It is no secret in the world of
Sociology that people have been separated by race, class, and other factors
within their communities and while there are many demographic separations
within urbanized areas, there are also other separations throughout the
environment that are created by urbanization. Urbanization has occurred and grown at an
alarming rate and has impacted the natural habitat that plants and animals have
always thrived in. One of the major
impacts that urbanization has on the environment is habitat loss. There are many different reasons for habitat
loss, but the most damaging cause in relation to the numbers of species lost or
threatened has been urbanization.
The beginning of urbanization was generally kicked off by the Colonial period from 1630 to 1812 where Colonial cities were formed based off of military organizations where there were docks and warehouses used for shipping and trading goods. Many people were located in a centralized area near these ports. From there, the Colonial period transformed into the Industrial period from 1812 to 1920 and on to the Metropolitan period from 1920 to 1960, with the most recent period considered the Multicentered expansion from 1960 to today.
Based off of all these progressions with urbanization, there were many buildings and roads constructed within quite a short amount of time, leaving little room for species adaptations. Habitat fragmentation provides an
explanation for why so many species are being lost or threatened. Habitat fragmentation is the separation of a
habitat into smaller portions. This takes
place when cities and roads are constructed and often leaves animal and plant species
separated and isolated from each other. Many
species require large habitats in order to maintain stability within their
populations. When a habitat is isolated,
this affects genetic aspects due to lack of variety and can create more complex
issues in the future.
When habitat fragmentation takes place
due to urbanization, many of the native species that are lost in the mix are
replaced with “weedy” nonnative species.
This process of species replacement is called biotic homogenization and
is a threat to ecosystems. The main
species that will survive through the urbanization are called “urban-adaptable”
and can be found in most cities around the world. With more than 3 billion people living in
urban areas at the beginning of the 21st century and an expected
more than 5 billion people to be living in urban areas by 2030, this is a
concerning topic for habitats and ecosystems around the world.
Urbanization and its effects on the ecosystem is a very concerning topic, as you have said, but it is also a topic that is not as widely talked about. What really stood out to me was when you said about how the buildings were built so fast that it never left time for the animals in the area to adapt or find new places to live. This makes me think of the chapter we read on the suburbs and how they were mass produced in places that used to be farm land and open country. I do not think that the people who were building and developing these towns ever really thought about the long term effect it would have on the environment. It has not been until recently, I believe, that there has been talk about how our rapid development has had its toll on the species that once roamed there.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting point you mentioned was about biotic homogenization. I have learned a bit about this when I was studying environmental science in high school and I remember learning about how these non-native species can be a serious threat to the environment they live in. I also liked how you mentioned that some animals have become urban adaptable. These kinds of animals like the raccoon have found ways to use urban development to their advantage. Raccoons, at least in my area, love to go through peoples garbage for food and hide out under peoples porches or other structures. This is not to say that this is a better option for these animals, but it is to simply show that some animals have been able to change to what is going on around them.
This was a really interesting post and you did a very good job on it!