Factors Affecting the Habitats of Mammals Paper Example

Introduction

All organisms have a unique ecosystem where they live. This ecosystem is their natural habitat. A habitat provides the means for organisms to survive and thrive since it provides food, water, and shelter for these organisms. Mammals, like any other organism, have specific preferences that determine their habitats. However, mammals do not arbitrarily choose where to live. Several factors determine every mammal habitat. There are many factors that influence the distribution of both terrestrial and marine mammals. However, the choice of habitat by mammals largely depends on the atmospheric, hydrologic, cryospheric, geological, and oceanographic factors in relation to the environment as the discussion below illustrates.

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Factors that affect Terrestrial and Marine Mammals Habitats

Atmospheric Factors

The atmosphere is the mixture of gases surrounding the earth ("Atmosphere," 2018). Atmospheric factors are the elements related to the atmosphere. The most vital atmospheric factor that affects the distribution of mammals is the quantity and quality of oxygen available in a given ecosystem. Falkowski et al. (2005) argue that the notable increase in the concentration levels of atmospheric oxygen corresponds not only with the origin of placental mammals but also their diversification especially in the terms of their body size (p. 2204). From this argument, it is evident mammals' habitats vitally depend on the availability of oxygen (Paul & Ferl, 2006). The amount of oxygen intake needed highly dependent on atmospheric pressure, which in turn is determined by altitude. On high altitudes, the atmospheric pressure is low (Paul & Ferl, 2006). This occurrence requires a supplementary supply of oxygen, thus, restricting the existence of mammals (Paul & Ferl, 2006). Because of that, Njiro (2005 as cited by Paul & Ferl, 2006), observes that tropical mountain mammals are not found on altitudes of 5,000m.

Atmospheric temperatures also play a large part in determining the habitation of mammals. In a study on factors affecting the distribution the wild boar, sika deer, Asiatic black bear and Japanese Macaque in Central Japan, Honda (2009) investigated the effect of minimum temperature winter on these four species. Of all of them, only the wild boar and the Japanese macaques suffer from low winter temperature (p. 112). On the other hand, the Asiatic black bear hibernates in dens during winter allowing it to survive the low temperatures (Honda, 2009). The choice of the habitat of the Asiatic black bear is not, therefore, influenced by lower temperature even in the cold regions (Honda).

Hydrospheric Factors

The hydrosphere is the watery surface of the earth, comprising water vapor in the atmosphere and the water of the oceans ("Hydrosphere", 2018). The availability of water highly influences the habitat of terrestrial mammals. Also, marine mammals require water as a basic component for their survival. Different mammals require different Hydrospheric factors to thrive. Though many land mammal species need water to survive, the amount of water available is crucial in determining their distribution. In a study investigating the correlating the distribution of terrestrial mammals and the type of habitat they thrive in ranging from "mixed forest, Gilbertiodendron forest, disturbed forest, light gaps, and waterlogged and exposed habitats," majority of mammals were found to avoid waterlogged habitats (Blom et al., 2005, p.6-8). The only mammals preferring waterlogged habitations were the putty-nosed monkey and the Gorilla gorilla gorilla (Blom et al., 2005).

The major factors affecting marine mammals are the composition of the air in the water bodies. For instance, increased human activities, especially those related to agriculture have contributed to the rise in the levels of nitrogen in the oceans. That is because of the increase in the use of fertilizers, which result in an increase in the nitrogen runoff into the rivers and eventually to the sea (). The excessive nitrogen encourages a fiery growth of algal inhabitants. The living algae produce seagrasses growing on the bottom of the sea. These grasses die and then settle on the seabed depriving other marine organisms of reproducing and growth locales. Once they die, they decompose exhausting the oxygen in the lower level waters. Consequently, large volumes of water at those levels support only bacteria that can exist in absence of oxygen. These cause the death of animals that cannot survive without oxygen.

Large mammals are found in abundance in places where water is aplenty. However, different species of mammals require a different amount of water to survive. As a result, some mammals pick habitats that are near to water bodies while others need not live close to a water source. According to a Afolayan, Milligan, & Salami (1983) found high populations of water-dependent mammal species in relation to less-dependent ones (pp. 39-40). In particular, they found high population densities of the kob, bushbuck, and cane rat near River Ogun compared to the hartebeest and roan antelope (Afolayan, Milligan, & Salami, 1983). This finding indicates large mammals select their habitat in relative to the distance to a water source depending on whether they are water-dependent or not.

Cryospheric Factors

The cryosphere is "the portion of the Earth's surface where water is in solid form for at least one month of the year" (Fountain, 2012, p. 405). The well-known cryosphere on earth is the Arctic and Antarctica. These regions have harsh conditions and are characterized by extreme low temperature. Consequently, only 67 and 35 species of terrestrial and marine mammals occupy the Arctic biome (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) (2013). Many of this mammals are highly adapted to survive this environment. One of the most common marine mammals in the Arctic is the seal. Seals depend on the ice substrate of suitable status for resting, pupping, and molting (Tynan & DcMaster, 1997). Other mammals that are found in the Arctic are the bowhead whale, ringed seal, and beluga (Tynan & DcMaster, 1997).

Quite a number of terrestrial mammals such as the polar bear live in sea ice, while pikas thrive in rock glaciers (Fountain, 2012). The sea ice provides the foliage platform for the large mammals and a refuge for the smaller one (Fountain, 2012). The plenty amount of krill in Antarctic marginal sea-ice zones form a major food source for large predators, including seals and whales (Fountain, 2012).

Geological Factors

Geology is the science dealing with the physical configuration and composition of the earth, their history, and processes that act on them ("Geology", 2018). Many geographic structures affect the distribution of mammals in the world. According to Xu et al. (2016), for instance, the distribution of mammal species is rich in the mountainous areas than plain ones in China (p. 2). Grytnes & McCain, seeking to find the correlation between elevation and species richness, found nonflying small mammals to be concentrated on the intermediate elevations (p. 4). They argue the richness in mammal species on mountainous regions that are wet and warm, could be because it was under such conditions which countless "taxonomic groups and species originated" (Grytnes & McCain, 2016, p. 6).

Oceanographic Factors

The distribution of marine species follows a pattern corresponding with ocean currents and their dynamics, particularly the flows of nutrients linked with upsurge (Pompa, Ehrlich, & Ceballos, 2011). For instance, along with the Pacific coast of the Americas, a dense population of species is found along the California, Baja California, and Peruvian coasts (Pompa, Ehrlich, & Ceballos, 2011). These areas experience large current upsurge leading to a more productive fish family (Pompa, Ehrlich, & Ceballos, 2011).

But among marine mammals, the pattern is different, especially on higher taxa (Pompa, Ehrlich, & Ceballos, 2011). Pinniped, (seals and sea lions) kind are concentrated in the poles, especially near Antarctica (Pompa, Ehrlich, & Ceballos, 2011). Mysticetes (baleen whales) species are highly concentrated at 30 S latitude, while Odontocetes (toothed whales) near tropical coasts. There also exists a discrepancy in distribution at the family stage and amid orders (Pompa, Ehrlich, & Ceballos, 2011). An example is the two families in Sirenia contrasting distributions: The Trichechidae (manatees) are solely in the North and South Atlantic, while the Dugongidae (dugong) are confined in North Pacific and Indo-Pacific (Pompa, Ehrlich, & Ceballos, 2011).

Conclusion

The distribution of both terrestrial and marine mammals depends on the atmospheric, hydrologic, cryospheric, geological, and oceanographic factors. The most vital atmospheric element that influences the habitat of mammals is the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere. Many mammals prefer to live in regions with plenty of oxygen. Atmospheric pressure limit the amount of oxygen in the air. As a result, most of the large mammals do not thrive in high altitude areas, where oxygen is limited due to high atmospheric pressure. Atmospheric temperature is also a big determinant of mammals' distribution. While many mammals prefer warmth regions, a considerable number of species of them bloom in colder ones.

The cryosphere is another determinant of distribution. Mammals such as the seal depending on the ice to survive. It offers them a place to rest, molt, and reproduce. The pikas get their shelter from rocky glaciers. The larger predators such as seals and whales live in Antarctica due to the enormous amount of krill - their source of food. The structure of the earth also plays a role in determining mammals' habitat. Most mammals prefer the wet and warm mountainous regions. The ocean currents and their dynamics correspond with the habitation of marine mammals. However, different marine mammals blossom in different parts of the oceans. This depends on the environment of place and the type of the species.

References

Afolayan, T.A., Milligan, K.R.N., & Salami, S.O. (1983). Abundance and distribution of large mammals, in the Upper Ogun Game Reserve, Oyo State, Nigeria. International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems, 4(1), 33-44.

"Atmosphere". (2018). Definition of atmosphere in. In Oxford Learners Online Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/atmosphere

Blom, A., Van Zalinge, R., Heitkonig, I. M., & Prins, H. H. (2005). Factors influencing the distribution of large mammals within a protected central African forest. Oryx, 39(04), 381. doi:10.1017/s0030605305001080

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna. (2013). Arctic biodiversity assessment: Status and trends in Arctic biodiversity. Akureyri: CAFF.

Falkowski, P. G. (2005). The Rise of Oxygen over the Past 205 Million Years and the Evolution of Large Placental Mammals. Science, 309(5744), 2202-2204. doi:10.1126/science.1116047

Fountain, A. G., Campbell, J. L., Schuur, E. A., Stammerjohn, S. E., Williams, M. W., & Ducklow, H. W. (2012). The Disappearing Cryosphere: Impacts and Ecosystem Responses to Rapid Cryosphere Loss. BioScience, 62(4), 405-415. doi:10.1525/bio.2012.62.4.11

"Geology". (2018). Definition of geology in. In Oxford Online Dictionaries. Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionar...