▶ Your Answer : As far as the Yellowstone fires are concerned, the lecturer takes a stand that opposes the thesis of the reading and presents counterarguments. Specifically, the lecturer does not sympathize with the reading's view and claims that the fires have not always brought about negative effects. In the first place, the lecturer points out that Yellowstone fires led to a diversity of vegetation. This is attributed to the reason that the dead trees gave small trees an opportunity to take over the space and grow up. Also, the fires were beneficial for seeds in need of the heat for germination. This directly contradicts the reading that the natural fires destroyed the Yellowstone's vegetation. Secondly, the speaker goes on to say that the change of vegetation allowed new animals to thrive. For example, the rabbit populations could increase thanks to the fires and they made the food chains well-balanced. This tarnishes the impact of the reading that the wildlife in the park was harmed by the fires. Last but not least, the lecturer concluded by saying that it is very unusual for the fires to occur every year. Therefore, this has not affected the economy and the number of tourists. Furthermore, the fires are not accompanied by strong winds or high rainfall, so local businesses rarely get serious influence. This casts doubt on the reading that the fires would have caused several local economic problems |