Ecology: Ash Dieback is Going Down With Others by Cassie Venditti

          Flora simply refers to a collection of plants that inhabit a specific region while fauna is a group of animals that live in a particular environment. Flora and fauna depend on each other for their survival. Usually, herbivorous and omnivorous animals feed directly on plants  while  carnivores  depend on plants indirectly for their nutrition. Additionally, there are plants which depend on other plants for food and support. Therefore, ecology is a place where every living thing depends on each other for survival mechanisms; it is a cobweb of dependency and interrelations. But when one of those things is missing, everything is out of balance and the cycle can not continue. As we have learned in ecology, a huge environmental problem is species going extinct. When something is changed in their habitat, they either have to leave or find a new way to survive. In this case over a hundred species were disrupted in their home and are now possibly on the verge of extinction as well. 
          The revelation by The Telegraph magazine that; the Chalara Ash dieback disease has Ash trees in Britain about to die out and become extinct. The disease is caused by a fungus called Hymenoscyphus which causes leaf loss, bark lesions and death. It mostly spreads by wind and can travel up to 10 miles away. The news is a bombshell to all environmental conservationists around the world. Not only will the extinction leave our planet one species poorer, but also the destruction will be a threat to other plant and animal species in the area. To be sure, more than forty plant species will go down with the Ash dieback and more than a thousand other species will be affected. Many people did not understand the implications of this tree going extinct until it was realized that over 45 different species used  just ONE ash tree. A total of 955 species have been found to use the ash trees including wood mice, squirrels, bullfinches, wrens, blue tits, bats and beetles. Not only does this tree dying ruin their home, but it also ruin a lot of food source for many animals. Many of the animals would feed off of the mosses and lichens that grew on the tree as a primary food source.     
         The absence of the Ash tree could leave a huge impact on the ecology of the UK'S forests because the ash trees make up 30% of its wooded landscape. Due to the changing weather patterns and climates, quite a number of plant and animal species are being wiped out. The warm summer days halted the spread of Ash dieback but when the rain came, the disease continued to affect more trees. As discussed in ecology, many human activities as studied through ecological footprints can be seen as actors in climate changes. So it's unpredictable and can not rely on weather to save the trees from getting the disease. But right now, Britain is experiencing a lot of car pollution, acid rain, non-recycling and landfill waste. The spread of disease can be through moving dead plants like cutting trees down for homes as well. Basically, the natural process going on is fitting the economic expectations set forth by the people.
          It can be said that to counter the process of extinction of species, Animals and plants act as a buffer zone between human beings and the environmental disasters. Thus, the preservation of the environment and its ecological units is at the centre of human existence. The more the other species become extinct, the closer the reality of human extinction gets. Humans are a huge reason why so many species or plant life becomes extinct. Even though the humans did not create this disease, a lot of their activities has added to the recent increase in Chalara Ash dieback.It's important to not just blame the fungus, but to look around and see what people are doing to the environment. Also to try and prevent the fungus from spreading by finding a way to fight it off so that the trees can live and use the remedy before it ruins the whole countries plant life. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/10883595/Ash-dieback-is-now-unstoppable-ecologists-warn.html

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/ashdieback