Worthless Species?

[Sean Nash]

Thanks to biotechnology, we are learning how to create new forms of life tailored to specific purposes. If it is acceptable to create desirable new species, is it all right to destroy undesirable or useless species? After all, we are spending immense amounts of money to destroy or control insects that kill crops and spread disease. If you had the power to remove certain species... would you? Where would you draw the line?

Our discussion list:
-the AIDS virus
-the TB bacterium
-mosquitoes
-cockroaches
-poisonous snakes
-sharks
-weeds

Species of plants and animals have come and gone since life began on earth. The dinosaurs are an example. Why should we be concerned about extinctions occurring today?

[Hannah Rush]

During our last class period, the first thing we talked about was "arguments". I LOVE to argue, so this was really pretty exciting for me. We received a copy of some of the book called "A Rulebook for Arguments". One part that was really stressed in our session was to have facts to back up our "argument". Anytime that we had a difference of opinions, we were told to back up why we felt that way. This will help us a lot in our future "arguments" or "debates" we have in class. I'm really excited to see how far we go with this.

After our discussion about arguments, we transferred to a list of different things. We were told to draw a line where we thought we could start eliminating species. I drew my line between the Tse Tse Flies, and the Cockroaches. My reasoning was because all of the species above the cockroaches were only causing harm to our environment. There is a huge death rate because of AIDS, and now there is a different kind of TB that could effect people because it doesn't cure by antibiotics. Although AIDS isn't the number one cause of death in the United States, it is more common in places like Africa. The Tse Tse Flies just seemed like a nuisance, so this is why I got rid of them. Then I figured out that they were the cause of the African Sleeping Sickness which gave me another reason to get rid of them. I really didn't find much use for them at all. Mosquitoes, I mean seriously, who LIKES them?? Not anybody I know, so why not get rid of them. It would save the world a lot of discomfort. I quickly learned it could also cause some discomfort.

When I drew my line, I was being really selfish. I was only thinking about the human race, and how it effects us. I learned that if we balled up all the mosquitoes in the world, it would weigh more than the human race's body weight. At first that kind of disgusted me, well actually it STILL does. But, after talking about it more in class, it made me realize the impact we would make on the food web if we completely eliminated them. If you think about it, there are a lot of different animals that eat mosquitoes AND flies. We shouldn't get rid of them because that would make the search for food for some animals even more challenging than what it already is. That wouldn't really be fair.

I think we need to start worrying about extinction today because we depend on a lot of different species to help us stay alive. Survival of the fittest does play a part, but if we can take some type of action to save species, we should take any precautions we can. It'd be hard to adjust to not having something here that we are so used to. There are a lot of endangered species and if we aren't careful, they could be gone sooner than we think.

[Ivory Baldwin]

When we were told to drawl a line where we thought that we should destroy some species if we could, I looked and the list and thought that I would destroy them. I didn’t see them as being that important. I was very wrong. I didn’t exactly drawl a line because I didn’t know what I would destroy because I didn’t know much about some of the species. After we discussed them in class and with out people out side class I decided to put my line between the bacteria that cause tubercubsis and mosquitoes. Above the line being what I would destroy and below what I would keep.

When the question would you destroy the AIDS virus came up I immediately though yes I would destroy it because it kills people and it’s not a good thing. Then someone said well if we get rid of it then we would be over populated, so basically saying that the AIDS virus is population control. Then after talking to people out side of class I learned that if we got rid of the AIDS virus it wouldn’t be a bad thing because we could feed all the people that wouldn’t die, we have the ability to feed them it wouldn’t be a problem. Then with the TB I’m still kind of confused because if TB can be cured by medicine then its okay but isn’t it true that the TB could come immuined to the medicine so you would just have to keep switching medicines? If we got rid of it we wouldn’t have to worry about that.

Every thing below the line I drew is actually important to the ecosystem, just because I didn’t think it would affect any thing to get rid of them, I was wrong they all play important part in the environment. When we were talking in class I would have never thought about the tropic pyramided. If we got rid of certain species then the tropic pyramided would be all messed up. All of theses species help the environment some how for example even know cockroaches are nasty they can help clean up stuff like in caves. And snakes kill of the mice, and this weeds help out some people because there are some multi billion, weed prevention companies. We should be concerned about extension today because if things just keep dying off then the ecosystem will get all messed up.

[Kylie Warner]

So I didn't reply right away and after sitting in class and reading everything that everyone else has written, I don't know..still. :) But I think that I was one of those people who A thought that there was a right answer and B tried to think of a way to see how each species played a roll in the world. However I did draw my line after all the bacteria and AIDS. And I see points, when people say hey we got to have AIDS because we would be over populated. I see where they get that and everything but I can't say that I agree. One I think that on a level..a very small level, that kind of borders along selfish. Im not calling the people that said something like that selfish because again..I can understand. But death is never a good thing and yes.. people like space and I LOVE mine, but the more the merrier yes?

But I can't see how the world would need AIDS quite honestly. Even if it wasn't AIDS, it would be something else. So I think that yes AIDS could go and the worst thing that would happen is people would live. If you can even consider that a bad thing. Also, after listening to Mr. Nash today, I think in away, bacteria plays a large part in peoples' lives and I'm kind of up in the air about whether the universe could do with or without it. TB yes but other I'm not sure.

[Sean Grinstead]

I wasnt there monday but from what i gather from the whole discussion of today. As far as deadly deseases, I think that all bacteria and viruses( and animals for that matter) are on the planet for a reason. i beleive that that none of them should be taken away, no matter how deadly. If it wasnt supposed to be there it wouldnt be even. there are some things that alot of peple would like to get rid of such as HIV and TB because it kills people and we are scared of things that kill people, so by human nature we want to get rid of these deseases. every plant , animal incect, and bactiria have there own place no matter how distuctive or deadly they might be because they are deadly or destructive for a reason, whether it is to keep a poplulation down or whatever.

[Coleman Wade Babcock]

http://www.colorado.edu/journalism/bylines/spring98/page16.3.gif


When we were told to eliminate any species that we could by drawing one line i automatically thought that mosquitoes should go along with the tb bacterium and the aids virus. Then my thought process kicked in and i had second thoughts. As much as i hate mosquitoes i realized that those pesky little, disease carrying, annoying, flying pests were depended upon by some other species as a main food source. By eliminating one species that could start a chain reaction changing the lifestyles of other species drastically. ( hey.. i actually paid attention in freshman bio) In turn this could effect the human race as well. some species could become endangered or even die out causing cultures to lose a main food source and then they would suffer.

So after considering those variables i decided to draw the line at tb. I thought and thought about a purpose for these deadly species i only could come up with everyone always saying that it is for population control, so i looked up some sites but i found that diarreha and stroke kills more than aids or tb.http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/index.html

I dont see any benefits that the aids or tb diseases bring about so that is why i think that they are worthless and humanity would be better off without them.

[josh steltenpohl]

We should be worried about extinction with some species because it may cause a lot of other species to follow them in there extinction or wipe out a lot of them. Any animal dieing out would effect another animal.

[Ally S]

I don't think I would take out any species, no matter how annoying or "gross" they are. They're probably all useful in some way, and I wouldn't want to be the one to mess the food chain up. Poisonous snakes, I do understand, pose a threat to humans and other species, but i still wouldn't eliminate it. And I know that some people think that cockroaches and mosquitoes (and snakes) are "gross," but they do hold some important position in the world, and taking them out would be a big mistake. Some species would go without food, and who knows. The whole population could be extinct within a matter of a few years, depending on whether they could adapt to something else to eat.

Although bugs do carry disease, it's just nature its taking course. I really don't know how else to word it. There's really no preventing it completely, so attempting to control it would be the best action to take.

On the list up there, I saw "sharks," and immediately thought "extinction." That thought came from the marine biology presentation The End Of The Line. Great job on that, by the way! Loved it!

Shark extinction is such a radical topic. Shark fins are sold for hundreds of dollars, while the rest of the carcass is sold for maybe 20 dollars. They use shark fins in Chinese restaurants to make a soup (not sure of the name at the moment). But in China, it's considered a delicacy, and it can be sold for 200 U.S. dollars. When I read that, I was in shock.

[Miranda Lynn Stanton]

I would not draw the line between any of these. If we took out some of these species our world would be over populated. All of these are here for a reason.
When we first had to draw the line I drew it between the poisonous snakes and the sharks. Sharks are somewhere where unless you are in the water you will not be bothered. The poisonous snakes and on up are everywhere.

[Miranda Lynn Stanton]

Add information-

When you take species out of the environment you also take away more then just that, each speacies contributes to each other. For example if you take a spider away you become over populated with species such as flies, therefor your creating a chain reaction.
I would draw the line between a snake and a shark because you could just be walking down the street and come upon a snake where as you couldn't a shark.