When+it+comes+to+the+threat+of+extinction,+size+matters

=When it comes to the threat of extinction, size matters = Science Daily News Written 9/18/17 Accessed 9/21/17 []

This article describes how scientists have begun to find ties between the size of an animal and its likelihood of distinction. According to Oregon State Professors, animals with body sizes that could be considered ‘medium’ have a much lower chance of extinction as opposed to those who are larger and smaller. Animals who are on the larger size are in danger of human harvesting and consumption while smaller animals have been victims of losses of habitat and climate. It is necessary for us to address these problems before they have a massive effect on our ecosystem.
 * A summary **

The article related a lot to what in discussed about food webs and food chains in our textbook (Miller 94). The issues discussed in the article can be reflected simply in a food chain/web. Due to the abundance of small animal populations, middle sized animals (usually primary consumers) constantly have a steady supply of food. If secondary and tertiary consumers (Miller 92) continue to be killed off by humans, then middle sized animals will not often be killed and thus their populations will thrive. Furthermore, if habitats continue to be destroyed, there will be a reduction in biodiversity, as supported by this article (Miller 13).
 * How the article relates to the course. **

In my opinion, the human desire to continue to expand and construct more in our communities will cause the ultimate downfall of many wildlife populations. According to many studies, by the year 2030, we many only have about 10% of our rainforests left. All this habitat modification for animals will lead to many of them going extinct due to improper sources of food and shelter. To add to this, we are killing many of the earth's most magnificent animals simply for profit and that is resulting in the over population of middle sized animals and ruining the food chain.
 * Your opinion **

An environmental law that ties into this article very clearly in the Endangered Species Act of 1973. This act is aimed to protect Endangered Species and their habitats from further destruction. This legislation provides funds to States in order to protect their wildlife and ensure the safety of those habitats. This ties into the article as many large animals are often over hunted while small animals habitats are often lost due to construction and deforestation.
 * An environmental law **


 * Picture **