User talk:Sanc3228/sandbox

Article Evaluation

Quality rating is a good measure for determining whether an article is worth the read. Articles designated "Good" or "Featured" are trustworthy sources. Articles with a "Stub" or "Start" rating, aren't good, however, they are articles that are worth editing and improving. Quality articles are clear, concise, provide a neutral standpoint that provides perspective from both sides of the spectrum and have reliable sources cited for their work. A good source is independent from the topic of the article, comes from a neutral party and provides a general overview of the subject of discussion. Close paraphrasing, regardless of citing a source properly, is still considered plagiarism by Wikipedia's policies. The best method to avoid this issue is to take notes on the source and write your idea without looking at the structure of the source. Looking at the history of the page is a good way to see the edits made to an article and reasoning for the changes made can be found on the talk page.

Possible Topics and Articles to Use for Research

Alternanthera philoxeroides (aka Alligator weed) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternanthera_philoxeroides (link to Wikipedia article) It is rated stub, in accordance to Wikipedia's standards, so there is a lot of room for improvement. There is very limited data for each of the sections provided, so I hope to expand upon that information by pulling from reliable resources.

Primary Succession https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_succession (Link to Wikipedia article) This article is rated start based on Wikipedia's quality scale, which a decent start but requires a deeper analysis to be taken to a higher quality. Based upon what we've discussed about succession in class and by doing extensive research from reliable resources, I feel confident that I could build upon the foundation setup by this article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sanc3228 (talk • contribs) 21:10, 23 August 2017 (UTC)

Improvements that can be made to article assigned

The information provided is very few and limited, so I plan to expand on the sections already created. For instance, the section on Negative Impacts seems to describe only a small view of what effects this species presents; however, I feel like there is more to be said, like what species it is outcompetiting and what resources are they driving down. In addition, I have a couple of new sections that I would like to add to the article to give it a more broad perspective of the topic. For example, I would like to add a section on dispersal of alligator weed to explain as to why this plant can spread so quickly. In addition, I would like to add a section on preventive measures to see if there are any actions being taken to prevent this species from invaded more areas based off its ecological envelope. Sanc3228 (talk) 14:47, 4 September 2017 (UTC)

Rough Draft of Edited Article (Alternanthera philoxeroides)

Lead Paragraph Edits Alternanthera philoxeroides, commonly referred to as “alligator weed,” is a native species to the temperate regions of South America, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Argentina alone, hosts around 27 species that fall within the range of the genus Alternanthera. Its geographic range once used to cover only the Parana River region of South America, but it has since expanded to cover over 30 countries, such as the United States, New Zealand, China and many more. This invasive species is believed to have been accidentally introduced to these non-native regions through sediments trapped/attached to tanks and cargo of ships travelling from South America to these various areas.

Description Paragraph Edits The species of alligator weed can thrive in both dry and aquatic environments and is characterized by the following set of notable features: • Whitish, papery flowers along its short stalks • Irregular, or sprawling hollow stems • Simple and opposite leave pattern sprouting from its nodes The aquatic plant is classified as a dioecious species because it contains both male and female reproductive organs, which allows it to reproduce both sexually and asexually. It is also considered a herbaceous plant due to its short-lived shoot system. This plant produces horizontal stems, otherwise known as stolons, that can sprout up to 10m in length and can easily float, hence the reason why they have hollow stems; this in turn leads to large clusters of stem to amass and create dense mats along the surface. The plant flowers from December to April and usually grows around 13 mm in diameter and tend to be papery and ball-shaped. The weed's intricate root system can either allow them to hang free in the water to absorb nutrients or directly penetrate the soil/sediment and pull their nutrients from below.

Modified Text of Negative Impacts Alligator weed is considered a major threat to ecosystems because of the adverse effects it poses on both aquatic and terrestrial environments, as well as negatively influence both the ecosystem and society.

Impacts on Vegetation The presence of this invasive species disrupts the natural flow of water due to the dense mats created from its clusters of stems. It out competes the native vegetation for space and solar energy through these dense mats because they are large cluster and limit the amount of light that submerged vegetation receives. These compact clusters of stems also disturb the regular exchange of gases that occur underneath the surface that directly influences aerobic processes, such as photosynthesis. Aside from driving down the population of native aquatic vegetation, Alligator weed can also influence the growth and yield of crops in pastures and fields. These dense mats can affect the natural flow of water that is used in irrigation systems and as well as affect the quality of the water by increasing the sedimentation present in the water. Both factors are things that crops depend upon to not be disturbed, to provide a healthy yield for farmers, which is also falls within an impact it has on society that will be discussed later. On top of this, the likelihood of flooding is more like due to the drainage brought upon by the dense mats, which in turn can also damage the crops. Furthermore, this is a small insight into the negative impacts this invasive species has on the environment.

Impacts on Animals As mentioned, the compact mats formed by this specie can drive down the population of native vegetation in the environments it invades, this is a major issue for the native herbivore because their food source is declining. In addition, the dense mats present a challenge for the native wildlife by acting as a barrier between them and the natural water source. However, even if they can reach the water, they are still at risk because the water quality can be contaminated by the increased sediments. Thus, just as it did with the native vegetation, Alligator weed is also driving down the population of the native wildlife as well.

Impacts on Society"" As been repeatedly stated in the previous two sections, the dense mats formed by this specie influence the natural flow of water, which can impede various recreational activities, such as boating and fishing. The disruption of flow can also have a negative impact on infrastructure when it comes to energy, such as the use of hydro-electric dams to power generators. The dense mats also present suitable ecological conditions that mosquitoes can thrive off. This can be considered a commensal relationship between mosquitoes and alligator weed because mosquitoes receive a breeding ground and alligator weed gets nothing nor losing anything. The increases population of mosquitoes can lead to increase risks towards humans’ health, regarding the spread of disease. Furthermore, the dense mats produced by Alligator weed do not present suitable ecological conditions for native species or humans to thrive off.

New Section to be added

Dispersal/Reproduction This invasive plant depends solely on vegetative means to reproduce and disperse itself in the area it has invaded and established its roots. In its native geographic range, the species spreads to through means of producing viable seeds; however, it has been observed within its non-native ranges that it rarely produces viable seeds. To accommodate this, the Alligator weed reproduces itself through fragmentation; the plant can regenerate itself from small portions of stems or small leaf cuttings. These small fragments of the plant can then be dispersed through human means and natural means; once its dispersed, the fragments can then find suitable ecological conditions and root itself and regenerate.

Human Dispersal In effort to eradicate the species by manual means, such as mulching or pulling them out, if not removed efficiently, small stem fragments can be displaced to new areas. Soil movement caused by earthmoving machinery is another example of how humans influence the dispersal of the plant.

Natural Dispersal In aquatic environments, the Alligator weed can easily disperse its fragments by being sucked into the path of the waterways. In terrestrial environments, the small fragments of stems and leaf cuttings can be dispersed through the natural movement of soil caused by erosion. Thus, the geographic range of this invasive species can easily be expanded by any means necessary due to its ability to regenerate from practically nothing.

Methods of Control Edits

Preventive Measures Early detection is the best bet to ensure that the invasive species does not successfully colonize a non-native region because of its persistent to regenerate and propagate from small portions of its stem or leaf cuttings. However, when that is not possible, the best that can be done is to limit and control the presence of Alligator weed in an area. Alligator weed can only establish itself in shallow waters no deeper than 2 meters, so one method of control is to erect barriers in shallower areas to limit the amount of suitable space the plant has. When it comes to terrestrial environments, by overpopulating the area with native species it can limit the suitable space available for it. However, this method is only effective before the invasive plant has asserted itself in an area. Lastly, as previously mentioned, this plant is only able to produce viable seeds in its native geographic range and not in the areas it has invaded. By getting a better understanding on what ecological conditions make it so that only sterile seeds are produced in non-native regions could be key to developing further preventative measures against it.

Biological Measures

Insects have been released for the biological control of alligator weed. The most successful and widely used is Agasicles hygrophila commonly called the alligator weed flea beetle; it has been released for biocontrol in Australia, China, Thailand, New Zealand, and the United States. However, their effectiveness is limited due to their inability to survive through temperatures lower than 11 degrees Celsius. Amynothrips andersoni, the alligator weed thrips, and Vogtia malloi, the alligator weed stem borer, have also been released in the United States. These species result in immediate wilting and limit Alligator’s weed to reproduce by colonizing its stems. A variety of chemicals have been shown to be effective in controlling the plant, the most useful of which include glyphosate, triclopyr, fluridone, imazamox, and imazapyr; however, they must be constantly be applied to be successful. Furthermore, these are all the currently known methods for control against the invasive Alternanthera philoxeroides. Sanc3228 (talk) 02:02, 14 September 2017 (UTC)

Reflective Essay

Critiquing Articles

What did you learn about Wikipedia during the article evaluation?

Initially I thought Wikipedia was an unreliable resource since literally anyone can alter the information provided by an article. However, through the training modules provided and going behind the scenes to see how articles are created and edited, I realized there is more to Wikipedia than at first glance. Wikipedia has its own rating scale for measuring both the quality and the significance an article to an average reader. In addition, Wikipedia allows users to leave communicate to the authors/editors of articles and allow them to provide them with constructive comments on how they can improve their article or to inform them of the changes that have been made to the article.

How did you approach critiquing the article selected for this assignment?

I took advantage of the resources that Wikipedia has established to help critique the information the article I selected had provided. For instance, if the article was rating poorly on the quality scale, then I knew that the perspective provided by this article was very limited and had a vague description of the topic. In addition, I took notice to its ranking on the importance skill, to help give me a sense of how significant the article would be to the field it is presented in; so, if it was of high importance, but the quality of the information of relatively low, then the article was in definite need of being edited. Lastly, I kept in mind the notion that Wikipedia is like the spark notes or synopsis for a topic, so the article had to understand the balance of not providing perspective that was not general nor too specific to ensure a reader could receive an in depth understanding of the subject without getting lost in all the details.

How did you decide what to add to your chosen article?

As I mentioned, Wikipedia articles are like secondary sources that are not supposed to serve as substitutes to first-hand/primary accounts of a topic. That in mind, I knew that any input I were to make to the article of my choosing had to provide a general overview of the topic without getting too caught up with providing too much extra details. Also, I knew that if I wanted to provide any value to the article that any information that I added had to come from reliable or noteworthy resources. In addition, the viewpoints I were to add to the article had to come from a neutral position and not serve as influence on a reader’s beliefs. My aim for the edits I was to make to the article were to provide the reader with a broad perspective and enough reliable information that would allow them to form their own thoughts and speculations about the topic. However, above all else, I knew that whatever I added to the article, I knew that it had to relate the course work provided by the curriculum established by my professor.

Summarizing your contributions

Despite the notion of quality over quantity, prior to my contribution, the article on Alternanthera philoxeriodes had very limited information on the subject. To help improve the overall quality of the article, I had to make a considerable addition of information to broaden up the narrow perspective that was provided by the limited amount of details presented. However, I made sure that the information I did add to the article was of high quality by making sure to only pull information from reliable and neutral sources. In addition, I also added a new section (Dispersal/Reproduction) that I felt was an essential component to better understanding why the species, Alternanthera philoxeriodes, is considered invasive, aside from just presenting the negative aspects of it. The article, before my contribution can be summarized as providing very minimal and meaningful content. In comparison, the current version of the article that came because of my contribution provides not only more content, but more content of significant value that provides readers with a bigger picture of the subject.

Peer Review

In the process of completing the peer review, I made sure the overall article fit the criteria of a quality article as established by Wikipedia: 1) providing a neutral standpoint, 2) having information from reliable/notable sources, 3) providing clear and concise viewpoints and 4) it must have an organized and natural flow of arguments. However, above all, it must not violate Wikipedia’s plagiarism policy. If the article failed to meet any of these criteria, then I would leave a constructive comment in the talk page that would address the issue(s) and provide helpful advice that will help them improve it. Obviously, I would also briefly look over the grammar of the entire article and make the minor edits myself and mention in the talk page the edits I made.

Feedback

I did not receive any feedback from other Wikipedia editors that were not my peers and I believe the reason for that may be because this article had not be touched in over a year.

Wikipedia Generally

What did you learn from contributing to Wikipedia?

I learned a lot about what distinguishes an article from being a poor and meaningless one to one that is of high quality and provides a significant viewpoint of a topic. I also learned about what common errors I make from writing articles based off the feedback I received from my fellow peers. In addition, I also learned how to effectively critique an article by knowing what factors make an article of high quality, such as providing a neutral viewpoint and using reliable sources.

How does a Wikipedia assignment compare to other assignments you’ve done in the past?

I think in comparison to a normal assignment, a Wikipedia assignment is different in that influences a wide range audience because it is established on the internet. A normal writing assignment, once completed usually is stored away and forgotten about or immediately discarded; however, a Wikipedia assignment is never truly completed because an article can change as new information is discovered and as standards change, so too does the content of the article.

How can Wikipedia be used to improve public understanding of our field/your topic?

It can help by reaching out to a wider audience and at a faster rate thanks to the feasibility and speed of the internet. Also since the average Wikipedia editor is not typically of someone at a high position, such as professional or a doctor, they can relate at a more level plain field to the average reader and they can get a more clearer understanding than given from the viewpoint of someone of authority. It is important that the articles created on Wikipedia provide a neutral standpoint and a clear and concise message because nowadays, especially with the younger generation, society receives the bulk of its knowledge from the internet; so, it would be best if the information that they are receiving is accurate and can be trusted to prevent any misunderstandings in a certain field or topic. Sanc3228 (talk) 18:08, 22 September 2017 (UTC)