A look at the impact of immigration on the suburban landscape, through an abiotic, biotic and cultural analysis of a region of the Greater Toronto area.
Abstract This paper examines the "layers of the land" (abiotic, biotic and cultural) in a suburban neighborhood with a particular emphasis upon how issues seen in this neighborhood reflect larger processes currently being experienced in the Greater Toronto Area as a whole. The writer notes that perhaps the most important process being experienced in this area is the interaction between urban sprawl and the "suburbanization of immigration". The writer also points out that the population of the area appears to be in flux, as largely working- or middle-class immigrants of predominantly Asian and South-Asian descent are settling in the neighborhood in greater numbers. In this respect, it is shown how the profound biotic and cultural impacts upon the study area, reflect similar processes underway in the Greater Toronto Area and, in fact, in cities across North America today.
Outline:
Introduction
An A-B-C Analysis
Biotic and Cultural Factors: Conflict and the Suburban Landscape
Critical Analysis
From the Paper "An abiotic analysis of the region is interesting as it reveals how the built environment of Toronto's suburbia has transformed the natural environment of the region. The weather of the neighbourhood reflects that of the Greater Toronto Area as a whole, and is marked by high seasonal variations from hot, humid summers to cold winters with considerable precipitation. The soil of the region is typical of the soil of Toronto in general in that it is characterized by a thick dark surface and a high proportion of organic matter. This renders the soil of the region particularly beneficial for plants and the growing of crops."
"Surprisingly, however, these abiotic limiting factors which would normally determine the quality and quantity of living things in a given region do not seem to be particularly significant factors in this neighbourhood. Indeed, except for trees, hedges and small plants - usually displayed for cosmetic purposes in residential settings - there is little sign of that the rich qualities of the soil are determining land uses in the area."
Abstract This paper identifies examples of the three different types of layers of the land: abiotic, biotic and cultural (the ABC approach) in the Agincourt area. It focuses on the relationship between those three types of layers. It then investigates how the characteristics of the ABC approach have been manifested in this particular geographical area and determines the level of integration of the various resources through the use of examples related to the ABC approach and how those examples interact.
Table of Contents:
The Area
From the Paper "As with other areas of the peri-urban zone, it is difficult at times to distinguish what is rural from what is urban in the Agincourt area. Even though the level of urban growth is severely restricted in Agincourt, commercial expansion continues at high cost to the biotic as well as certain cultural elements. The area is a combination of rural and urban, and the priority at this time needs to become the rural. The pattern since the early 1980s is the urban aspect has dominated. In order to preserve the ecological balance between the three different types of layers of the land, what remains of the rural and farmland as well as green areas have to be preserved. The basic problem is found in a scarcity of resources which are overwhelmingly allocated to the urban or development aspect. These resources now need to be directed to preserving the rural part of Agincourt. In this way, the natural life forms or the biotic forms will be able to be sustained. The main focus has to be upon sustainability for the area of Agincourt."
Abstract This paper examines antibiotic resistance in two government hospitals in the United States. It outlines an experiment designed to determine levels of anti-biotic resistant respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in two hospitals and an intervention to reduce rates
Abstract An area of 270 hectares in Richmond Hill, ON is assessed. Various criteria including soil types, drainage and topography are employed to make the decision. It is concluded that the land's most appropriate use would be reestablishment of the natural biotic community.
Abstract This paper explains that Crater Lake, Oregon, which is the deepest lake in the United States, was formed, some 7,000 years ago, as the cavity from the collapse of a volcano filled with water. The author points out that the lake is renewed from rain and snow runoff each year. The paper notes the different organisms living in the lake and the depths at which they are found.
From the Paper "Crater Lake, Oregon offers a number of interesting geological and biological features that exist because of the way the region was formed and the history since. Much of the biology of the region remains uncertain, for studies have only been undertaken in depth in the last 20 years. This fact makes the region especially interesting as new knowledge is gleaned about such lake systems and their interaction with the surrounding area. Crater Lake was formed from the eruption of Mount Mazama, leaving the crater that would fill with water and become Crater Lake. Once the volcano had erupted, it left a 4,000 foot deep caldera and a myriad of other geologic formations ("Crater Lake: History" para. 6). A U.S. Geological Survey party examined the area in 1959 and made sonar readings establishing the depth of the lake at its deepest point as 1,932 feet."
Abstract This paper that examines the effect of antibiotics on the evolution of present day bacteria. These bacterial are considered in light of anti-biotic resistance. The paper also focuses on bacteria's rapid mutagenic properties. Additionally, the paper further explores how pharmaceutical companies are trying to outsmart bacteria's ability to mutate and survive. The mechanisms of action for antibiotics are provided as well as an explanation of why antibiotic resistance is so prevalent.
From the Paper "Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. When it was first introduced to the public in 1944, 94% of the most commonly known bacteria were still susceptible to eradication and it saved countless lives. By 1950, the number was reduced to 50% and the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has continued to increase. Similarly, life threatening bacterial infections are on the rise as new forms of bacteria are discovered. Many of these bacteria had their origins in disease strains that were previously treated effectively with antibiotics. However, with the rise in use of antibiotics over the past several decades in industry and agriculture along with the increase in number and types of antibiotics produced and over prescribed by physicians, bacteria being highly adaptogenic have mutated into antibiotic-resistant strains. This paper will discuss the main mechanisms of antibiotic effectivity, discuss what is leading to antibiotic resistance among bacteria, state..."
Abstract This paper examines two instances of ecosystem development--one instance being primary succession, the other instance being secondary succession--and explores how abiotic and biotic factors can create and/or perpetuate a ecological system. The paper concludes briefly by looking at the various mechanisms which hinder or help an ecosystem recover after a catastrophic event.
From the Paper "In our course textbook there are two especially interesting illustrations. The first of these depicts primary succession on a glacial moraine in Glacier Bay, Alaska. In this instance, the barren, rocky landscape is colonized by lichens and mosses and shrubs. Afterwards, dwarf trees and more mature shrubs emerge and then spruces come to predominate. In the second illustration, we are confronted with secondary succession in North Carolina wherein, after one year after cultivation, there is the emergence of crabgrass and then the subsequent emergence of annual and perennial weeds. A few years later, pine seedlings and saplings develop and these are followed by young pine forest and by the developing "under-story" of hardwoods. Finally, 150 years after the field was first abandoned, there is a mature hardwood forest present."
Abstract The paper explains how current research into vertical zonation across protected and exposed areas of various rocky shore environments has lead to contradictory results. While some data maintains that exposure to abiotic and biotic disruptive factors may cause either destruction or lessened species diversity in exposed areas, other data supports a more diverse and flourishing environment in exposed areas, owing to factors such as wave action, the up welling of nutrient rich water, and the destruction of larger, more dominant species allowing for the reproduction of smaller, usually subdued species.
From the Paper In the examination of marine life in vertical zonation of coastline environments, general biotic and abiotic stresses have been generally found to be influential. Biotic stressors include competition for space, competition for food, predation, food availability and grazing; abiotic stressors include temperature extremes, desiccation, wave action, salinity and freshwater input, pollution and freshwater runoff. It is generally accepted, however, that many environmental stressors have a limited impact on barnacle, algae and mussel species, as they have been long adapted to such dynamics. However, variations in dissemination of algae, barnacle and mussel species indicate that factors such as exposure and protection may play a role in species distribution of rocky shore environments, and that tidal factors play a role in vertical zonation.
