KENNYATTA UNIVERSITY Essays (1828 words) - Biology, Biodiversity

KENNYATTA UNIVERSITY Essays (1828 words) - Biology, Biodiversity KENNYATTA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION UNIT: UNIT NAME: Question 1 Discuss the Causes and Effects of Biodiversity Loss in Kenya Biodiversity is the changeability among living life forms from all sources, including earthbound, marine, and other oceanic biological communities and the environmental buildings of which they are part; this incorporates decent variety inside species, amongst species, and of biological systems (Myers, Mittermeier, Mittermeier, Da Fonseca, Kent, 2000) . Biodiversity incorporates all biological systems oversaw or unmanaged. Now and again biodiversity is attempted to be a significant component of just unmanaged biological communities, for example, wildlands, nature jelly, or national parks. This is wrong. Overseen frameworks are they plantations, ranches, croplands, aquaculture locales, rangelands, or even urban parks and urban environments have their own particular biodiversity. Given that developed frameworks alone now represent over 24% of Earth's earthbound surface, it is important that any choice concerning biodiversity or biological community administrations address the support of biodiversity in these to a great extent anthropogenic frameworks. Biodiversity is neither uniform nor similarly conveyed on Earth. Be that as it may, it is frequently utilized as a measure of the strength of biological communities. It is wealthier in the tropical nations for example, Kenya, as conditions are helpful for additional species to prosper and to shape important biological connections (Isbell et al. 2009) . It is bring down in polar, to a great degree frosty, dry furthermore, hot locales where conditions bolster less biomass furthermore, less living things. Since the rise of people furthermore, human developments, biodiversity has been declining around the globe. This decrease is caused basically by human effects, especially the decimation of plant what's more, creature natural surroundings. What's more, human practices are in charge of the loss of hereditary decent variety inside and among these species. Biodiversity resources and the associated processes support sectors such as energy, food, fibers , drinks, Medicines , industry, fishery and agriculture on which human lives depend are from biodiversity . Biodiversity also ensures air and water purification, pollination, seed dispersal, climate modification, soil stabilization, drought and flood control, recycling of nutrients and habitats. Biodiversity also forms the basis for national and regional tourism. A source of genetic resources, it supports the biotechnology sector. Scientists and environmentalists agree that biodiversity conservation particularly in primary forests is ne cessary to stem further loss of species and to avert econo mic downturns in tropical countries. The cons ervation and sustainable use of biodiversity is important to the survival of both humans and the environment. The green revoluti on, that continues to happen in agriculture thr ough biotechnology, is directly supp orted by biodiversity. Imp rovements in crop cultivars and varieties are made possibl e by harnessing genes from wild species and known varie ties. By re-combining genes for different traits, plant and animal breeders develop new varieties for specific condit ions. Indeed, interbreeding crops strains with different beneficial traits has resulted in more than doub ling crop production around the world in the last 50 y ears (Cardinale et al. 2002) . Maintaining some level of crop diversity is i mportant in wading off emerging diseases and crop pests and is instrumental in adapting to climate change. There fore, biodiversity, the natural reservoir of genetic trai ts in cultivars and traditional landraces is important in improving agricultural crops and animal breeds. Kenya mainly exploits h er biodiversity thro ugh primary industry includ ing food, tourism and ecosystem services. It supports many l ivelihoods and lifestyles as it provides genetic reserv es and sustains ecosystems upon which the said livelihoods and lifestyl es depend. There is still great potential f or further application of local biodiversity through indu strial processes led by further research in bio prospecting. Therefore, in addition to current applications for the use of biodiversity, Kenya has wide latitude to exploit it profitably in future. There is impressive confirmation that contemporary biodiversity decays will prompt consequent decreases in biological system working and environment solidness (Naeem et al. 2009). Biodiversity tests have tried whether biodiversity decays will impact biological community working or strength by controlling some segment of biodiversity, for example, the quantity of species, and measuring different sorts of environment working or security. These examinations have

Iodine Element Facts - Periodic Table

Iodine Element Facts - Periodic Table Iodine  Basic Facts Atomic Number: 53 Iodine Symbol: I Atomic Weight: 126.90447 Discovery: Bernard Courtois 1811 (France) Electron Configuration: [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p5 Word Origin: Greek iodes, violet Isotopes: Twenty-three isotopes of iodine are known. Only one stable isotope is found in nature, I-127. Properties Iodine has a melting point of 113.5 °C, a boiling point of 184.35 °C, a specific gravity of 4.93 for its solid state at 20 °C, a gas density of 11.27 g/l, with a valence of 1, 3, 5, or 7. Iodine is a lustrous blue-black solid which volatizes at room temperature into a violet-blue gas with an irritating odor. Iodine forms compounds with many elements, but it is less reactive than the other halogens, which will displace it. Iodine also possesses some properties typical of metals. Iodine is only slightly soluble in water, although it dissolves readily in carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, and carbon disulfide, forming purple solutions. Iodine will bind to starch and color it deep blue. Although iodine is essential for proper nutrition, care is needed when handling the element, as skin contact can cause lesions and the vapor is highly irritating to the eyes and mucous membranes. Uses The radioisotope I-131, with a half-life of 8 days, has been used to treat thyroid disorders. Insufficient dietary iodine leads to the formation of a goiter. A solution of iodine and KI in alcohol is used to disinfect external wounds. Potassium iodide is used in photography. Sources Iodine is found in the form of iodides in seawater and in the seaweeds which absorb the compounds. The element is found in Chilean saltpeter, and nitrate-bearing earth (caliche), brackish waters from salt wells and oil wells, and in brines from old sea deposits. Ultrapure iodine may be prepared by reacting potassium iodide with copper sulfate. Element Classification: Halogen Iodine Physical Data Density (g/cc): 4.93 Melting Point (K): 386.7 Boiling Point (K): 457.5 Appearance: shiny, black nonmetallic solid Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 25.7 Covalent Radius (pm): 133 Ionic Radius: 50 (7e) 220 (-1e) Specific Heat (20 °C J/g mol): 0.427 (I-I) Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 15.52 (I-I) Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 41.95 (I-I) Pauling Negativity Number: 2.66 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 1008.3 Oxidation States: 7, 5, 1, -1 Lattice Structure: Orthorhombic Lattice Constant (Ã…): 7.720 References: Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001), Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Langes Handbook of Chemistry (1952), CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics (18th Ed.)