Aquatic Ecosystems

     The health of the aquatic ecosystems is not good. One-third of the rebuilding coral is going extinct. The dying coral has an effect on the food chains and food webs. This in turn has an effect on the predation-prey relationship in this ecosystem. The small fish or herbivores eat the bacteria that grows around the coral, they are eaten by bigger fish or omnivores, which are eaten by even bigger fish such as sharks or carnivores. The sharks have a predation relationship with the fish. Only 10% of the predation fish, such as sharks and swordfish survive. The coral is dying because of global warming. Global warming is caused by the greenhouse effect. The gases are produced from our cars and other things causing the atmosphere to weaken and let more sunlight and heat energy in. This causes the climate to rise which makes the oceans warmer and causes the coral to die.

     Sylvia Earle is trying to protect more of the oceans as only 1% of our oceans are currently protected. It was thought that the oceans were so large that they could regenerate no matter how much we took out of them but now it is known that the oceans need our help to protect them. I don't eat fish but I do enjoy swimming and just watching the ocean. I may not eat fish but many other people do which is why there are even fewer fish for the sharks to eat. This human activity of over fishing is a density-independent limiting factor. This limiting factor causes the growth of the fish population to decrease. Humans can have a destructive role in the biosphere when we use our resources up and damage other organisms because we think our needs are more important then theirs. Some humans take the world for granted and soon we may not have any forests or fish. Some humans try to prevent this, other just don't care. I think it is important for kids to learn about the oceans and biomes so we can help protect the world we live in. 





 

Power Balance Bands

 Mr. Whipp       
        I think the power balance bands are a scam because how can a tiny bracelet work with your natural flowing engery to make you more balanced, flexible and stronger. The evidence I found was a blind test done on six volunteers. The volunteers were each randomly given a card, one of them was a power balanced card. The tester and the volunteers didn't know who had the card. When the tester tested the tests to see who had the card, he guessed  wrong. They did it a second time and again the tester guessed wrong. Then they did the test with the bracelets. The tester again guessed wrong. It seems that the person who had the card was weaker than the other people who didn't have the card. When the tester knew who had the power bands the tests were positves and when he didn't they were negative. The person who took the test could have seen it happen to other people therfore creating a placebo affect.

        If the power balance band is related to increased strength, balance and flexibility of a person then it would have the same effect whether the person knows what the band does or not. To test my theory I would have two people and I would test their strength, flexibility and balance with out any bands. Then I would record their data. Next, I would give one a power balance band and tell him  what a power balance band is. The other one will get a power balance band but he will not know what it is. Then after I have record their data I would give them each another band which looks just like a power balance band but isn't. I would record this data. The data on the guy that wasn't told anything should have no changes. The guy who was told about the bands should have different test results for the final two tests then he had for the first test. This test should prove that power balance bands are just a placebo.

        It is important to look at all sides of the issue before forming a hypothesis and setting up a investigation because if you forget something it could mess up your hypothesis and your investgation. There is no point to prove yourself wrong so it is best to look at all sides to make sure your choice is the most logical.

It's Friday

The thing that I liked most about this summer was going to the Geogria with my mom's family. We get to go swimming and boating. We also played kickball and all sorts of other games.

I like to see all my friends and being an 8th grader.

I like being in the basement and having encores first.