From your text, page 396 #9.
There is a growing concern worldwide about the numbers of species that are going extinct. Conservation organizations work to protect endangered species, however, there may be disagreement about what exactly a "species" is. How can naming an organism influence our attitudes about that organism? For example, is a fish more likely to be protected if it is a known engangered species, or if it is newly discovered and different from all known species of fish? How can a name influence our feelings about a particular organism? Discuss this topic and write a short essay (2-3 paragraphs) about your ideas.
Your response is due Monday, February 8.
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I think that naming an organism brings more attention to it. If a species is just newly found, people do not feel that it is as important because it has just been found. Species that are endangered tend to get a little more attention because when a species is endangered, it means that there are very few left on the earth and we should protect the ones that are left.
ReplyDeleteSpecies that are less common to us, that we don't hear about daily are the ones that we don't seem to pay much attention to until they become more visible to us because they are becoming extinct or endangered. As soon as a species becomes endangered we start to take care of that species more, but that is what we should be doing to all species at all times. If we only pay attention to the ones that "need" the attention, the others will lack attention and will soon be the ones looking for attention.
I think it is important to give organisms a name because it gives them more attention. We as humans are more likely to pay attention to an organism that has a name, opposed to one that doesn't. How they can continue to come up with names thought without repeating them is the tricky part.
Naming an organism can influence our attitudes about that organism in many ways. Not only does it distinguish their characteristics but it also classifies it in a specific group according to its species.
ReplyDeleteA name can influence our feelings about a particular oganism because it is easier to identify. If an organism didn't have a name then it wouldn't be identified and people would be wondering about what it is and what its characteristics are and such.
For example,if something is known as an endagered species it will seek more attention from us then if it was newly discovered and different from all other species known. This is because we want to protect the endangered because if we don't then they die and there wouldn't be any reproduces so we would loose that species eventually. Whereas a newly discovered organism can reproduce fastly and gives us more time to discover the name of the species and the environment and other needs it requires.
The on-going concern about species going extinct is at an all time high. Even though there are organisations and programs to try and help stop species from going extinct, there still hasn't been a complete, 100% perfect, solution.
ReplyDeleteWhat we don't realise is that naming an organism can actually highly effect our attitudes towards that species. If we didn't know the name of an organism, then it wouldn't have any recognition and therefore we wouldn't be focusing on it to take care of. If it did have a name, we would know its status in the world and it's living habits.
I think that a species that is endangered than a newly discovered species is more likely to be protected. If we knew the species, then it would most likely already be known to the majority of the people in that area and we could spread the word about trying to help protect this species. If we had a newly discovered species, people wouldn't know about it, we couldn't spread the world around to try and protect it because it doesn't have a name, and we wouldn't know how to help protect it because we don't know anything about it.
A name can influence our feelings about a particular organism. I think that if the name sounds cute, rather than gross, than we are more likely to want to protect the cute organism over the gross sounding one. Say if there was a dilema between protecting a butterfly and a slug, I think that people would most likely choose to save the butterfly not the slug just because of the way it sounds.
Good postings everyone. As a general comment, please attempt to give specific examples of organisms and support each of your points with an example. As well, try to relate your responses to taxonomy and/or classification.
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