Invasive Species

614 Words2 Pages

According to the USDA, an invasive species is a species that is “non-native, or alien to the ecosystem under consideration, and whose introduction can cause economic or environmental harm, or harm to human health”. These invasive species can any organisms, including plants, animals and microbes, and they can belong to any taxonomic group. When a species is taken out of it’s natural habitat and placed into a new one, it is removed from its natural predators and pathogens, which help maintain its population. Without these pathogens and predators, population growth of the species may become unmanageable and the species can quickly take over its new habitat (Protecting Native Plants and Animals). Just sixteen invasive plant species alone currently invest over 126 million acres in the 48 contiguous states. Some characteristics of these species that enable them to outcompete the native species are; fast growth, a short life cycle, and the ability to live in a range of habitats and environments/climates. Many times, successful invasive plant species have adaptable reproductive means a...

Essay On Zebra Mussels
1281 Words | 3 Pages
Invasive species are non-native organisms that occupy habitats and disrupt the natural ecological cycles of the habitat. They threaten the biodiversity of an ecosystem and are biological pollutants Invasive species introduced into new habitats usually maximize their reproduction in their new home and crowd out native species. Their lack of natural predators in their new community allow for a proliferation in growth and expansion as a result of their abundant food supply. Once they are established, invasive species can rarely be eliminated because their new habitat is favorable for their survival.
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Burmese Pythons Invasive Species
947 Words | 2 Pages
The invasive species, the Burmese Python has done irreparable damage to the Everglades National Park in Florida. A steady decline in mammals has been observed since the introduction of Burmese pythons occurred. Burmese pythons were first introduced into the United States as part of the pet trade which then led to the escape or intentional release out into the wild. The first notation of these species arriving was in the year 2000. However, within just eleven years this invasive species had done such a large amount of damage to Florida’s Ecosystem that many species had gone almost completely extinct.
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invasive species in florida
527 Words | 2 Pages
Should exotic snakes or other large reptiles be allowed as pets in Florida? Right now these escaped/released feral reptiles create an estimated $120 billion in environmental damage each year according to David Steen on Slates Animal Blog.
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The Ecological Impacts of Feral Swine
2713 Words | 6 Pages
Nonnative species can also be called alien, exotic, or nonindigenous. Their presence is due to humans dispersing them to other locations beside their native habitat, or by humans creating environmental conditions that allow their growth. When nonnative species begin to take over a new habitat and displace native species, they are then termed an invasive species. Nonnative invasive species are one of the biggest threats to ecosystems in North America (Cox, 1999) because they are able to have an impact on many levels, including ecosystems, communities, and populations (Cushman, Tierney, & Hinds, 2004).
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Invasive Species: Eurasian Milfoil
970 Words | 2 Pages
Invasive species are organisms that harm a new environment that they are not native to. Many invasive species like Eurasian milfoil are easily able to reproduce and can do so fast. Due to this, the limited space in a body of water or area of land is quickly taken over by the invasive species so other native plants face the risk of death or even extinction. Overall, these invasive species can do great harm to an ecosystem or an economy, causing problems that are destructive to numerous organisms.
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The Truth About Invasive Species By Alan Burdick
960 Words | 2 Pages
The piece I chose to do my literary analysis on was the article, The Truth About Invasive Species, written by Alan Burdick. The article states that invasive species are all around us, but the area with the most prominent amount is the suburbs of Miami. It goes into detail about how abundant invasive species are in this area. Most people who would see a strange animal in their lawn or area would be bemused, however for the people of Southern Florida, this is a recurring scene. Burdick states that “virtually everyone in the South Florida, including Hardwick, has a neighbor with a backyard menagerie of lucrative critters on hold for resale”. Burdick describes both how an invasive species is introduced into an ecosystem, and the impact the have on other species upon their arrival.
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Why Should Exotic Animals Be Illegal
536 Words | 2 Pages
Do you think that keeping exotic animals as pets should be legal? Well, I think that owning exotic animals as pets should be illegal. First, safety is a main concern for both the animals and for people. Secondly, it cost a very large amount of money to properly care for these animals; money people usually don’t have by themselves. Finally, it is against the law in many places to own these animals. Exotic animals should not be kept as pets.
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Invasive Species
1373 Words | 3 Pages
Invasive species only started to show up in the United States when the Europeans started to arrive. Beforehand, very limited contact was made in this particular region of the world, so very few invasive species came into North America. When the Europeans arrived in 1492, after Columbus discovered North America, they brought their own culture and essential food and animals with them. At first, it was just the basics of maize, wheat, pumpkins, and squash, but later on it also included cows, chickens, and horses . As more Europeans flocked into the country, non-native species began to appear in the area. Often, as non-native species appeared it led to unintended consequences of destroying gra...
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The Endangered Species Act
1890 Words | 4 Pages
The Endangered Species Act Introduction: Long-term survival of a species depends on its ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions (Murphy, 1994). Genetic diversity within a species, which has taken 3.5 billion years to evolve, makes adaptations to these changing environments possible. Unfortunately, the rate of extinction of genetically diverse organisms is rapidly increasing, thus reducing this needed biodiversity, largely due to the human impacts of development and expansion. What was an average of one extinction per year before is now one extinction per hour and extinct species numbers are expected to reach approximately one million by the year 2000 (WWW site, Bio 65). As a result governmental and societal action must be taken immediately!
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Ecological Disasters In The Movie, Jurassic Park
773 Words | 2 Pages
A different scenario takes place when an alien species is transported to a new area. Although direct competition with similar species is still a problem, the new kid in the block may have no natural pests and diseases. Thus, large stands of monocultures can occur. It is generally accepted that one plant species will support 10 species of animals. If one species takes over 99% of a given habitat dozens if not hundreds of species are lost from that area and some populations are stressed enough that extinction is possible.
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Persuasive Essay On Invasive Species
922 Words | 2 Pages
When people think of invasive species, they normally do not think of the human species, but why not? There is a large debate about whether or not humans are an invasive species. Before people debate whether or not the human race is an invasive species, they should know the definition of one. The legal definition of an invasive species in the United States is “an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health” (Zielinski). The International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN, defines an invasive species as “animals, plants or other organisms introduced by man into places outside their natural range of distribution, where they become established and disperse, generating a negative impact on the local ecosystem and species” (Zielinski).
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Great Lakes Endangerment
1593 Words | 4 Pages
Species such as the zebra mussel, quagga mussel, urasian malfoil, sea lamprey, and asian carp reproduce and spread. These invasive miscreants ultimately degrade habitat, outcompete the native species, not to mention short-circuiting food webs. When a new and aggressive species is introduced into an ecosystem, it might not have any natural predators or controls. It can breed and spread relatively fast, taking over an area. Native wildlife may not have evolved defenses against the invader or they cannot compete with a species that has no predators.They threaten and hurt the Great Lakes economy by damaging critical industries such as fisheries, agriculture, and tourism. There are a couple of ways that these unwanted species are introduced to the Great Lakes region. Ships can carry aquatic “hitchhikers”in its ballast water. A ballast tank is used to balance big ships. When a ship empties it’s ballast tank, invasive species may have traveled unknowingly with the ship and then are released with all of the water into the Great Lakes. Zebra mussels first came to the U.S. from Eurasia in ship ballast water released into the Great Lakes in the 1800’s. Since then, they have spread dramatically, outcompeting native species for food and habitat. Zebra mussels can attach to almost any hard surface, a nuisance to the communities in the Great Lakes region and the animals. They clog water intake and discharge pipes, attach themselves to boat hulls and docks, and they even attach to native mussels and crayfish. Plants can get stuck on boat propellers and then fall off accidentally into a new body of water. Invasive species can alter the diversity of species that are important for native wildlife. Aggressive plant species like Urasian Malfoil can quickly replace a diverse ecosystem with a monoculture of just Urasian Malfoil. Another species named Asian Carp are a fast growing
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Barbarian Invasions
771 Words | 2 Pages
The Roman Empire was one of the largest in history. At its height in 117 A.D.,it spanned from Iberia all the way to the Caspian Sea, covering over 5 million square kilometers. The Roman Empire left behind a vast legacy, consisting of art, architecture, and religion. However, like all empires, the Roman empire fell. Usually, when people think of the fall of the Roman Empire, they think of the fall of the Western Roman Empire, formed after Diocletian split the Roman Empire in 284 A.D. The three main reasons that the Western Roman Empire fell were economic problems, flaws in the military, and barbarian invasions.
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Endangered Species
2010 Words | 5 Pages
Humans are destructive. Not a lot of us think about how what we do affects the world around us. We almost act like we are the only ones on this planet. We go around polluting and destroying our world with no regard for our actions. The things that live out in the wild are paying the price for it. Every day that passes there is another animal or plant that is placed on an endangered list. This is happening at an alarming rate. Because of man’s desire to expand and conquer their surroundings, there are animals and plants that are on the brink of extinction that will not be around for our kids and future generations to enjoy if something is not done about it now. This problem has been going on for hundreds of years. There are animals and plants that can only been seen in paintings or early photography. It is because of our early ancestors that we have this problem today and we have to do more to prevent more animals and plants from disappearing forever.
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Essay On Invasive Species
1245 Words | 3 Pages
Invasive species, (also known as invasive alien species or simply alien species) are defined as any organism (plant, animal, pathogen, or other living thing) that is alien (non-native) to an ecosystem, which can cause adverse economical, ecological, or health effects to native species and/or humans. The roots of these problems all stem from the massive negative ecological impact these organisms are having on the environment (CBD, 2009). For all animal extinctions where the cause is known since the 1600’s, invasive alien species have been a contributing factor 40% of the time (CBD, 2006); the second most contributing factor to extinctions after loss of habitat (GC, 2013). By eliminating native species through competition for resources, predation, and transmittal of disease, invasive species continue to reduce biodiversity in almost all ecosystems around the world (CBD, 2009). In the future, this problem may worsen, and if no action is taken, could lead to a cascading ecological problem so large that whole communities or even ecosystems could collapse.
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Invasive Species

Essay On Zebra Mussels

Burmese Pythons Invasive Species