Verified Document

Gwynedd Wildlife Preserve: Restoring An Altered Ecosystem Essay

Gwynedd Wildlife Preserve: Restoring an Altered Ecosystem to Its Original Glory Structural and Functional Dynamics

The Gwynedd Wildlife Preserve in Pennsylvania is a portion of land that has seen considerable changes over the years due to major structural and functional dynamics that occurred within this ecosystem. The preserve itself is a 234-acre portion of land consisting of meadows, woodlands and wetlands that border the ever-growing suburbs of Blue Bell and North Wales, Pennsylvania (Schuylkill, 2012, p.1). The area's lushness and welcoming appeal led to years of agriculture and development within the area and its immediate surroundings, leading farmers, business owners, and residents alike to flock to the area in and around where the preserve now lies. An area which functioned as a vast landscape for the growth of plan and animal life was now in danger of being picked dry by new human residents. With this influx of people and their relative actions, the area's natural resources found themselves considerably depleted. However, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a large parcel of land was donated to...

At the time of the area's donation to the National Lands Trust, the area of the Gwynedd Wildlife Preserve had been long utilized as an active agricultural area for many decades. As such, much of the land's natural woodlands had been cleared, eliminating the richness of the soil that was added to by the presence of this plant life. Additionally, fields which had been cleared of natural growth were planted with crops foreign to the soil, which in many areas of the preserve caused a complete overhaul in the biochemical cycles of the ecosystem. In essentially stripping an area of native plant life and starting fresh with new additions, the chemical dynamics of the acreage was significantly altered, and to this day is in the process of restoration.
Management…

Sources used in this document:
References

Natural Lands Trust. 2012. "Gywnedd Wildlife Preserve." Web. Retrieved from:

http://www.natlands.org/preserves-to-visit/list-of-preserves/gwynedd-wildlife-preserve / [Accessed on 23 April 2012].

Visit Philly Organization. 2012. "Gwynedd Wildlife Preserve." Philadelphia and the Countryside. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.visitphilly.com/outdoor-activities/philadelphia/gwynedd-wildlife-preserve / [Accessed on 23 April 2012].

Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area Organization. 2012. "Gwynedd
Wildlife Preserve." Web. Retrieved from: http://www.schuylkillriver.org / Detail.aspx?id=170 [Accessed on 23 April 2012].
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Ecosystem Effects of Human Behavior on Ecosystem
Words: 869 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Ecosystem Effects of Human Behavior on Ecosystem Humans often have the ability to remake an ecosystem entirely, disturbing every aspect of it to the extent that the ecosystem can be changed so much that it is destroyed. This paper examines one ecosystem that has been significantly damaged by human behavior and then projects what future human behavior might bring to this environment. The ecosystem that I will examine is that of the Owens

Ecosystems Are Changed by Both Biotic and
Words: 724 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Ecosystems are changed by both biotic and abiotic factors. Biotic factors are all living things or their materials that directly or indirectly affect an organism in its environment. Biotic factors include organisms, their presence or parts, their interaction with the ecosystem, or their wastes. Additionally, parasitism, disease, and predation are considered biotic factors. Abiotic factors are factors of a non-living physical and chemical nature that affect the ability of organisms

Ecosystem Structure Function and Change
Words: 707 Length: 2 Document Type: Research Paper

Ecosystem Structure, Function and Change Lake Tahoe is located in Sierra Nevada and is a freshwater lake over 1600 feet deep and one of the largest lakes in America. The lake is at the heart of a comprehensive ecosystem and home to a range of native species and contains a rich aquatic life. For example, the lake is home to redside dace, suckers and chub. "The ecosystem of the Lake Tahoe

Ecosystems Energy and Nutrient Cycles
Words: 788 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Ecosystems, Energy, And Nutrient Cycles Energy is the capacity to perform work, and it can only be measured in relation to how it affects matter. All organisms require energy to stay alive. All organisms also transform energy. Energy cannot be created or lost, it can only be transferred and transformed. Therefore, in order to perform any kind of function (or work) the body needs energy (the capacity to perform work), and

Ecosystem Perception and How It Relates to
Words: 740 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Ecosystem Perception and how it relates to the Ecosystem Upper Saline Watershed (Surf Your Watershed, N.d.) Our local watershed is such an essential part of our everyday living. However, most people take their water for granted and assume that some else is taking care of that problem. Yet, this is not always the case. Many watersheds throughout the United States are at risk for different types of contamination. In our local watershed, mercury

Ecosystems / Invasive Species the
Words: 1022 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Nevertheless, it is a conceptual change from government-sponsored conservation efforts of the past, which might have focused specifically in the same region on the manatee population, and thus played a pure game of numbers. To regard the Florida manatee instead as part of a larger ecosystem that must be monitored in numerous different ways requires a change in approach which is not always easy for a government agency to

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now