Abstract
The ecological settings in an ecosystem change from time to time. The changes in the ecological settings are brought about by a plethora of factors. Through evolution, the organisms that live in the ecosystem also change to adapt to the aforementioned ecological changes. The adaptation of the organisms to the ecological changes yields variations because different organisms and even organisms of the same species are exposed to the elements to different levels. Man has a significant role to play in the ecological changes. Through his economic activities, the effect on ecosystems has been both positive and negative. Urbanization as an effect of man’s activities influences the dynamics of ecology and evolution significantly. The aggregation of people in one area affects the carrying capacity of the area, the habitats for other organisms, the quality of air and water in the area, the general landscape. The research carried out in this area has generated findings with far-reaching implications. For instance, the use of landscape genomics has shown that human activity has unduly influenced the genetic makeup of the organisms in the ecosystem. The distribution of the organisms in such an ecosystem is dependent on their ability to adapt themselves to the ecological changes. There might also be interspecies variation in phenotypic characteristics due to different exposure periods as well as adaptation capabilities. Understanding this phenomenon requires the interpretation of the findings in the subject area, especially when using genomics and genetics, to be done within the ecological context rather than in isolation (Manel and Holderegger 2013; Alberti 2015; Kokko et al. 2016).
Introduction
The mixture of sulphur, nitrogen, and oxygen gases with water up in the atmosphere results in acid rain. The pollutants that cause acid rain come from various human activities. For instance, nitrogen and its oxides come the exhaust fumes of motor vehicles which sulphur dioxide come from the power plants that burn coal (Singh and Agrawal 2008). Wondyfraw (2014) reports that acidic rain is comprised of carbonic acid which is a combination of carbon dioxide gas and water, sulphorous acid which is a combination of sulphur dioxide and water and nitrous and nitric acid which are a combination of nitrogen dioxide and water. The increase in soil acidity causes the leaching of nutrients as well as availing heavy metals, some of which are toxic (Bhargava and Bhargava 2013; Dubey 2013).
Genomic tools have been used by different scholars to study the response of various animals to changes in their ecosystem. Lopez-Maury, Marguerat and Bahler (2008) genomic techniques can be used to measure the transcriptional mechanisms in various organisms to determine their genetic response to stressors in their environment. When faced with a changing environment, organisms change their genetic expression so that it is in responsive to the physiological needs of the organisms as per the changes in their environment (Lopez-Maury, Marguerat and Bahler 2008). The finding shows that phenotypic variation occurs as a result of the changes in the environment and may also serve as precursors for evaluation (Lopez-Maury, Marguerat and Bahler 2008).
Organisms in the same ecosystem may exhibit stark differences in their behavior. Scholars have posited that the differences in behavior is a response to the changes in the environment (Bell and Aubin-Horth 2010). These changes can be related to the biotic or abiotic factors in the environment. The use of genomics can help generate information on the biotic or abiotic factor that influence and sustain the variation in the organisms. This approach has also been used by Gasch et al. (2000) to measure how Saccharomyces cerevisiae respond to various changes in their environment.
Akbarzadeh et al. (2014) finds that the organisms are subjected to simultaneous changes in the abiotic factors. Genomic tools can be used to measure the effect of multiple sources of stress. Genomic tools have been used to test for temperature shocks, amino acid starvation, hydrogen peroxide, nitrogen source depletion, and osmotic shock (Gasch et al. 2000).
In the study by Choi and Kim (2007) the researchers had hypothesized that changes in the environment had a significant effect on the gene expression phenotype. Even in organisms where there was a genetic similarity, the exposure to the environment caused variations in their gene expression phenotype. However, the variation was not attributed to one’s genes but epigenetics. This shows that a change in the sequence of the DNA is not necessary to achieve heritable changes in an organism (Choi and Kim 2007). Through mechanisms such as chromatin remodeling, DNA methylation, and gene expression silencing, organisms can retain their DNA sequence by achieving changes in their phenotype and physiological processes that can be transferred to their filial generations (Choi and Kim 2007).
Hypotheses
The following are the hypotheses to be tested
Acid rain does not result in a statistically significant difference in chemical properties of soil.
The changes in the chemical properties of the soil do not result in statistically significant differences in the gene expression of animals.
Methods
The animal to be used in testing the above hypothesis is Lumbrucis terrestris. This is an organism that lives in soils that are rich in humus and moisture. The testing of the hypothesis will be done using a laboratory experiment. Two containers will be filled with garden soil. The amount of organic and inorganic matter as well as the pH and moisture content of the soil will be determine before the experiment to offer a baseline against which the findings will be compared. Three Lumbrucis terrestris of equal length and similar phenotypic characteristics will be be put inside ether of the two containers. The containers will be put in a controlled environment where they will be exposed to the same atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity. After every three hours, ten milliliters of water will be added to the two containers. In the control container, normal tap water will be added while in the experimental contained, the water added will be at a pH of 4 as reported by the US Environmental Protection Agency (n.d.). Periodic measurements of the soil pH will be taken to determine the acidity level. This routine will be maintained for 40 days
After the forty days, the chemical properties of the soil in the control and experimental box will be tested. The results will be compared to the baseline data collected at the beginning of the experiment to determine whether there are significant changes in the chemical properties of the soil. Of interest will any metal compounds in both containers. The findings of these tests will be used to test the first hypothesis.
The method to be used in the testing the second hypothesis is the serial analysis of gene expression (Nielsen 2008). The serial analysis of gene expression method is appropriate for this study because it allows the researcher to determine the genes that are turned on under certain environmental conditions and the genes that are turned off under the different environmental conditions.
Conclusion
The findings from the study will advance the area of genomics and its use in understanding the effect that acid rain has on biodiversity (Huete-Perez and Quezada 2013). By showing the gene expression of the test organism in different conditions, one can make inferences on the phenotypic variations in the test animal due to the changes in the abiotic factors, and whether these changes adapt the animal to the changing environmental conditions, or whether it predisposes the animal to potential extinction. The information can also be used to aid in conservation efforts (McMahon, Teeling and Hoglund 2014; Hoffmann et al. 2015; Grueber 2015).
References
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