Research Argument Outline

Thesis:
The biodiversity of the Appalachian region is very important to the ecosystem as well as to the people who inhabit the region, but the area is being threatened because of numerous human initiated causes. In order to preserve this area we must put an end to the method of clear-cut logging because the habitats in this area depend on its interconnected system. We must put an end to the method of mountain-top removal coal mining because of the result of useless flattened land, water contamination, etc. We must find an alternative to make dams more economically friendly in order to preserve the aquatic life in the rivers and streams in this area. We must change all of these human influences on nature and shift our attention to a more sustainable way of action in order to preserve and cherish the ecosystem.
Introduction:
From rainforests and waterfalls to desserts and sand, from oceans and waves to mountains and mountaintops, from grasslands and prairies to the icebergs in Antarctica humans have put their foot onto just about every place imaginable on Earth. Planet Earth is thought of by some people to be what they call a “Gaia”. A Gaia is essentially a prospective view of the world as a living organism. In the Gaia view, it is believed that the Earth is relative to how the human body works. Like the human body, Earth has many vital “organs” that help make it possible for the Earth to function and remain habitable. These “organs” that I am talking about can be geographic features such as oceans, lakes, mountains, plains, volcanoes, rainforests, etc. The veins in the human body are thought of to be like the rivers and streams that flow throughout various places on Earth giving life to these ecosystems. The idea is that these various geographical features make up an ecosystem that sustains itself and allows it to function properly on its own. Without these vital “organs” the world would not be habitable, just as the human body and its incapability of living, breathing, or operating without its functioning parts. Throughout the life of a human body, the body is exposed to many viruses and diseases that try to kill the body. The viruses and diseases can be correlated to the many disasters and human influences that our Earth’s ecosystems encounter. Although this is only a hypothesis that has yet to be proven a fact or by any means fictitious, what I have found in my research is that it could go one way or the other.
From looking at various sources, the summary of the arguments made were that there are many reasons why biodiversity needs to be sustained, in order for our world to keep revolving. The argument made most about ecosystems in terms of its sustainability is that species depend on the environment and likewise for the environment and its species, so we must help sustain it. But how accurate exactly is that statement? Can the ability of natural services be kept sustained even without some species, kind of like how some of our bodies can live without an appendix, kidney, lung, or half a pancreas?
Body:
1. Logging
a. Clear-cut logging is the practice of obtaining lumber by cutting down trees blocks at a time
b. Effects of clear-cutting are numerous.
c. Alternatives to clear cutting
d. The reliance of the interconnected trees that species have with the ecosystem is enormous.
2. Mountain-top Removal
a. Mountaintop removal is a type of mining that coal mining companies use to extract coal by means of blowing up the tops of mountains to get to the coal.
b. There are many effects that mountaintop removal has on the environment including the fact that it buries head water streams, causes erosion and flooding, degrades water quality downstream, kills aquatic life, shakes walls and cracks of foundation of homes, and wipes out huge portions of diverse ecosystems.
c. Deep underground mining is the best alternative to Mountain-top removal.
d. The reliance of coal as our main source of energy makes it hard for us to stop this malpractice but we must change the way we remove coal to a more eco-friendly manner.
3. Dams
a. Dams are a barrier often placed on a waterway with a primary purpose to control water for electricity as well as other purposes.
b. The effects of the placement of dams extend beyond the water. Such as destroying of habitats due from the reservoir, altered migration of animals and fish, and the flow of sediments downstream to hold the soil in place.
c. Though there isn’t much of an alternative to building dams, there a ways for people to correct some of the negative effects on dam placement.
d. Although dams are needed, we must change the system so it works with the environment, not the other way around. The reliance that aquatic species have on the steady flow of streams is numerous.
e.
Conclusion:
Overall, the Appalachian Mountains have an enormous amount of life within its ecosystems. From the moths that are taking over the area to the trees that help with our nitrogen cycle; from the natural resources that can be found in this area to the dams that are built for multiple purposes, the Appalachian Mountains needs these functions to work together to sustain itself. All in all these factors are interconnected, making an “organ-like” effect that makes the world habitable. Just as I have said before, the body cannot live without its organs, just as the Earth cannot function without its “organs” (ecosystems).



Bibliographies:
1. Reece, Erik. Lost Mountain A Year in the Vanishing Wilderness Radical Strip Mining and the Devastation ofAppalachia. New York: Riverhead Trade, 2007. Print.
2. Kiminski, Jeffrey A., Michelle L. Davis, Patrick D. Keyser, and Marcella Kelly. "Disturbance Effects on Small Mammal Species in a Managed Appalachian Forest." Disturbance Effects on Small Mammal Species in a Managed Appalachian Forest. 157.2 (2007): 385-97. EBSCO. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .
3. Tennessee Valley Authority home page. Tennessee Valley Authority. Web. 12 Feb. 2010. .
4. Pickering, John, Roland Kays, Albert Meier, Susan Andrew, and Kay Yatskievych. "The Appalachians." Discover Life. P. R. Gil, R. A. Mittermeier, C. G. Mittermeier, J. Pilgrim, G. Fonseca, W. R. Konstant and T. Brooks, 6 Mar. 2006. Web. 07 Feb. 2010. .
5. "Issues and Policy." America's Power - Home. American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, 2007. Web. 08 Feb. 2010. .
6. Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People. By Jamie Ross. Dir. Ross Spears. Prod. Paul Wagner. Appalachiafilm.org/ APPALACHIA: A History of Mountains and People. National Science Foundation, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, The National Endowment for the Humanities, The Cherokee Preservation Foundation, Appalachian Regional Commission. Web. 7 Feb. 2010. .