Ecology & Natural History At Fontbonne Academy

NinaF, Assignment 4, Final Draft

  A bottle neck is when a system is limited by one or more resources. The bottleneck is a result of conflict between advances in science and technology. Advances in technology and science are used towards gaining economic wealth. On the other hand the advances also bring problems into our environment.

An example of a bottleneck is the pollution brought by airplanes and cars. Another is found with animals such as the cheetah. The population decreases so some of them end up breeding within their bloodline.

Wilson presents arguments from two different perspectives: The economist and the environmentalist. The economist sees the environmental problems as easily fixable. They only focus on how everything is growing. The environmentalist believes that even with ups there are a lot of downs that we have to take caution too. Our society takes advantages of all these advances. If something were to happen it would be harder to fix. The environmentalist says that Earth has lost its ability to regenerate unless global consumption is reduced.

Both the economist and the environmentalist believe that there is an increase in things but the environmentalist thinks more about how resources could be wiped out and how it will be dangerous if it changes. The economist believes there are problems but believes that the economy is more important and that the troubles we have caused to the world can be changed as we move along.

This all relates because it in hopes of benefitting the earth. Wilson states that we should combine the values for the environmental dilemma and that way life can be safely conducted through the bottleneck that humans have made a hole in.

EGarcia,Assignment 04, Final Draft

The bottleneck which E.O. Wilson discusses pertains to modern day humans, their lifestyle and the consequences of it. He repeatedly stresses the seriousness of the present situations that humanity has put it in. Population and scientific advance, both continually increase and exponentially high rates. Rates that are so high in fact that the earth and its natural resources, on which all life depends can not keep up.

As the human population, currently over 6 billion individuals, continues to grow the amount of space and necessitates required to sustain them also increases. In order to reach these needs that the growing population has people, especially the scientists and businessmen of the world stay at work improving old ideas and coming up with new ones. There are advances in all fields of study and commerce. Even beyond that, changes in those areas create changes in human culture and their life. Technological and medical advances, like antibiotics, refrigeration, vaccinations, purified water, and planes make it possible for humans to live longer, travel further, and be more “productive” in their lifetime.

These oh-so-wonderful advances make enrich culture but they come at a high price to the environment and its resources. This involves the obliteration of entire ecosystems and the deterioration of many others and the species residing there. While the economist argues that these occurrences are merely part of a phase that is to be expected, is normal, and will pass the educated mind of an ecologist knows better.

Such an ecologist or even a high school student can infer that that economist might be correct about certain things that were part of such a statement. These occurrences are to be expected. Why not? The treatment of the earth by humans could not truly yield any other result except destruction. Those advances in aviation are wonderful for increasing the efficiency of business, and even aids in medical treatment. But the environmentalist points out that the pollution of such technology that has been so cherished like planes and cars hurts the earth and humanity in the long run. Wilson refers to studies that found that Earth’s capacity was exceeded years ago in 1978. So while the people who are already crowding the Earth continue with their advances, while helpful the Earth can not withstand their effect. While the economist deems these situations as normality, the ecologist can see that they are not but can agree that the economist is right in saying that this will pass.

Time can not be stopped, and continually presses on. Stating that this is all a phase might be true. If so, however it would be a phase of the world not of humanity. For if such a “phase” is allowed to continue it will be the last humans ever act on. Eventually this “bottleneck” will pass, or hopefully something will pass survive passing through. Despite the economist’s argument, supported with all the benefits of technology the ecologist understands that the important question remains is who will be left when it does, and what will they be left with?

 

ClaireC, Assignment 04, Final draft

The bottleneck effect can be extremely detrimental to an ecosystem. Though it is possible to happen to humans, we see it happening to animals much more; for example the cheetah. When a bottleneck occurs it means that a large community dwindles down to a small community. This can keep dwindling down to near extinction. This has been evident in animals, but Wilson is now saying that humans should be careful because we also face a bottleneck.

            Wilson starts the second chapter by talking about how humans have changed so much from the twentieth century to now, the twenty first century. In the twentieth century we were dark and savage and accepted the destruction of ecosystems and million year old species. Now we have changed a substantial amount. In the twenty first century we have been “awakened from our delirium” and now are providing more for our Earth. Wilson says that this happened because in the twentieth century we had science and technology combined with lack of self-understanding and Paleolithic obstinacy. Now in the twenty first century science and technology are combined with foresight and moral courage and this will get us out of the dilemma we are in. In class we discussed some forms of technology, which have helped us advance. We now have vaccines and antibiotics, which prevent and heal us from disease. We also are educated more on how we can keep ourselves healthy and live longer and reproduce in the world. We have a waste management system and clean water which keep us free of bacteria. In addition, we have transportation, such as refrigeration of products through trucks or airplanes. But we do not use this technology to all of our advantage. Technology such as transportation has even hurt our world more because of the air pollution is causes. Yet, we still use transportation even though it hurts our world so much. This is because we are getting economic growth from it, and we have become a world that cares more about wealth gain than the own health of our world.

            Wilson also discusses the differing views between economists and environmentalists. Wilson clearly does not agree with the economists. Their view is that it does not really matter what we are doing wrong to our world now, because we will fix everything later. It is kind of a lazy point of view and will eventually hurt the Earth very badly. Wilson uses the green revolution as an example for the economists. The green revolution raised crop yields in the developing countries and can be repeated with new technology. The economists see this as human entrepreneurship will nourish the world. They are much more into the ideology that human’s dominance is the world’s destiny. Wilson says that this attitude is due to political mismanagment, rather than actual calculations. They support their idea by saying that with the green revolution, which dramatically rasied crop yields in the developing countries, new technology can be repeated so why should we doubt that humans can keep us flourishing forever. The environmentalists have a completely different point of view, they want to preserve the health of our planet. They understand that the problems of our world need to be solved now and cannot be left until later. Environmentalists believe that “The appropriation of productive land—the ecological footprint—is already too large for the planet to sustain and it’s growing larger”. Wilson talks about how a recent study that says that the Earth’s capacity was exceeded around the year 1978. And by 2000, it was 1.4 times that capacity. The environmentalist’s point of view also talks about as harvesting and processing techniques improved, the hunt for whales increased. Whale populations continually declined and are now close to extinction. This includes several different species, one being the blue whale. They extend this argument to falling ground water, drying rivers, and shrinking per capita arable land., The environmentalist reinforces the idea through this concept that something needs to be done now because the problem is becoming unbearable.

            Our world is growing at an alarming rate. Countries like China have amazingly high populations that their land is just not able to support. Though we have come a long way from the twentieth century, Wilson stresses that we all need to pay more attention to the things around us. We need to take charge of our planet and make use of the science and technology provided to us so that our world can be prolonged for many more centuries.

Assignment 04 Final Draft LovingI.

 

 

  In Chapter Two of The Future of Life, Wilson begins to discuss in a more serious matter some of the issues surrounding our Century of the environment. We are introduced to the “bottleneck effect”. The bottleneck effect deals with a small number of organisms trying to cope. This is the case with our immediate environment. We as a people are in fact contributing to some problems that have arisen especially the over population of our Earth in a century where we as humans are indeed trying to cope with the outcomes of this increase in population. Wilson uses points of views from an economist focused on production and consumption and an environmentalist who is focused themselves on unsustainable crop yields, overdrawn aquifers, and threatened ecosystems. These two perspectives differ in their opinions, but also are comparable in some ways.

  Wilson discusses how science and technology along with foresight and moral courage will and must see us through the bottleneck presenting his opinion through the views of an  economist and environmentalist .The economist argues that although our environment suffers from its own problems, they can be solved and that our environment is prosperous in itself. The economist says that the national products of industry all over the world continue to rise and puts a positive view on the world stating that even though the world population has greatly increased, while it has increased, the food and crops has managed to keep up and increase as well. But the economist does mention some negatives saying that fibers are declining steeply in most parts of the world, but agriforestry (a method and system of land management involving the simultaneous cultivation of far crops and trees) has managed to provide aid to the declining fibers seeing as to how more than 20% of industrial wood fiber now comes from tree plantations. he/she believes that Human dominance is Earth’s destiny” and that harmful disturbances humans have inflicted can be moderated and reversed as time goes on. He states that is is  "genius and effort" that have transformed the environment to work in faveor for humans. This can be anything from electricity, to cars, computers, cellphones,etc. all things created to  be beneficial to  human life today.

  The environmentalist on the other hand has a different way of seeing things. He agrees that “humanity has learned how to create an economy driven paradise”, but says that is only true on a large flexible planet. The environmentalist believes that we should not look to GNPs (Gross National Products) and corporate annual reports for an accurate view of our world’s economic future. The environmentalist also argues that what counts in the long term is the content of economic growth with natural resources accounted for, not just the income in products and currency. He/she stresses that the earth has lost its ability to change and that global exhaustion needs to be reduced and global production elevated or both.Negative effects he states would include natural resources such as fresh water especially and arable land dinimishing and causing the economy lose its steam as well as the effort to enlarge productive land wiping out a large part of the world's fauna and flora. 

   Both the environmentalist and economist agree that there has been an overwhelming increase in population. While the economist sees this as something that will be positive for our Earth, the envrironmentalist believes that this will affect the Earth negatively.  Both present views on the issue that help us to see the factors that are involved in our Earth’s  future and through their opinions we see the affect that the bottleneck will continue to have on our Earth’s growing population and what we must do to help in the future of our planet Earth.

KatieG, Assignment 04, Final

    The “bottleneck” Wilson refers to is the critical time in the near future when the human population will either slow its growth rate and begin preserving the earth or increase exponentially and likely run out of natural resources. As Wilson relates, the statistics are staggering. In 1950 there were 2.5 billion people on earth. Now there are over six billion. Advances in science and technology have enabled this rise. Medical advances, such as the invention of antibiotics and vaccines as well as lifestyle changes like increased literacy and cleanliness have all increased the average lifespan. This progress however, comes at a price. The world’s resources are finite and there are limits to how much stress the environment can handle. Whether these advances and the increased lifespan can be used for the earth’s good or whether the human race has already pushed the planet too far is the subject of much debate.

   Wilson relates the viewpoints of an archetypical economist whose main concerns are production and consumption. He believes the planet is “perpetually fruitful” and that technology can be used to reverse damage to the earth. According to him, human progress, both social and economic is what is important. The environmentalist, however, sees the world’s resources as limited. If population growth and consumption are not curtailed the earth’s resources will essentially be used up. The environmentalist feels immediate action must be taken. To legitimize the feelings of the environmentalist, Wilson points out that the average American requires twenty-four acres to live (this includes the average amount of land appropriated in bits and pieces from around the world for water, food, energy, transportation, housing, commerce and waste absorption) while the average person in a developing country requires just two and a half acres. If every person in the world reached American levels of consumption, four more planet earths would be required. Unlike the economist, the environmentalist does not believe these issues will resolve themselves. The environmentalist sees the earth not as a playground to be used recklessly but as a fragile ecosystem that needs immediate care.  

   Although the viewpoints differ greatly, Wilson comments that the majority of people have both a little of the economist and the environmentalist inside them. Both care about human progress. The environmentalist, however believes that human progress is now coming at a price that is much too high.    

 

 

marlok, assignment4, finaldraft

   Wilson describes in chapter two the term bottleneck, and what the world may soon be facing. The bottleneck Wilson describes is how technology helped the population of the world grow to a huge number, a number that without technology the world would not have reached, but at the same time how the technology will not be able to erase of the problems it caused the world. Cheetahs are also facing a bottleneck of their own, the poaching and lack of food is causing the cheetahs number to decrease; human technology is killing already endangered species.

    The world's population has reached past six billion, a number that would not have been obtainable without advancements in technology. Sewage systems, refrigeration, vaccines/ medicine are little improvements that has brought the worlds population to the number it is today. The technology today is also increasing the world's population, cures for diseases and research advancement in the science world are saving people's lives. But with this advancement in technology, wealth and power plays a role. There comes a point when people are more concerned with the money they would make then the change they would bring. The technology we have available today, is now becoming a demand in society rather than a luxury. The advancement in technology is causing more problems in the world then it is solving, transportation is an advancement in technology but the pollution it is causing, in some eyes could be seen as a bigger problem rather than a good advancement.

    In his text, Wilson shows both an economist and an environmentalist's view on the bottleneck. Both agree that a bottleneck occurred and the world's population is a high as it is due to the advancement in technology. But the economist would argue that the advancement in technology is something that should keep going. They believe that the success we have as human being should be used to advance in the world and the advancement in technology we are seeing should not stop. On the other hand, environmentalist would argue that the advancement needs to slow down or stop because it is causing more problems in the world then it is solving.

     The environmentalists know the world is in a crisis due to the advancement in technology, the people who are listening to the environmentalists are the ones making a difference in the world. While the economist would encourage the poaching of cheetahs to increase the fur trade and meat, the environmentalists is trying to stop the killing of endangered animals. Over all the environmentalists are the people who will be saving the world. They are the people who are trying to stop the advancement in more technology, they see that it has done more damage to the world that it has helped. With the bottleneck the human population is facing, the world according to Wilson will only survive if we follow the ways of the environmentalists.

CaraM Assignment 4 Final Draft

    In this chapter of The Future of Life, Wilson uses the term bottleneck to describe how species survive when faced with harsh lifestyles. For instance, cheetahs are trying to make it through the bottleneck by committing incest because they are being over hunted and their only solution is to mate with their own family to survive. Another species that made it through the bottleneck is the human race. However, is our new technology and increased population destroying the earth?

    Although the new technology that humans have discovered has dramatically improved our lives and increase the life span for humans technology may be what is killing the earth. Technology, such as water treatment plants, helps us live healthier by cleaning the water supply that may be contaminated by waste bacteria that may have seeped into the ground. Refrigerators are also a technology that has helped humans keep food from spoiling. This has also helped prevent illnesses caused by bacteria from spoiled food. But all of these examples are hurting our earth by cutting down forest to build factories and polluting our planet.

    Wilson refers to the economist and environmentalist to show the positive and negative sides to the advancements of technology.  The economist believes that the environment will be fine despite the growing industries that have benefited the world's economy and help with world literacy. The Economist states "Human rule is Earth's destiny" (Wilson 26). meaning humans have control on the Earth's state of environmental health. On the other hand, the environmentalist acknowledges the improvements of human life, but also sees how the environment around us is in a decline and we won't be able to afford to clean up the mess we have made. the enviromentalist believes we are in way over our heads to fix all the problems and stress that we put on our planet. Although the economy will be great in our future, the earth’s resource will probably not be available because of the over use of technology.

    China is a great example to how the environment cannot keep up with an increased population because China relies on a watering system for crops. If the watering system fails then they will not be able to feed everyone and wouldn't be able to borrow food because of their surplus population. As the increase of technology and population keeps growing, the earth is unfortunately starting to decline due to overusing resources. So perhaps the human race was a little too successful going through the bottleneck. 

CaitlinD, Assignment 04, Final Draft

    In the second chapter of the Future of Life, Wilson describes the bottle neck theory. Many species undergo this bottle neck, even humans. The bottle neck theory is that as population increases, we damage the environment. Society has a race to improve technology, which in turn destroys the environment. Our ability to fix the environment will be overwhelmed by the damage that has already been done. Some examples are agriculture, transportation, and energy. The bottleneck is described by Wilson is an effect that occurs when a population gets decreasingly smaller and smaller to the point of extinction.  Because of this bottle neck effect, the population becomes so small that often species are forced to mate with members of their own family in order to maintain and sustain life.

    Wilson compares the different views of the 20th and 21st centuries in this chapter.  He describes the twentieth century as a "dark and savage age of world wars, genocide, and totalitarian ideologies" which clearly shows his opinion of their treatment of the natural world during this period of time.  In the text he says that all of these natural resources were wasted.  For the 21st century, Wilson states that "we may be ready to settle down before we wreck the planet." He shows how in this day and age, society is beginning to realize that in time man will completely ruin the natural world, and society will have nothing left of it. He shows how society became aware of the damage that has been done in the past, and that it is crucial to repair what has been broken.

    For every species that goes through the bottle neck, they must come up with technological advances, in order to survive. Over the past several hundred years humans have greatly increased their rate of survival, life expectancy, and health with the introduction of new technologies. Some examples are vaccines/antibiotics, sewage regulation, education, industrial advances, and refrigeration. These technological advances allow more people, but rapidly destroys the environment. , Wilson suggests, and in a sense, fears, that one day we will no longer have the ability to fix our damaged environment with technological advancements because our technology is what damaged the environment in the first place. In the bottle neck, each of the HIPPO factors become more and more severe. An example of this happening is Global warming.

    Wilson also talks about the differences between environmentalists and economists in this chapter. Wilson specifically compares and contrasts their differences in terms of the environment.  Economists are "focused on production and consumption." They are more focused on specific numbers. Wilson states that the economists ask these two questions "How much resources do we have left?  How long will it take us to get more resources?"  Although these are important and necessary questions to be asked in order to save the earth's resources, Wilson believes that rather than asking, they should be doing. Wilson believes in spreading the word about this issue to society in order to fix the problem. Wilson favors the ideas and work of the environmentalists, they work diligently to come up with solutions, and to them, it is the main purpose, they believe in the outcome, for the better of the environment. The environmentalist says that  " the planet...is exhausted and in trouble. The environmentalist understands that the earth's resources are limited. They know that if keeps population growing and consumption keeps happening, the earth’s resources will essentially be completely used up. Wilson states that he believes that the majority of society obtain a little bit of both of these ideologies. Although their opinions differ, both are concerned about human progress. The environmentalist however believes that human progress is now coming at too high of a cost and Wilson agrees. The economists plan for the future which demands overuse of the planet’s resources with the hope the hope that advances in technology could undo the damage, which Wilson says is naive.  Both the environmentalists and economists argue over what the earth needs most, and what are more sufficient ways to handle the problems.

    In today's complex world, where everything seems possible, it is hard to ignore the damage society has caused for the environment. With each technological advance, more wreckage is built up. The environment is a main, necessary, and vital part of the lives of humans. Our natural resources should not be taken for granted, because if the society does not start a plan of action to save them, one day, they will no longer exist. 

GabriellaM, assignment 4, final draft

    Bottleneck is a term used within the animal kingdom when a specific group of species is being over hunted and their only way of survival and reproduction is through incest mating. A good example of this is the cheetah. The second largest specie in the cat family, the cheetah is the fastest recorded land mammal. Due to over hunting of cheetah fur, they are becoming desperate for mates. The cheetah is aware of one thing: in order to keep the population growing, they must mate. Due to separation and dominant males taking over one another’s groups, two sibling cheetah’s mating is something they have been obligated to do lately because of the sudden disappearance of the cheetah population.

    In The Future of Life, E.O. Wilson discuss’ why the bottleneck effect is occurring with the human population. Due to over population with humans and the way we are using the natural resources from the Earth, the bottleneck is happening to us since the Earth is not replenishing itself immediately. Over population is the outcome of more and more couples deciding to have bigger families. Wilson blames medicine and technology for the baby boom because the improvements and discoveries of antibiotics, vaccines, purified water and humane living conditions elongate and promote healthier lives. Women now often use birth control contraceptives so the population is better under control, but for a long while bottleneck was facing the human population because we were hastefully using the Earth’s natural resources.

    Although improvements in technology and medicine are the cause for bottleneck to the Earth, medicine and technology have upgraded the health care so the life expectancy of children has been tripled so they can live until a ripe old age. One hundred years ago, children would die after a couple years old because they were diagnosed with tuberculosis or hay fever; diseases which were incurable and lethal to one’s health. With the vaccinations for nearly every disease known to man kind (not every disease, but most), tuberculosis and hay fever are not even apparent to the United States any longer.

    Wilson takes two sides on the issue of bottleneck; an economist and an environmentalist. The economist is similar to the business man. He believes that technology is a great thing and without technology we would not be as advanced as we are today. He believes we should continue the use and improvements of technology. The environmentalist has a different point of view; he believes that although technology has helped us up until this point, we should halt from using it at this point and forward because it will cause severe side effects with the earth. Air travel is a controversial issue between economists and environmentalists. An economist would say they love avionics! And there is nothing like a face-to-face business meeting. It transports food, flowers, mail, and it is now said that air travel is safer than using a car! But, an environmentalist would say the noise can psychologically harm people, and the pollution damages the o-zone layer and contributes to green house gasses. Although the economist and environmentalist do share different beliefs, they do have one thing in common: technology has helped our country’s development tremendously, and with out technology our country would not have some of the best medical and health care systems in the world. 

 

 

   

 

    An air plane preparing

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nadaE Assignment04 Final

  The bottleneck that Wilson is trying to portray for the reader in this chapter is that of the current human life struggle. Humans are going through a bottleneck of their own, trying to cope with the massive damage they’ve wrought upon the organism inhabitants of earth, the atmosphere itself, and worldly resources with new technology. The only way to solve such an issue is to look into two points of view; the view of the economist and the view of the ecologist, for guidance on resolving such issues.

            The economist argues that what the world is currently going through is a byproduct of success. Such a rediculas claim is only supported by money earned by consumption. The economist feels that the earnings of such success are mostly benefitial and argues that the human race consumes so many resources, that the damage taking place to our single most important biome is a healthy phase that will blow over. The only similar notion the economist shares with the ecologist is that this ‘phase’ that out world is undergoing has the ability to be dynamic, or change.  

            The ecologist, on the other hand, naturally disagrees with almost everything brought up by the economist. While the economist measures in consumption and benefit, the economist focuses on the overall being of one thing; this case being the earth. The ecologist knows that the earth is in a crisis, and that the ever-rising population of humans is not helping whatsoever. The only way the earth can ever recover from such a massive blow to it’s resources and atmosphere is for it to be nurtured and assisted. The ecologist, having less power than the economist, can only inform others on right decisions to help repair the damage done to the earth. The people who chose to listen to the ecologist over the economist are the ones who are really making the most difference.

    Both of these points of view can be directed toward the bottleneck of the cheetahs. As discussed in class, cheetahs are going through their own population struggle. Excessive poaching and environmental destruction make food scarce and difficult to obtain. In the case of the cheetahs, poachers would be the economists, saying that the cheetahs were fine and could suffice on their own. Reserve rangers or just sympathetic people in general would be the ecologist, saying that the environment and human technology are to blame.

            Overall, the bottleneck has also been extremely influenced by both positive and negative upgrades in technology. While vaccinations, sewage treatment, water treatment and modern transportation all benefit humans by keeping them safe and making life convenient, they actually damage the earth itself. All of these advances in technology help keep humans alive and healthier longer, which is what assists in population growth, disease eradication (which is good in the worldly sense, since it increases natural selection/population control), atmospheric damage, and resource damage. With all these new technologies that need to be fueled and running, people have raped the earth of resources, and it would have to take 4 more planet earths just to keep up with the growth and consumption of the American standard of living. While the economists in us keep looking to the bright and happy future at the end of this ‘phase’, the ecologist in us all knows that action has to be taken now to steer technology in the direction of controlling how the earth as a whole further evolves.

DanielleQ, Assignment04, Final Draft

A bottleneck is a phenomenon where the performance or capacity of an entire system is limited by a single or limited number of components or resources. What Wilson means is while there is an increase in the human population there is a decrease in the environment.  While an economist studies how society distributes resources an environmentalist studies the concerns for the environment.   

The conflict of this bottleneck is that while the advances in science technology benefit the human population, it has a harsh and long term effect on the surrounding environment. In an economist perspective the worries of the environment are not as important of the worries of the humans because, even though it is at a slightly slower pace, the regeneration process of the forests is happening at around the same time of their destruction. Their argument is that it is necessary to make some sacrifices in order to benefit society as it has lead to some of greatest achievements in history such as vaccines and technology.

In an environmentalist perspective just because the regeneration process is happening, it does not mean that the natural resources should be squandered so easily. Eventually an area will run out of fresh water and arable land and the only other option will be to move the research to another area. It is just not worth using up all of the natural resources on an experiment that might have little to no effect on current science technology. Their argument is that it is some of that technology’s fault that we now face threats like global warming and loss of habits of important species of animals.

Both of these perspectives have the idea to use some of the natural resources to benefit science technology in order to make life better for the human species. However, these perspectives vary greatly when it comes to how much of the resources should be used. While economist desires to use as much resources for research as possible an environmentalist only desires to use what is needed and not a drop more. While both groups have a common goal, their plans of action could not be more different.

BetsyO assignment 04 final

    A modern term in the field of ecology is Bottleneck. A bottleneck is a hindrance when it comes to production and development. An excellent example are the cheetahs, they are now facing a bottleneck, because they were overhunted so the population has gone down with the small population of cheetahs in Africa animal incest has become rampant, for each animal knows to survive they need to mate. To begin studying the bottleneck one must look to the past and study Darwin, what he studied. What has been the main cause of the bottleneck is the founder affect. The founder affect is when a very small group of individuals from a large group arrive at a new habitat; in fact they are invasive species.

    In the text The Future of Life by E.O Wilson he discusses and explains why a bottleneck is facing the human population, the reason is because more and more people are having children and the growth of the population and the decrease of lands and renewable resources are what are killing our planet. Wilson states that with the advancement in technology and medicine is the blame. With birth mortality low in many civilized countries more and more women are having babies. However with the advancement of contraception women are not having as many children as they once did. This is a main reason for the bottleneck and also with our demand for technological advancement the idea of renewable resources has been tossed aside.

    What technology has done to us as a society is put the pressure of more advancement in the fields of science and medicine, with the advancement of medicine people are living longer. Two hundred years ago children would be dying because of illnesses that now a days we have vaccines for. For Example as babies our parents take us to a doctor and we are vaccinated from whooping cough and polio. With the new vaccines and more affordable health care. Also with the advancement of technology education has become more available. Also the simple things which many people take advantage of today such as refrigeration, which is a fairly new advance in kitchen appliances, years ago if meat was spoiled people would just cook it a little longer and soon became sick with salmonella poisoning.

    In the text Wilson steps out of bounds and reviews the bottleneck in two points of view; the economist and the environmentalist.  In his economists point of view he explains how nothing is wrong with the advances in technology affecting the environment. The economist pleads that because of Agriforestry, we are not cutting down as much trees as we once were so the environment is not taking as big as a hit as people are saying it is. He also believes that with the innovation of flight as a society we are not polluting the air as we used to. The economist and the environmentalist disagree in another way; the economist states that we as a society have transformed the environment to benefit human life. The environmentalist argues that we should be finding ways to improve our environment not hinder it as we are doing now, we are using non renewable resources and as a society we are not planning for the future. Also the environmentalist thinks that although air travel may seem like an excellent idea, you need to take in affect what mode of transportation is needed to get to the air port and the construction of the airport. However the economist and the environmentalist both agree that we have come leaps and bounds in other areas of study we still need to improve more so in technology and in medicine.

GillianM, Assignment 04, Final draft

The term bottleneck refers to an extremely dangerous occurrence for living things on earth.  The bottleneck effect occurs when a specific population gets decreasingly smaller and smaller to the point where they could be close to extinction.  Because the population becomes so small, often individuals are forced to mate with members of their own family, which can sometimes cause genetic problems.  The bottleneck effect is something that many species have gone  through, even humans.  Clearly because we are alive, humans were able to overcome the bottleneck effect but other species were not so lucky. 

In Wilson's chapter The Bottleneck, he points out the differences between the twentieth and the twenty-first century.  He describes the twentieth century as a "dark and savage age of world wars, genocide, and totalitarian ideologies"(22).  Wilson says that because of these circumstances, people neglected the worlds natural resources and in a lot of ways wasted them.  He then goes on to describe the twenty-first century as a point in time when "we may be ready to settle down before we wreck the planet"(22).  This was the point where we realized that we need to save earth's resources because we keep wasting them, and that will only hurt us in the long run. 

Because the bottleneck effect causes so many problems for the species that is going through it, the members of this population have to work together to come up with technological advances that will increase their rate of survival.  For example, thousands of years ago, when humans went through the bottleneck, they had to create ways to help themselves.  Over the years humans have greatly increased their rate of survival with the introduction of new technology like vaccines, antibiotics, agriculture, transportation, and the realization of the importance of cleanliness.  All these things, along with many others, have contributed to the human race surviving.  They are resources that make our lives easier and make us healthier.  Though these resources were all introduced to the world to help us, unfortunately our reliance on them has caused us to damage our environment.  In terms of agriculture, we repeatedly plant crops in the same area and damage the soil.  We also use pesticides that damage the soil, and make our crops unhealthy.  In terms of transportation, we have become so reliant on cars and other forms of transportation that we use them to go everywhere.  Cars release carbon dioxide into the air, which damages our ozone layer.  Because of this, Wilson suggests that at a certain point we will no longer have the ability to fix our damaged environment with technology because our technology is what damaged it in the first place.

In this chapter Wilson also talks about the differences between two groups of people, who have two different opinions on the bottleneck. These two groups are the environmentalists and the economics.  He says that economists are "focused on production and consumption" (24).  He means that they are more focused on specific numbers.  How much resources do we have left?  How long will it take us to get more resources?  The economists feel that as long as we keep making advancements in technology in the world, the earth's troubles will eventually disappear.  Wilson does not favor this group.  He feels that they go out there and spread the message that we have nothing to worry about, when in reality we have to make efforts to restore earths resources.  On the other hand Wilson definitely favors the environmentalists.  He likes that they work hard to come up with solutions, and that is their sole purpose.  They are not in it for the money or the acclaim.  The environmentalist says that  " the planet...is exhausted and in trouble."  Both groups make arguments for what the earth needs most and it seems as though the economists really have no concern at all for what will happen to earth, while the environmentalists give simple ideas for how to make it better. 

It is clear that the earth is in desperate need of help.  It seems as though you can not turn on the t.v. without hearing something about saving the environment.  People would not be going through all the trouble of spreading this message if there was not an issue there so we need to follow the advice of the environmentalists and do what needs to be done to save our planet.

EdnaG, Assignment 04, 1st Draft

 

The bottleneck which E.O. Wilson discusses pertains to modern day humans, their lifestyle and the consequences of it. He repeatedly stresses the seriousness of the present situations that humanity has put itself in. Population and scientific advance, both continually increase and exponentially high rates. Rates that are so high in fact, that the earth and its natural resources, on which all life depends can not keep up.

As the human population,currently over 6 billion individuals, continues to grow the amount of space and necessitates required to sustain them also increases. In order to reach these needs that the growing population has people, especially the scientists and businessmen of the world stay at work improving old ideas and coming up with new ones. There are advances in all fields of study and commerce. Even beyond that, changes in those areas create changes in human culture and their life. Technological and medical advances, like antibiotics, refrigeration, vaccinations, purified water, and planes make it possible for humans to live longer, travel further, and be more “productive” in their lifetime.

These oh-so-wonderful advances make enrich culture but they come at a high price to the environment and its resources. This involves the obliteration of entire ecosystems and the deterioration of many others and the species residing there. While the economist argues that these occurrences are merely part of a phase that is to be expected, is normal, and will pass the educated mind of an ecologist knows better.

Such an ecologist, or even a high school student can infer that that economist may be correct about certain things that were part of such a statement. These occurrences are to be expected. Why not? The treatment of the earth by humans could not truly yield any other result except destruction. While deeming such events in the world as a normality can not hold, the second part that is true is that this will pass.

Time can not be stopped, and continually presses on. Stating that this is all a phase might be true. If so, however it would be a phase of the world not of humanity. For if such a “phase” is allowed to continue it will be the last humans ever act on. Eventually this “bottleneck” will pass, or hopefully something will pass survive passing through. The important question remains is who will be left when it does, and what will they be left with?

KatieG, Assignment 04, Draft

    The “bottleneck” Wilson refers to is the critical time in the near future when the human population will either slow its growth rate and begin preserving the earth or increase exponentially and likely run out of natural resources. Wilson relates staggering statistics. In 1950 there were 2.5 billion people on earth. Now there are over six billion. Advances in science and technology have enabled this rise. Medical advances, such as the invention of antibiotics and vaccines as well as lifestyle changes like increased literacy and cleanliness have all lengthened the average lifespan. This progress however, comes at a price. The world’s resources are finite and there are limits to how much stress the environment can handle. Whether these advances and the increased lifespan can be used for the earth’s good or whether the human race has already pushed the planet too far is the subject of much debate.

    Wilson relates the viewpoints of an archetypical economist whose main concerns are production and consumption. He believes the planet is “perpetually fruitful” and that technology can be used to reverse damage to the earth. According to him, human progress, both social and economical, is what is important. The environmentalist, however, sees the world’s resources as limited. If population growth and consumption are not curtailed the earth’s resources will essentially be used up.

    Although the viewpoints differ greatly, Wilson comments that the majority of people have both a little of the economist and the environmentalist inside them. Both perspectives show concern for human progress. The environmentalist however believes that human progress is now coming at a price that is much too high. Wilson agrees. To trust the economists’ plan for the future, which entails continued overuse of the planet’s resources tempered only by the hope that new technology could undo the damage, Wilson suggests is naive.

    There is no guarantee that the human race will survive. Our actions now and in the near future will determine whether or not we make it through the bottleneck. Of course it is our natural instinct to believe progress is good, however, we must temper our economist like thinking with the environmentalist’s voice of reason and ask ourselves if there is such a thing as too much progress. Looking at the sobering facts, it appears the answer is yes.          

nadaE Assignment04 Draft

            The bottleneck that Wilson is trying to portray for the reader in this chapter is that of the current human life struggle. Humans are going through a bottleneck of their own, trying to cope with the massive damage they’ve wrought upon the organism inhabitants of earth, the atmosphere itself, and worldly resources with new technology. The only way to solve such an issue is to look into two points of view; the view of the economist and the view of the ecologist, for guidance on resolving such issues.

            The economist argues that what the world is currently going through is a byproduct of success. Such a rediculas claim is only supported by money earned by consumption. The economist feels that the earnings of such success are mostly benefitial and argues that the human race consumes so many resources, that the damage taking place to our single most important biome is a healthy phase that will blow over. The only similar notion the economist shares with the ecologist is that this ‘phase’ that out world is undergoing has the ability to be dynamic, or change.  

            The ecologist, on the other hand, naturally disagrees with almost everything brought up by the economist. While the economist measures in consumption and benefit, the economist focuses on the overall being of one thing; this case being the earth. The ecologist knows that the earth is in a crisis, and that the ever-rising population of humans is not helping whatsoever. The only way the earth can ever recover from such a massive blow to it’s resources and atmosphere is for it to be nurtured and assisted. The ecologist, having less power than the economist, can only inform others on right decisions to help repair the damage done to the earth. The people who chose to listen to the ecologist over the economist are the ones who are really making the most difference.

            Overall, the bottleneck has also been extremely influenced by both positive and negative upgrades in technology. While vaccinations, sewage treatment, water treatment and modern transportation all benefit humans by keeping them safe and making life convenient, they actually damage the earth itself. All of these advances in technology help keep humans alive and healthier longer, which is what assists in population growth, disease eradication (which is good in the worldly sense, since it increases natural selection/population control), atmospheric damage, and resource damage. With all these new technologies that need to be fueled and running, people have raped the earth of resources, and it would have to take 4 more planet earths just to keep up with the growth and consumption of the American standard of living. While the economists in us keep looking to the bright and happy future at the end of this ‘phase’, the ecologist in us all knows that action has to be taken now to steer technology in the direction of controlling how the earth as a whole further evolves.

image of the hole in the O-zone layer; a side effect of global warming and pollution due to the over-exhaust of fossil fuels.

image from blogs.nature.com

ClaireC, Assignment 04, Draft

            The bottleneck effect can be extremely detrimental to an ecosystem. Though it is possible to happen to humans, we see it happening to animals much more; for example the cheetah. When a bottleneck occurs it means that a large community dwindles down to a small community. This can keep dwindling down to near extinction. This has been evident in animals, but Wilson is now saying that humans should be careful because we also face a bottleneck.

            Wilson starts the second chapter by talking about how humans have changed so much from the twentieth century to now, the twenty first century. In the twentieth century we were dark and savage and accepted the destruction of ecosystems and million year old species. Now we have changed a substantial amount. In the twenty first century we have been “awakened from our delirium” and now are providing more for our Earth. Wilson says that this happened because in the twentieth century we had science and technology combined with lack of self-understanding and Paleolithic obstinacy. Now in the twenty first century science and technology are combined with foresight and moral courage and this will get us out of the dilemma we are in. In class we discussed some forms of technology, which have helped us advance. We now have vaccines and antibiotics, which prevent and heal us from disease. We also are educated more on how we can keep ourselves healthy and live longer and reproduce in the world. We have a waste management system and clean water which keep us free of bacteria. In addition, we have transportation, such as refrigeration of products through trucks or airplanes. But we do not use this technology to all of our advantage. Technology such as transportation has even hurt our world more because of the air pollution is causes. Yet, we still use transportation even though it hurts our world so much. This is because we are getting economic growth from it, and we have become a world that cares more about wealth gain than the own health of our world.

            Wilson also discusses the differing views between economists and environmentalists. Wilson clearly does not agree with the economists. Their view is that it does not really matter what we are doing wrong to our world now, because we will fix everything later. It is kind of a lazy point of view and will eventually hurt the Earth very badly. Wilson uses the green revolution as an example for the economists. The green revolution raised crop yields in the developing countries and can be repeated with new technology. The economists see this as human entrepreneurship will nourish the world. They are much more into the ideology that human’s dominance is the world’s destiny. The environmentalists have a completely different point of view, they want to preserve the health of our planet. They understand that the problems of our world need to be solved now and cannot be left until later.

            Our world is growing at an alarming rate. Countries like China have amazingly high populations that their land is just not able to support. Though we have come a long way from the twentieth century, Wilson stresses that we all need to pay more attention to the things around us. We need to take charge of our planet and make use of the science and technology provided to us so that our world can be prolonged for many more centuries.

CaitlinD, Assignment 04, First Draft

In the second chapter of the Future of Life, Wilson describes the bottle neck theory. Many species undergo this bottle neck, even humans. The bottle neck theory is that as population increases, we damage the environment. Society has a race to improve technology, which in turn destroys the environment. Our ability to fix the environment will be overwhelmed by the damage that has already been done. Some examples are agriculture, transportation, and energy. The bottleneck is described by Wilson is an effect that occurs when a population gets decreasingly smaller and smaller to the point of extinction.  Because of this bottle neck effect, the population becomes so small that often species are forced to mate with members of their own family in order to maintain and sustain life.

Wilson compares the different views of the 20th and 21st centuries in this chapter.  He describes the twentieth century as a "dark and savage age of world wars, genocide, and totalitarian ideologies" which clearly shows his opinion of their treatment of the natural world during this period of time.  In the text he says that all of these natural resources were wasted.  For the 21st century, Wilson states that "we may be ready to settle down before we wreck the planet." He shows how in this day and age, society is beginning to realize that in time man will completely ruin the natural world, and society will have nothing left of it. He shows how society became aware of the damage that has been done in the past, and that it is crucial to repair what has been broken.

For every species that goes through the bottle neck, they must come up with technological advances, in order to survive. Over the past several hundred years humans have greatly increased their rate of survival, life expectancy, and health with the introduction of new technologies. Some examples are vaccines/antibiotics, sewage regulation, education, industrial advances, and refrigeration. These technological advances allow more people, but rapidly destroys the environment. , Wilson suggests, and in a sense, fears, that one day we will no longer have the ability to fix our damaged environment with technological advancements because our technology is what damaged the environment in the first place. In the bottle neck, each of the HIPPO factors become more and more severe. An example of this happening is Global warming.

Wilson also talks about the differences between environmentalists and economists in this chapter. Wilson specifically compares and contrasts their differences in terms of the environment.  Economists are "focused on production and consumption." They are more focused on specific numbers. Wilson states that the economists ask these two questions "How much resources do we have left?  How long will it take us to get more resources?"  Although these are important and necessary questions to be asked in order to save the earth's resources, Wilson believes that rather than asking, they should be doing. Wilson believes in spreading the word about this issue to society in order to fix the problem. Wilson favors the ideas and work of the environmentalists, they work diligently to come up with solutions, and to them, it is the main purpose, they believe in the outcome, for the better of the environment. The environmentalist says that  " the planet...is exhausted and in trouble."  Both the environmentalists and economists argue over what the earth needs most, and what are more sufficient ways to handle the problems.

In today's complex world, where everything seems possible, it is hard to ignore the damage society has caused for the environment. With each technological advance, more wreckage is built up. The environment is a main, necessary, and vital part of the lives of humans. Our natural resources should not be taken for granted, because if the society does not start a plan of action to save them, one day, they will no longer exist.

CaraM Assignment 04 first draft

 

In this chapter of The Future of Life, Wilson uses the term bottleneck to describe how species survive when faced with harsh lifestyles. For instance, cheetahs are trying to make it through the bottleneck by committing incest because it they were being over hunted and mating with their family was the only way of surviving. Another species that made it through the bottleneck is the human race. However, is our new technology and increased population destroying the earth?

    Although the new technology that humans have discovered has dramatically improved our lives and increase the life span for humans. Technology, such as water treatment plants, helps us live healthier by cleaning the water supply that may be contaminated by waste bacteria that may have seemed into the ground. Refrigerators are also a technology that has helped humans keep food from spoiling. This has also helped prevent illnesses caused by bacteria from spoiled food.

    Wilson refers to the economist and environmentalist to show the positive and negative sides to the advancements of technology.  The economist believes that the environment will be fine despite the growing industries that have benefitted the world’s economy. While the environmentalist acknowledges the improvements of human life, but also sees how the environment around us is in a decline. Although the economy will be great in our future the earth’s resource will probably not be available because of the over use of technology.

    China is a great example to how the environment cannot keep up with an increased population because China relies on a watering system for crops.  Even then, the food supply may come up short leaving people to starve. As the increase of technology and population keeps growing, the earth is unfortunately starting to decline. So perhaps the human race was a little too successful going through the bottleneck.

Assignment 04 LovingI.

 

 

  In Chapter Two of The Future of Life, Wilson begins to discuss in a more serious matter some of the issues surrounding our Century of the environment. We are introduced to the “bottleneck effect”. The bottleneck effect deals with a small number of organisms trying to cope. This is the case with our immediate environment. We as a people are in fact contributing to some problems that have arisen especially the over population of our Earth in a century where we as humans are indeed trying to cope with the outcomes of this increase in population. Wilson uses points of views from an economist focused on production and consumption and an environmentalist who is focused themselves on unsustainable crop yields, overdrawn aquifers, and threatened ecosystems. These two perspectives differ in their opinions, but also are comparable in some ways.

  Wilson discusses how science and technology along with foresight and moral courage will and must see us through the bottleneck presenting his opinion through the views of an  economist and environmentalist .The economist argues that although our environment suffers from its own problems, they can be solved and that our environment is prosperous in itself. The economist says that the national products of industry all over the world continue to rise and puts a positive view on the world stating that even though the world population has greatly increased, while it has increased, the food and crops has managed to keep up and increase as well. But the economist does mention some negatives saying that fibers are declining steeply in most parts of the world, but agriforestry (a method and system of land management involving the simultaneous cultivation of far crops and trees) has managed to provide aid to the declining fibers seeing as to how more than 20% of industrial wood fiber now comes from tree plantations. he/she believes that Human dominance is Earth’s destiny” and that harmful disturbances humans have inflicted can be moderated and reversed as time goes on.

  The environmentalist on the other hand has a different way of seeing things. He agrees that “humanity has learned how to create an economy driven paradise”, but says that is only true on a large flexible planet. The environmentalist believes that we should not look to GNPs (Gross National Products) and corporate annual reports for an accurate view of our world’s economic future. The environmentalist also argues that what counts in the long term is the content of economic growth with natural resources accounted for, not just the income in products and currency. The environmentalist stresses that the earth has lost its ability to change and that global exhaustion needs to be reduced and global production elevated or both.

   Both the environmentalist and economist agree that there has been an overwhelming increase in population. While the economist sees this as something that will be positive for our Earth, the envrironmentalist believes that this will affect the Earth negatively. Both present views on the issue that help us to see the factors that are involved in our Earth’s  future and through their opinions we see the affect that the bottleneck will continue to have on our Earth’s growing population and what we must do to help in the future of our planet Earth.

NinaF, Assignment 04, Draft 1

  A bottle neck is when a system is limited by one or more resources. The bottleneck is a result of conflict between advances in science and technology. Advances in technology and science are used towards gaining economic wealth. On the other hand the advances also bring problems into our environment.

Wilson presents arguments from two different perspectives: The economist and the environmentalist. The economist sees the environmental problems as easily fixable. They only focus on how everything is growing. The environmentalist believes that even with ups there are a lot of downs that we have to take caution too. Our society takes advantages of all these advances. If something were to happen it would be harder to fix. The environmentalist says that Earth has lost its ability to regenerate unless global consumption is reduced.

Both the economist and the environmentalist believe that there is an increase in things but the environmentalist thinks more about how resources could be wiped out and how it will be dangerous if it changes. The economist believes there are problems but believes that the economy is more important and that the troubles we have caused to the world can be changed as we move along.

This all relates because it in hopes of benefitting the earth. Wilson states that we should combine the values for the environmental dilemma and that way life can be safely conducted through the bottleneck that humans have made a hole in.

GillianM, Assignment 04, First draft

The term bottleneck refers to an extremely dangerous occurrence for living things on earth.  The bottleneck effect occurs when a specific population gets decreasingly smaller and smaller to the point where they could be close to extinction.  Because the population becomes so small, often individuals are forced to mate with members of their own family, which can sometimes cause genetic problems.  The bottleneck effect is something that many species have gone  through, even humans.  Clearly because we are alive, humans were able to overcome the bottleneck effect but other species were not so lucky. 

In Wilson's chapter The Bottleneck, he points out the differences between the twentieth and the twenty-first century.  He describes the twentieth century as a "dark and savage age of world wars, genocide, and totalitarian ideologies"(22).  Wilson says that because of these circumstances, people neglected the worlds natural resources and in a lot of ways wasted them.  He then goes on to describe the twenty-first century as a point in time when "we may be ready to settle down before we wreck the planet"(22).  This was the point where we realized that we need to save earth's resources because we keep wasting them, and that will only hurt us in the long run. 

Because the bottleneck effect causes so many problems for the species that is going through it, the members of this population have to work together to come up with technological advances that will increase their rate of survival.  For example, thousands of years ago, when humans went through the bottleneck, they had to create ways to help themselves.  Over the years humans have greatly increased their rate of survival with the introduction of new technology like vaccines, antibiotics, agriculture, transportation, and the realization of the importance of cleanliness.  All these things, along with many others, have contributed to the human race surviving.  They are resources that make our lives easier and make us healthier.  Though these resources were all introduced to the world to help us, unfortunately our reliance on them has caused us to damage our environment.  In terms of agriculture, we repeatedly plant crops in the same area and damage the soil.  We also use pesticides that damage the soil, and make our crops unhealthy.  In terms of transportation, we have become so reliant on cars and other forms of transportation that we use them to go everywhere.  Cars release carbon dioxide into the air, which damages our ozone layer.  Because of this, Wilson suggests that at a certain point we will no longer have the ability to fix our damaged environment with technology because our technology is what damaged it in the first place.

In this chapter Wilson also talks about the differences between environmentalists and economists, specifically their differences in terms of the environment.  He says that economists are "focused on production and consumption" (24).  He means that they are more focused on specific numbers.  How much resources do we have left?  How long will it take us to get more resources?  These are important questions, but Wilson clearly does not favor this group.  He feels that they go out there and spread the message that we have nothing to worry about, when in reality we have to make efforts to restore earths resources.  On the other hand Wilson definitely favors the environmentalists.  He likes that they work hard to come up with solutions, and that is their sole purpose.  They are not in it for the money or the acclaim.  The environmentalist says that  " the planet...is exhausted and in trouble."  Both groups make arguments for what the earth needs most and it seems as though the economists really have no concern at all for what will happen to earth, while the environmentalists give simple ideas for how to make it better. 

It is clear that the earth is in desperate need of help.  It seems as though you can not turn on the t.v. without hearing something about saving the environment.  People would not be going through all the trouble of spreading this message if there was not an issue there so we need to follow the advice of the environmentalists and do what needs to be done to save our planet.

  

 

feliciaf, assignment 04, draft

    In the second chapter of “The Future of Life” Edward O. Wilson describes his point on the human bottle neck.  Our society is facing our own bottle neck as we speak. This happens when we have remarkable advancements in technology that help us to support a larger population. Each technological advancement we came across had a direct effect good or bad on the condition of the environment. With all this happening the true dilemma is as the population does increase larger we are damaging the environment, by also making the HIPPO factors more and more severe.  Some may say that this new technology will fix the damage in the environment; this is not true a great example is global warming. So we see now that all these technology advances have great effects on the growth of the human population but devastating long term effects on the environment. Different people hold different views and positions on how the human bottle neck affects the overall world.

    Two perspectives specifically mentioned in the novel are an economist and an environmentalist. The environmentalist is truly concerned with the overall effects on the environment and the world we live in.  An environmentalist is also very concerned with the means of natural resources. As we damage our world we are damaging resources, we are not replacing these. This causes issues, one day what if we have no more fresh water. On the other hand an economist is worried more over the human race rather than the resources and our environment. We as humans need to find a happy medium where we worry about both to keep our world at a balance.

    We now see that most if not all technological advances cause an increase in population.  A lot of these advances have to do with medicines, vaccines and antibiotics are keeping younger children healthier longer while surgeries and knowledge of different diseases are keeping older people alive longer. Mean while all around life is easier because of other technologies, so more mothers are having more children. Hence population is significantly increasing.  With all of this happening in our world even with the increases in technology we cannot fix or even keep the pace on how fast our environment is being hurt. Even if we have all new technologies if we do not have an environment, what are we going to do?

GabriellaM, assignment 4, first draft

Bottleneck is a term used within the animal kingdom when a specific group of species is being over hunted and their only way of survival and reproduction is through incest mating. A good example of this is the cheetah. The second largest specie in the cat family, the cheetah is the fastest recorded land mammal. Due to over hunting of cheetah fur, they are becoming desperate for mates. The cheetah is aware of one thing: in order to keep the population growing, they must mate. Due to separation and dominant males taking over one another’s groups, two sibling cheetah’s mating is something they have been obligated to do lately because of the sudden disappearance of the cheetah population.

    In The Future of Life, E.O. Wilson discuss’ why the bottleneck effect is occurring with the human population. Due to over population with humans and the way we are using the natural resources from the Earth, the bottleneck is happening to us since the Earth is not replenishing itself immediately. Over population is the outcome of more and more couples deciding to have bigger families. Wilson blames medicine and technology for the baby boom because the improvements and discoveries of antibiotics, vaccines, purified water and humane living conditions elongate and promote healthier lives. Women now often use birth control contraceptives so the population is better under control, but for a long while bottleneck was facing the human population because we were hastefully using the Earth’s natural resources.

    Although improvements in technology and medicine are the cause for bottleneck to the Earth, medicine and technology have upgraded the health care so the life expectancy of children has been tripled so they can live until a ripe old age. One hundred years ago, children would die after a couple years old because they were diagnosed with tuberculosis or hay fever; diseases which were incurable and lethal to one’s health. With the vaccinations for nearly every disease known to man kind (not every disease, but most), tuberculosis and hay fever are not even apparent to the United States any longer.

    Wilson takes two sides on the issue of bottleneck; an economist and an environmentalist. The economist is similar to the business man. He believes that technology is a great thing and without technology we would not be as advanced as we are today. The environmentalist has a different point of view; he believes that although technology has helped us up until this point, we should halt from using it at this point and forward because it will cause severe side effects with the earth. Although the economist and environmentalist do share different belief’s, they do have one thing in common: technology has helped our country’s development tremendously, and with out technology our country would not have some of the best medical and health care systems in the world.

DanielleQ, Assignment 04, First Draft

A bottleneck is a phenomenon where the performance or capacity of an entire system is limited by a single or limited number of components or resources. What Wilson means is while there is an increase in the human population there is a decrease in the environment.

The conflict of this bottleneck is that while the advances in science technology benefit the human population, it has a harsh and long term effect on the surrounding environment. In an economist perspective the worries of the environment are not as important of the worries of the humans because, even though it is at a slightly slower pace, the regeneration process of the forests is happening at around the same time of their destruction.

In an environmentalist perspective just because the regeneration process is happening, it does not mean that the natural resources should be squandered so easily. Eventually an area will run out of fresh water and arable land and the only other option will be to move the research to another area. It is just not worth using up all of the natural resources on an experiment that might have little to no effect on current science technology.

Both of these perspectives have the idea to use some of the natural resources to benefit science technology in order to make life better for the human species. However, these perspectives vary greatly when it comes to how much of the resources should be used. While economist desires to use as much resources for research as possible an environmentalist only desires to use what is needed and not a drop more. While both groups have a common goal, their plans of action could not be more different.  

BetsyO Assignment 04 Draft

    A modern term in the field of ecology is Bottleneck. A bottleneck is a hindrance when it comes to production and development. An excellent example are the cheetahs, they are now facing a bottleneck, because they were overhunted so the population has gone down with the small population of cheetahs in Africa animal incest has become rampant, for each animal knows to survive they need to mate. To begin studying the bottleneck one must look to the past and study Darwin, what he studied. What has been the main cause of the bottleneck is the founder affect. The founder affect is when a very small group of individuals from a large group arrive at a new habitat; in fact they are invasive species.

    In the text The Future of Life by E.O Wilson he discusses and explains why a bottleneck is facing the human population, the reason is because more and more people are having children and the growth of the population and the decrease of lands and renewable resources are what are killing our planet. Wilson states that with the advancement in technology and medicine is the blame. With birth mortality low in many civilized countries more and more women are having babies. However with the advancement of contraception women are not having as many children as they once did. This is a main reason for the bottleneck and also with our demand for technological advancement the idea of renewable resources has been tossed aside.

    What technology has done to us as a society is put the pressure of more advancement in the fields of science and medicine, with the advancement of medicine people are living longer. Two hundred years ago children would be dying because of illnesses that now a days we have vaccines for. For Example as babies our parents take us to a doctor and we are vaccinated from whooping cough and polio. With the new vaccines and more affordable health care. Also with the advancement of technology education has become more available. Also the simple things which many people take advantage of today such as refrigeration, which is a fairly new advance in kitchen appliances, years ago if meat was spoiled people would just cook it a little longer and soon became sick with salmonella poisoning.

    In the text Wilson steps out of bounds and reviews the bottleneck in two points of view; the economist and the environmentalist.  In his economists point of view he explains how nothing is wrong with the advances in technology affecting the environment. The economist pleads that because of Agriforestry, we are not cutting down as much trees as we once were so the environment is not taking as big as a hit as people are saying it is. The economist and the environmentalist disagree in another way; the economist states that we as a society have transformed the environment to benefit human life. The environmentalist argues that we should be finding ways to improve our environment not hinder it as we are doing now, we are using non renewable resources and as a society we are not planning for the future. However the economist and the environmentalist both agree that we have come leaps and bounds in other areas of study we still need to improve more so in technology and in medicine.

marlok, assignment4, draft1

    Wilson describes in chapter two the term bottleneck, and what the world may soon be facing. The bottleneck Wilson describes is how technology helped the population of the world grow to a huge number, a number that without technology the world would not have reached, but at the same time how the technology will not be able to erase of the problems it caused the world. 

    The world's population has reached past six billion, a number that would not have been obtainable without advancements in technology. Sewage systems, refrigeration, vaccines/ medicine are little improvements that has brought the worlds population to the number it is today. The technology today is also increasing the world's population, cures for diseases and research advancement in the science world are saving people's lives. But with this advancement in technology, wealth and power plays a role. There comes a point when people are more concerned with the money they would make then the change they would bring. The technology we have available today, is now becoming a demand in society rather than a luxury. The advancement in technology is causing more problems in the world then it is solving, transportation is an advancement in technology but the pollution it is causing, in some eyes could be seen as a bigger problem rather than a good advancement. 

    In his text, Wilson shows both an economist and an environmentalist's view on the bottleneck. Both agree that a bottleneck occurred and the world's population is a high as it is due to the advancement in technology. But the economist would argue that the advancement in technology is something that should keep going, while the environmentalist would argue that the advancement needs to slow down or stop because it is causing more problems in the world then it is solving.