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Studies in Biodiversity - Wylie Martin: Home

Studies of Interest

While at Ferrum College, I explored the predation patterns of local Mesopredators, the Implications of the Consumption of Bushmeat, and traveled internationally to Costa Rica to study the biodiversity and ecosystem of their developing country.

Definitions

  • Mesopredators are a midranking predator in the trophic level that preys on smaller animals. The term has been used to describe carnivores of small or intermediate body size, such as foxes or coyotes, in contrast to large “apex” carnivores such as bears and lions. 
  • Bushmeat, or meat derived from wildlife, is a catchall phrase for the meat of wild animals, but it most often refers to the remains of animals killed in the forests and savannas of Africa. African people have long hunted bats, monkeys, rats, snakes, and other wild animals for sustenance.
  • Biodiversity is the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
  • Ecosystem can be defined as either 1) a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment, or 2) a complex network or interconnected system.
  • Consumption in these studies refer to either 1) consuming bushmeat as a viable food source, or 2) using up a resource for personal gain - in this instance the resource is animal/vegetation life.

Works Cited:

  1. “Consumption Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 14 Oct. 2023, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consumption. 
  2. Hall, Jani. “Bushmeat: How Wild Meat Can Be a Threat to Wildlife and Human Health.” Animals, National Geographic, 3 May 2021, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/bushmeat-explained#:~:text=Bushmeat%20is%20a%20catchall%20phrase,other%20wild%
    20animals%20for%20sustenance    .
  3. Hancock, Lorin. “What Is Biodiversity?” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/pages/what-is-biodiversity. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.
  4. Rutledge, Kim, et al. “Ecosystem.” Edited by Jeannie Evers and Kara West, Education, National Geographic Society, 19 Oct. 2023, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ecosystem/. 
  5. Hodge, Anne-Marie. “Laikipia Plateau: What Is a Mesopredator?” Scientific American Blog Network, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2013, blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/laikipia-plateau-what-is-a-mesopredator/. 

Giving Thanks

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