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Why does our environment need sea turtles?
- Thread starter birdgirl
- Start date
Lily the Big
New member
There is no things which are a 'need' for the environment. The environment is an abstract concept. God gave Adam the task of naming all the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air. (Genesis Chap.2), but he did not tell him to name the fishes or the turtles or anything in the sea. Therefore, he probably did not give them to him. People should not try to be vegetarians, instead they should refrain from eating sea-food. That is why we should preserve the turtle. The 'environment' does not need it, but it still belongs to God and if you eat it you may go to hell.
Twilight Rocks =)
New member
I'm doing a project and can't find why we need sea turtles... what do they do for us?... all animals are environmentally needed but why are sea turtles needed
They don't need to do anything for humans to justify their existence. In fact, they do just fine on their own without our "help." They are threatened for several reasons:
1. their eggs are eaten by some humans as aphrodisiac
2. turtles are caught and drowned in fishing nets
3. adult turtles are slaughtered for food
4. adult turtle shells are made into combs and other ornaments
5. turtle nesting beaches have been turned into holiday resorts or otherwise destroyed
We mainly "save" the turtles by not killing them or their eggs. Do we then need justification for not destorying the turtles? I submit that we don't. We don't need to do anything out of the ordinary to help the turtles. We just need to stop practices that make it difficult for them to survive and reproduce.
1. their eggs are eaten by some humans as aphrodisiac
2. turtles are caught and drowned in fishing nets
3. adult turtles are slaughtered for food
4. adult turtle shells are made into combs and other ornaments
5. turtle nesting beaches have been turned into holiday resorts or otherwise destroyed
We mainly "save" the turtles by not killing them or their eggs. Do we then need justification for not destorying the turtles? I submit that we don't. We don't need to do anything out of the ordinary to help the turtles. We just need to stop practices that make it difficult for them to survive and reproduce.
Lily the Big
New member
There is no things which are a 'need' for the environment. The environment is an abstract concept. God gave Adam the task of naming all the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air. (Genesis Chap.2), but he did not tell him to name the fishes or the turtles or anything in the sea. Therefore, he probably did not give them to him. People should not try to be vegetarians, instead they should refrain from eating sea-food. That is why we should preserve the turtle. The 'environment' does not need it, but it still belongs to God and if you eat it you may go to hell.
From the points of view of many, you are asking two different questions: 1) why are sea turtles necessary to the environment?; and 2) what do sea turtles do for us (humans)?
Like all animals in their native habitat, sea turtles are necessary to the environment because they both feed on other organisms and are fed upon. While removing all sea turtles might not have much of an effect on the few predators that eat them, it could have a serious effect on the organisms they consume. For example: some sea turtles are grazers, eating algae that grows on the sea floor in relatively shallow areas. If sea turtles were removed from these ecosystems, the algae could grow with fewer restrictions, which in turn could lead to the algae pushing other organisms out of their ecological niches. As with ALL species (in their native environment), removing it will decrease the food supply for whatever eats that species, and increase the population of species that it feeds upon, either of which could throw off the balance of the ecosystem in which the species lives.
As for what sea turtles do for humans, it depends on your point of view: some would say they do nothing for us, others that they are a food and material source to be utilized, and still others (like myself) who think that they have an intrinsic value all their own, both for their beauty and for their place in the web of life. The mere fact that they exist, that they co-evolved with the species that they prey upon, and that prey upon them, is sufficient evidence that they are a necessary part of a healthy ecosystem. And keeping the biosphere (the collection of all the interconnected ecosystems on the planet) healthy should be important to all the species that live on the Earth, including humans.
Edit:
While I agree with all that Cal King says, he doesn't actually answer the question.
Like all animals in their native habitat, sea turtles are necessary to the environment because they both feed on other organisms and are fed upon. While removing all sea turtles might not have much of an effect on the few predators that eat them, it could have a serious effect on the organisms they consume. For example: some sea turtles are grazers, eating algae that grows on the sea floor in relatively shallow areas. If sea turtles were removed from these ecosystems, the algae could grow with fewer restrictions, which in turn could lead to the algae pushing other organisms out of their ecological niches. As with ALL species (in their native environment), removing it will decrease the food supply for whatever eats that species, and increase the population of species that it feeds upon, either of which could throw off the balance of the ecosystem in which the species lives.
As for what sea turtles do for humans, it depends on your point of view: some would say they do nothing for us, others that they are a food and material source to be utilized, and still others (like myself) who think that they have an intrinsic value all their own, both for their beauty and for their place in the web of life. The mere fact that they exist, that they co-evolved with the species that they prey upon, and that prey upon them, is sufficient evidence that they are a necessary part of a healthy ecosystem. And keeping the biosphere (the collection of all the interconnected ecosystems on the planet) healthy should be important to all the species that live on the Earth, including humans.
Edit:
While I agree with all that Cal King says, he doesn't actually answer the question.
From the points of view of many, you are asking two different questions: 1) why are sea turtles necessary to the environment?; and 2) what do sea turtles do for us (humans)?
Like all animals in their native habitat, sea turtles are necessary to the environment because they both feed on other organisms and are fed upon. While removing all sea turtles might not have much of an effect on the few predators that eat them, it could have a serious effect on the organisms they consume. For example: some sea turtles are grazers, eating algae that grows on the sea floor in relatively shallow areas. If sea turtles were removed from these ecosystems, the algae could grow with fewer restrictions, which in turn could lead to the algae pushing other organisms out of their ecological niches. As with ALL species (in their native environment), removing it will decrease the food supply for whatever eats that species, and increase the population of species that it feeds upon, either of which could throw off the balance of the ecosystem in which the species lives.
As for what sea turtles do for humans, it depends on your point of view: some would say they do nothing for us, others that they are a food and material source to be utilized, and still others (like myself) who think that they have an intrinsic value all their own, both for their beauty and for their place in the web of life. The mere fact that they exist, that they co-evolved with the species that they prey upon, and that prey upon them, is sufficient evidence that they are a necessary part of a healthy ecosystem. And keeping the biosphere (the collection of all the interconnected ecosystems on the planet) healthy should be important to all the species that live on the Earth, including humans.
Edit:
While I agree with all that Cal King says, he doesn't actually answer the question.
Like all animals in their native habitat, sea turtles are necessary to the environment because they both feed on other organisms and are fed upon. While removing all sea turtles might not have much of an effect on the few predators that eat them, it could have a serious effect on the organisms they consume. For example: some sea turtles are grazers, eating algae that grows on the sea floor in relatively shallow areas. If sea turtles were removed from these ecosystems, the algae could grow with fewer restrictions, which in turn could lead to the algae pushing other organisms out of their ecological niches. As with ALL species (in their native environment), removing it will decrease the food supply for whatever eats that species, and increase the population of species that it feeds upon, either of which could throw off the balance of the ecosystem in which the species lives.
As for what sea turtles do for humans, it depends on your point of view: some would say they do nothing for us, others that they are a food and material source to be utilized, and still others (like myself) who think that they have an intrinsic value all their own, both for their beauty and for their place in the web of life. The mere fact that they exist, that they co-evolved with the species that they prey upon, and that prey upon them, is sufficient evidence that they are a necessary part of a healthy ecosystem. And keeping the biosphere (the collection of all the interconnected ecosystems on the planet) healthy should be important to all the species that live on the Earth, including humans.
Edit:
While I agree with all that Cal King says, he doesn't actually answer the question.