window to Our Changing World//. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. [].
 * Works Cited**