Haley Conroy - Class Discussion/The Ecology of Eden ch. 4/Extiniction/What is Pangea?

In the Ecology of Eden, Eisenberg's overarching portrayal through chapter four titled: "the new pangea" is about how extinction is a main reason for the de-flourishing of ecological services and ecosystems. An interesting statistical quote that supports this by Eisenberg states, "invaders now make up ⅕ to ⅓ of all north american plant species, & their share of territory is even greater.” This quote refers to how in more ways than one invasive species depends on man for a free ride. Some invasive species are tough enough to invade a healthy ecosystem, others can only flourish in ecosystems that are weakened in some way. Now I can answer my initial prompted question per the title... what is pangea? At the beginning of a period known as the entity (referring to pangea) it encompassed nearly all the planet's dry land and began the slow breaking up into continents. Within pangea there were barriers of topography, climate, and sheer distance. However, in the manmade pangea there are no such things as those barriers to compare which I find very interesting. I also wanted to acknowledge an important claim from Eisenberg I recognized throughout reading the Ecology of Eden and that is that cultural diversity will not keep the rain falling or the gasses of the atmosphere in balance. Moreover, Eisenberg is essentially stating that cultural diversity itself is dependent on biological diversity and as natural diversity has been plowed under, cultural diversity has gone down with it. Human cultures, and even human races for that matter, are not like species; they are fluid & his main point is that the energy it releases is energy stored over centuries of relative isolation & his fear is that the great explosion we are now seeing may end in cultural “heat death." I recognize that the second half of the book is about how we can use these ideas as we face the changes that will come about due to factors such as global warming, climate change, agricultural practice, human history, creation myths, ecological theory, evolution, urbanization, biotechnology, and even- gardening. In conclusion, Eisenbergs maintains a constant portrayal through his book that the search for Eden and its overarching meaning is not just a sentimental journey; it is a matter of both life and death.