how does a starfish pose a problem to the environment and humans?
337183
"Sea stars" are "top predators" Try searching on those key phrases. Also try "keystone predator"
545771
Effects of deforestation.\n\nthis can be a local problem with global consequences.\n\ncan be biology and chemsitry (maybe physics as well, heat flows etc.)
351408
Depends on what species of seal you are talking about. Generally speaking, mankind has killed the ocean by means of pollution and fishing, and every mammal species living in the ocean is endangered.
269272
Starfish (or as they are known by in the Marine Community "Sea Stars") have been known to live 8 years in aquariums, but the actual life span isn't know.\n\nHere is more about Sea Stars:\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish
516092
large scale dumping of waste from industrial areas, oil spill, hot water discharged from industries and power plants, and hm...hunting of vulnerable marine species, destruction of coral reefs..for ornamental purposes..etc
1017025
~None of the above.  I'd reduce human population by something just over 99.9% and save the planet.  But that solution has already been taken and we're well on the way.  People posting such trite questions on this site and wasting the energy (and burning the hydro-carbons to do it) as well as people doing the same to answer (yes, I include me in that) are a waste of oxygen anyway.\nNot to worry.  The planet, the ants and the cockroaches, and probably the sharks, will survive.
853472
Besides global warming.  It is difficult for them to raise offspring.  They give only 2 eggs and survival rate is 1 out of 2.
635836
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish\nDiagrams and descriptions on this page.
646405
Be careful.\n\nThat environment can be dangerous.
1088175
actually..this is quite generic stuff but since im a student in the field there's some help i can giv\n\nSociety in general is a part of the natural environmnt. Hence for it to survive it neds to protect and nurture it other wise its own existence may be in nature. The international community has taken not of this already and has brought the 'KYOTO PROTOCOL' into the picture. This a decleration by concerned signatory countries to take steps neccessary to control the rapid depletion of environmental resources.\nThe main problem with the 'role of society ....' is that although society as a whole disapproves of the any harm to the environment people are not ready to come together as a body as yet. \nFor staters there MUST be a massive awareness campaign against this pheneomeneon. This can be brought about by bringing the world media into the picture. Society as a whole must adopt GUIDELINES to ensure enviromental protection.\nthis includes:\n1 Steps to be taken aginst people who abuse the environment.\n2 Steps to be taken to promote the research eco friendly alternatives to available energy resources\n3 To stop the rapid depletion of flora and fauna throughout the world.\nCurrently about 400 species of plants are wiped out every year. A few dozen animal species become extinct. And society, by representing people power can actively put a stop to this.
1163503
Covering the reefs would kill them\nthey need lots of fresh water and sunlight
1126019
correct.\n\n      they are barely a concern.     they are folly\n \n             thank you for your very relevant question.\n\nTHERE ARE MANY, MANY VERY, VERY BIG ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WHICH ARE CAUSING THE PROBABLE EXTINCTION OF OUR SPECIES WHICH ARE NOT GETTING TAKEN AS SERIOUSLY.
614752
I don't really think they're essential to the global eco-system. If you could magically turn all deserts into plains or something, there are certain animals that you would drive to extinction, but I don't think the Earth would suffer because of it..... BUT humans would then populate vast areas (like the Sahara) that were previously uninhabitable, and pollute the Earth even more... so if you look at it that way, they're important because they limit human expansion.
934263
bikesamt, hi!\n\nyou must remember that every type of industry creates different kind of damage to the environment.  for example a company that uses lot of ground water (like coke, pepsi, kingfisher) causes problems with salinity in the water reservoir, and pollution seepage into the water system.\n\nthe following are common ways that companies create pollution:\n\n1. Power Consumption : large offices tend to use more power, and thus the State needs to generate more power to feed their power-hungry ways.  \n2. Traffic : with more and more employees in their premises, these people need to travel long distances, and every single vehicle creates a lot of pollution.\n3. Erosion of Green Belt : Industrial areas are often located in what used to be green cover, or green belts of forests or wasteland.  the plants and animal life are razed to make way for the corporates and their factories.\n4. Conspicuous Consumption : they make a lot of money, and pay their employees well.  these employees have a lot of money, and so spend it on other luxury goods that are not nature-friendly.  instead of man being at harmony with nature, he starts destroying it through his desire for luxury.  this is an indirect way to pollute.\n5. Sewage : large manufacturing units generate billions of litres of sewage and other pollutants that are either released into rivers, streams, lakes, oceans or the air.  this has a very adverse effect.\n6. Air-conditioning : the huge AC units required to cool offices, etc., need a lot of power, and they generate indirect pollution.  also, non-CFC based coolants are very expensive, and few companies make that investment.  CFC destroys the earth's ozone layer.\n7. Building Design : modern offices are designed with lot of glass and metal so that the buildings look "sexy".  but glass is a poor insulator, and air-conditioning needs to work for more time to maintain the temperature inside.  this creates indirect pollution.\n\nthese are the few things i could think of at the moment... \n\nhope it helped... if you need more ideas, drop me a line, and i could be able to help you out.\n\nenjoy!
123839
A couple of years ago, an IMAX film about the destruction of coral reefs was released.  I saw it but I can't vividly remember the details.  I just looked up the site for you.  It's http://www.coralfilm.com/.  There are links that will provide you with the information you're looking for.  Here's a sublink http://www.coralfilm.com/about.html#issues that tells you about the environmental threats and the impact of human activity.
533448
if you could collect all the grains of sand,from every beach on this planet, that still wouldn't make up a fraction of the amount of stars out there,\nand out of all these stars,and the billions of planets surrounding them.Its hard to believe that life only exists on this little rock.
905009
Harmful algal blooms are occurring more often and in more regions across the nation than ever before. These intense population explosions of algae can kill marine life, clog waterways, and create conditions that impact human health. While algal blooms are a natural phenomenon, it is believed that human activities, such as nutrient excess in runoff, may be triggering their increasingly common occurrence.