Abstract
This paper describes how in 1896, Edward D. Cope first published his law of phylogenetic increase which states that body size and longevity tend to increase during the evolutionary history of a lineage. It shows how this seems to be true for most animal groups, with only a few notable exceptions. It examines how the advantages of having a larger body size are numerous and attempts to establish whether possessing a large body size confers advantage not just ecologically, in the short-term, but also in a long-term evolutionary sense.

From the Paper
"It is true, and seems obvious, that large animals make better predators. This is because if an animal is considerably larger than its prey, it can subdue this prey simply due to its size as it is bound to be stronger and more powerful. An example is the African lion, Panthera leo, whose paws have such immense strength that they can knock down an ox with one blow. Being larger also offers benefits to herbivores as safety and protection from predators. If an animal is large, a predator is less likely to attack it. It also means that the animal may be more able to defend itself or escape from these predators. Bigger, especially taller, herbivores also have the advantage of being able to reach food that is higher in trees or bushes, which animals that are not so tall cannot reach."

Tags:animal, evolution, ecology, longevity

Abstract
This paper looks at the many potential and proven benefits resulting from the usage of genetically modified organisms such as longer lasting and better tasting fruits and vegetables, crops that require less use of pesticides, and improved nutrient content in certain foods. The author also examines specific problems with using such organisms.

From the Paper
"The scientific and social communities are currently engaged in a heated debate about the benefits versus the risks of Genetically Modified foods. The benefits are predicted to aid the agriculture community and humans while the risks are expected to also affect the ecosystem and humans negatively. Two specific examples of GM's soybeans and corn---are currently in the forefront in this controversial and unresolved issue."

Tags:agriculture, consequences, corn, ecosystem, farming, genetic, gmo, soybeans

From the Paper
"Rainforests are some of the most valuable resources we have, yet they are being destroyed in massive proportions. Many medicines, foods, natural insecticides and oil producing trees are found in the rainforest. The rainforest also holds endless possibilities for useful, undiscovered resources such as cures for disease and new food crops. The rainforest is also a big producer of the world's oxygen supply. When we destroy the rainforest, we are destroying our own oxygen supply. Many organizations have been battling to save the rainforests. If the destruction is to stop, a greater effort must be made to understand the causes behind the destruction of the rainforests. "

Tags:environment, amazon, rainforest, fast, food, ecology, brazil, venezuela

Abstract
The factors responsible for the reef devastation are directly attributed to human actions. This paper looks at the questions surrounding this destruction and offers many examples of why and what is causing the reef's destruction. In the end, the author recommends ways in which the destruction may be halted.

From the Paper
"For the last fifty years marine biologists have chronicled the deterioration and destruction of corals on reef systems worldwide. Coral reefs provide sanctuary for over a fourth of the world's marine fish species and consist of as much biodiversity as tropical rainforests. Unfortunately, both are now disappearing at an astounding rate"

Tags:algae, band, black, bleaching, bloom, coral, disease

Abstract
This paper examines how amphibians have not been exploited by humans like other animals have, they are kept as household pets and in some countries their flesh is seen as quite a delicacy. It therefore attempts to understand why are so many amphibian populations are in decline around the world. It shows how in some areas of the globe the decline is evidently due to loss of habitat but how in other areas, the reasons could be attributed to factors such as the depletion of the ozone layer or pollution. It looks at the advantages of amphibians to humans such as their use as environmental indicators and the use of their toxins as pain killers and covers methods of conservation.

From the Paper
"Habitat loss seems to be a significant cause of the diminishing amphibian populations over much of the world. Human population growth has led to many of the wetlands that are essential for amphibians to be drained for agriculture, filled in or paved. In Britain alone, many years of draining wetlands in order to improve crop yields has resulted in the destruction of 82% of marshland. Now, only isolated patches remain. Deforestation is an added strain on amphibians as the dense canopy provides shelter and protection for not only the adult amphibians but also their developing young, from predators and ultraviolet light."

Tags:ozone, layer, habitat, ecology, medication, environment

Abstract
This paper examines how a vast number of animals live in environments where there is no light, from the completely unlit and seemingly lifeless deep ocean, to the complete darkness of life inside another creature. It analyzes how to hunt or search for food, to find a mate or to avoid predators can all be extremely difficult activities and how animals have developed unique ways of dealing with the problems they face living in these environments. It focuses on three main types of animal that live in complete darkness: those that live in the deep ocean, troglobites (animals that live their whole lives in complete darkness in caves) and nocturnal animals and gives specific examples of each. It also touches on ectoparasites as these can also live out their complete life cycle and inside another being which is completely dark.

From the Paper
"In the ocean depths, below 150m there is no light at all. Photosynthesis is impossible and therefore there are no plants, only animals. From this depth down to a maximum of 4000m, the water is completely dark and very clear as there is very little organic matter. At very large depths, large fish are rare as there is simply not enough food to sustain them. In order to find food animals have evolved extendable stomachs and an enormous gape to catch prey even larger than themselves as it is so scarce or masses of movement sensitive hairs to sense even the slightest movement in the water. Bioluminescence is used by many species in the deep for different reasons."

Tags:prey, nocturnal, plains, sea, troglobites, endoparasites

Abstract
This paper examines how salmon are an amazingly varied and behaviorally complicated type of fish with different species all over the globe and how, the one thing which sets salmon apart from other fish, is the salmon's remarkable ability to navigate from the stream or river where it was born, through thousands of miles of sea right back to its specific birth place. In order to understand understand how the salmon navigates itself through thousands of miles so accurately, it looks at the salmon's life cycle and how the transition from fresh water to salt water produces many problems and dangers that through physiological and behavioral changes the salmon overcomes.

From the Paper
"The most noticeable change is the change in color and size; the vertical stripes and dots give way to a silvery like color to camouflage it at sea and the body begins to become larger, thinner and streamlined. Eventually its tail also becomes more powerful, however this is only noticeable when the salmon returns from the sea as it is in the sea when the tail develops fully. This development allows the salmon to overcome strong currents at sea as well as small physical obstacles on the way back upstream. Other essential changes are made also; this is the stage in the salmon's development when it learns the "smells" of its birth stream to enable it to "home" back to it after years at sea. This is known as olfactory imprinting and is similar to filial imprinting in birds as it occurs at a developmentally crucial stage."

Tags:gland, imprinting, olfactory, fish

Abstract
The following paper examines how fossil fuels affect climate and contribute to global warming as well as the way in which acid rain and oil spills affect local wildlife. The writer also discusses the effects of mining waste, farming and pharmaceutical waste.

From the Paper
"Fossil fuels have become a major factor in our lives, they are used to power cars, ships, aircraft's and entire economies but at an ecological price. From the combustion of fossil fuels is water and carbon dioxides. This the major waste gases. Others include nitrous oxides, carbon monoxides and sulfur oxides. These contribute vastly to global warming. When the sun radiates electromagnetic radiation through our atmosphere it hits the earth and then the earth reflect this back in the form of longer wavelengths as infra red radiation. "

Tags:algal, bloom, co2, conservation, dioxide, eutophication, fossil, fuels, global, metal, mining, nitrogen, ocean

Abstract
This paper describes how and why the global human population has become unevenly distributed essentially due to the constraints of the physical geography of the world. It includes reasons such as climatic conditions, local relief, availability of resources and fertility of the land. The paper includes many statistical examples and referenced diagrams.

From the Paper
"With the population of the world now standing at 6,214,891,000 people, the distribution of them around the globe is increasingly becoming an issue. In some countries population densities are becoming almost unsustainable. For example, Bangladesh now has 2,043 people per square mile, and with the global population growing 79 million people per year, it is likely that this overcrowding is likely to continue, with severe strain resulting on the natural environment. However, the total land area of the world is 148,940,000 square kilometers, which means that if the population of the world were to be entirely evenly distributed then the population density on average would stand at 42 people per square kilometer. Therefore, even from these simple calculations, when compared to the population density of Bangladesh, it is clear that it is the uneven population distribution that has caused this large range in the population densities around the world."

Tags:Amazon, basin, urbanization, demographics

Abstract
This paper is on the Wetlands and the effects civilization is having on them. The author contends that there exists a need for action, through the use of education, and federal/ locally sponsored programs. He fears that without major steps, and an increase in federal protection, we may reach a point at which we are too late, and serious damage to the Wetlands will be done.

From the Paper
"Wetlands" is the collective term for marshes, swamps, bogs, and similar areas found in generally flat vegetated areas, in depressions in the landscape, and between dry land and water along the edges of streams, rivers, lakes, and coastlines. Because they are so varied, wetlands can be difficult to recognize. Many have been altered by human activities such as farming, ranching, and the building of roads, dams, and towns. Yet their importance is critical is the proper functioning and balance of our many ecosystems."

Tags:environment, epa, protection, water