Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Biology - Essay Example (Johansen CA and Mayer D.F, 1990) The importance of pollinators like bees is such that in an extensive report prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN it has been found out that 90% of the food supplies that are used for feeding 146 countries, over 71% of the crops were cross pollinated by bees. Other insects included wasps, beetles and wasps. These insects can therefore be considered as critical agents in the food chain as it is responsible for the reproduction of flowers and food bearing crops. (Free J.B, 1993) Food production to a large extent will be compromised in the event of these natural pollinators fading away. A recent report from North America states that a disease called ‘Israeli acute paralysis’ viruses was responsible for the disappearance of a large percentage of honey bees in what was called ‘ Colony Collapse Disorder’ (CCD). The reasons were mainly attributed to the fact that the origins of the virus were contributed to by humans. (Kluser Stephane and Peduzzi Pascal, 2007) Decline of Pollinators Recent studies conducted in the UK and Netherlands as late as in 2006 suggests that there has been close to 70% reduction of insect pollination for a certain category of wild flowers. (Biesmeijer Jc et al, 2006) Part of the reason is that close to 3.4% of butterflies causing this pollination has become extinct with an equal decrease of 71% of butterfly species. (Warren M.S et al, 2001) Source: Free J.B, 1993, Effect of bees on food output. The other recorded significant event was that of the Colony Collapse Disorder in North America. In 2007 there was major decline of one third of the honey bee population which had a domino effect on the crop production. This is because a major portion of the food crops cultivated by farmers in North America relied on the pollination of bees, butterflies and flies. About 95 different types of food crops are being cross pollinated by these insects. (Morse R.A and Caldero ne N.W, 2000) Some of the factors that were attributed to this decline in North American bees included attack by parasites known as Varroa Destructor. Imports of African bees also lead to incompatibility issues. The unrestrained uses of pesticides in crops also lead to the death of these bees. (i) Symptom of CCD- Absence of adult bees in the hives was the primary symptom. The presence of a lot of immature bees along with abundance of food in the form of honey was also an indicator. The bee colonies started collapsing and sugar syrup that is fed as food was not being consumed. Further the task force was being limited to only young bees. (Kluser Stephane and Peduzzi Pascal, 2007) (ii) Causes of CCD (a) To overcome the attack from mites these beehives were being subjected to increased dosage of chemicals resulting in irreversible damage. (b) Pathogens like Paenibacillus Larvae and parasites had found their way into the bee ecosystem. (Kluser Stephane and Peduzzi Pascal, 2007) (c) The f itness levels of bees experienced major decline as was deduced by the release of stress proteins. (d) Use of Insecticides. (e) Theories have also suggested the radiations that were emitted by the towers engaged in mobile communication affect the bees in an adverse manner although this has not been substantiated

An Analysis of Marijuana Legalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

An Analysis of Marijuana Legalization - Essay Example One might posit that the reason for such a differential has to do with the overall level of harm differential that exists between these two drugs; however, when one considers the fact that both drugs are ultimately damaging to one’s health – if inhaled – the level of differential between them, from a quality of health standpoint, is negligible. Within such an understanding, the following analysis will seek to compare and contrast the objective and subjective effects of both nicotine and marijuana. Moreover, an analysis of the different government policies and regulations that constrain their usage will be analyzed alongside a discussion of the health risks that utilizing these substances necessarily portend. It is the hope of this author that such an analysis will land the reader to have a more actionable and definitive understanding of current drug policy had whether or not it represents an effective and ethical response to issues of public health are evidenced within current society (Hendricks et al., 2012). Although it is not the place of this brief analysis to advocate a safe entirely new approach to drug policy within the United States, it is the hope of this research that a greater level of inference with regards to the appropriate response framework that government represents will be able to be inferred. A great deal of debate has centered on the use of marijuana as a means of treating a variety of medical conditions; most notably with regards to terminally ill patients that are working to deal with a host of pain management problems. However, the overall legitimacy of marijuana as both a drug and a treatment plan is an issue that is slightly more nuanced than either side of the debate would likely let on. The fact of the matter is that marijuana, when used to treat illness, has like any medical drug a series of pros and cons; i.e. benefits and side effects. Although marijuana is not unique in that its implementation has both a series of side effects and benefits, this analysis will attempt to categorize this, discuss their nature, and draw inference as to the overall balance sheet with regards to whether medical marijuana is worthy of continuing to be used as a drug due to the preponderance of its inherent benefits or should be discontinued as a drug/treatment as a function of the r isk it poses to the individual. With respect to some of the most important side effects that have been medically demonstrable, one has to note that the smoking of any substance provides a greatly increased risk of developing a host of cancers. These include but are in no way limited to the following: lip cancer, tongue cancer, cheek cancer, esophageal cancer, and lung cancer but to name a few (Cohen 655). Similarly, it has been proven that smoking marijuana also demonstrably weakens the body’s immune system. This is of vital importance to many individuals who will be taking it to assist in providing them with a means to survive a given illness or extreme situation that requires such a method. In this way, the individual is likely to prolong the amount of time that they are suffering from an illness due to the fact that the prolonged use of marijuana has a negative effect on the total white blood cell count and the body’s inherent ability to fight off infection. In addi tion to the increased risk of a litany of cancers, the user is also at a highly increased risk of respiratory illness due to the fact that inhaling the smoke from even 1 joint per day can noticeably affect the bronchial linings in the air way which serve to protect the individual from a host of