Start Date
12-9-2017 4:00 PM
End Date
12-9-2017 5:00 PM
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
Every habitat and ecosystem on Earth has been affected by human activities. The three primary mechanisms through which humans affect the environment are climate change, the spread of invasive species, and habitat fragmentation. The rapid environmental changes associated with these factors have few parallels in Earth’s history, leading paradoxically to an extinction crisis and to the spread of a few dominant species. Because these effects are not uniformly distributed among locations or ecosystems, they are creating ecologic and economic winners and losers. These discrepancies, in turn, are a key factor driving global patterns of urbanization, and is projected to be a major, if not the major, cause of warfare and humanitarian crises during the 21st Century. Conversely, these changes also present opportunities for developing more sustainable cities and societies.
Biography
Dr. Lewis earned a BS in Biology and MS in Ecology from Penn State, and a PhD in Botany from Duke. After working with the EPA, he joined the Biology Department at Fordham, where he currently is Chair, as well as Chair of the University Research Council. Research in his lab spans plant physiology, community ecology and ecosystem biology, with an emphasis on interactions among microbiota, plants and animals, and how human effects on the environment alter these interactions.
Additional Links
Something Wicked This Way Comes – Human Effects on the Environment
Every habitat and ecosystem on Earth has been affected by human activities. The three primary mechanisms through which humans affect the environment are climate change, the spread of invasive species, and habitat fragmentation. The rapid environmental changes associated with these factors have few parallels in Earth’s history, leading paradoxically to an extinction crisis and to the spread of a few dominant species. Because these effects are not uniformly distributed among locations or ecosystems, they are creating ecologic and economic winners and losers. These discrepancies, in turn, are a key factor driving global patterns of urbanization, and is projected to be a major, if not the major, cause of warfare and humanitarian crises during the 21st Century. Conversely, these changes also present opportunities for developing more sustainable cities and societies.