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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (8015)	3/8/2001 12:37:51 PM
From: one_less	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

How local? There is a SuperWalMart where a prairy dog village used to be. Do you consider parking lots to be a modification on grassland?

To: Neocon who wrote (8015)	3/8/2001 12:44:36 PM
From: cosmicforce	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

An ecosystem is just that: a system of parts. Mountain lions need hundreds of acres for hunting and may have several different regions in their territory. Young cougars are the ones that get pushed to the edge where I see them. I've never seen a full grown adult. The one I saw was immature and was running along a fire road. It turned off the trail, went up on a log and faced me as I went by. Deer move in and out of their areas, but tend to hang about in one place, more or less, especially if there is water and food. When you cut apart an ecosystem, the animals with the larger ranges are most affected. This generally means top-level predators or those that are migratory. Small local breeding populations of non-migratory animals can have very small distributions with pockets of unique genetic qualities. Near me there are two varieties of California Poppies that are separated by a formerly large swampy area (now filled with homes). This isolation has caused one to be very large and bushy. The other is a dwarf. Very odd and cool at the same time. Ah, the joys of discovery. They may not be separate species, but they sure have differentiated into clearly different gene pools.