Fox Biodiversity and Biogeographical Patterns (Essay Sample)

Instructions
From Professor requirements:
This is where you will summarize the information that you used to build your Introduction section. Your Annotated Bibliography will consist of five sections; each one devoted to explaining one of your linked citations. Meaning, if you used the article linked above about the potential range of an invasive tick, you only need to summarize those two sources once, since the information will be the same in both those sources. Again, use the citation format provided by Science Daily. You do not have to include your Annotated Bibliography on your poster.
Subject is “Fox Biodiversity”.
This is for a college Biology Class. I suck at writing Annotated Bibliographies. So thank you so much for doing tis!
Below is the information that I have gathered doing my research paper for this subject as well.
Abstract:
Foxes are a pest animal because they threaten biodiversity by hunting and killing native wildlife. They have contributed to the extinction of several species of small mammals and birds. Also threaten livestock including poultry, lambs, and goat. Although they do help out in ways as well. Such as, red foxes help to control populations of their prey animals, such as rodents and rabbits. They also may disperse seeds by eating fruit. What I have seen since observing my family’s farm is that red foxes help to control populations of their prey animals, such as rodents and rabbits. They also disperse seeds by eating fruit and getting seeds caught in their fur. In some areas where foxes had been killed off, rodents increased so much that farmers brought in other foxes.
Introduction:
This information is relevant to my aera since the data was collected in Duplin County on and near a few cattle, hog, and turkey farms. The data that I am collecting will be about the biodiversity of foxes and how they coexist with humans. Since they are highly vulnerable to extinction due to its perilously small population size and reduced genetic diversity, fox all throughout the world face many dire threats to its habitat, including logging, off-road and over-snow vehicles, livestock grazing and fish stocking.
Like all animals, foxes fulfill a larger purpose while advancing their own individual purpose of survival, maintenance, and reproduction. Ecologically, as apex predators, they play an important role in food chains, keeping populations of prey species under control and thus aiding the balance of nature. The issues I am exploring is that foxes are hunted due to being known as predators, so people want to control their population. As doing that they are also making money off of the fox pellets and bones.
The balance between human and foxes working together have gotten better over the years, but still people don’t trust foxes. We all know them to be clever and pranksters. Foxes have excellent senses of eyesight, hearing, and smell. Their sharp, pointed teeth are typical to carnivores and help them to tear through meat. The colors of the fox's fur blend in with its surroundings and allow it to camouflage well. This allows them to stay hidden when hunting prey and also when they become prey from humans. Red foxes can run fast, up to 30 miles per hour! They have long legs and slim bodies which help them to adapt. They can hide very well, camouflaging themselves, hiding right out in the open. Their diversified habitats allow them to survive in places where you would never guess they would thrive.
By using the hunting trail cameras, I was able to capture foxes walking around the houses of the turkeys during the day. Sniffing around and catching rodents that would dart off from under the foundation. Also, I was able to follow tracks left by the foxes and their kits allowing me to see how far away from the “scene of the crime” they were living. This also allowed me to track what they had been eating since the adult foxes would bring food to the den for the kits since they are not old enough to hunt on their own yet. Getting to see the bones up close and to analyze what they would leave on and what they would actually eat. They are very skilled at pulling the fur off the prey so they could get to the meat. While leaving some on the bone for the kits to get practice at chewing on the bone to get the nutrients that they needed as well as stimulation.