What Are the Impacts of Oil Exploration and Drilling on ANWR Primary-Level Consumers?
Primary-level consumers in ANWR include several species of mammals, as well as many different insects. However, the insect population of the area has not been studied very extensively, and it is doubtful that oil exploration can be detrimental to their survival. Mosquitos and Oestrid flies are abundant during the summer and are a major nuisance to individuals in the porcupine caribou herd. The result is that the animals’ foraging time is reduced as they spend more time avoiding the flies, which decreases their chances of surviving the winter. Lactating females are especially effected. The author believes that the insect population will actually increase if human activities begin in the area, due to the generation of trash and the decomposition of individuals of other species negatively affected by this human presence. Since little is actually known about the insects of the area, we shall concern ourselves mostly with the herbivorous mammals of the area, the most prominent of which is t
