The Pros And Cons Of Invasive Species

Imagine, a large trout you brought home for dinner with your family is infested with sea lamprey bites. What are sea lampreys? They are a perfect example of a type invasive species, which is an organism that is not native to a specific location (otherwise known as an introduced species). They have a tendency to spread quickly, and can cause negative impacts on things like the environment, human economy, or human health. They are becoming an increasing problem as the population of invasive species such as zebra mussels, sea lampreys, and carps are rising at an alarming rate.

The issues with invasive species are that they cause harm to their surroundings. “The total cost of invasive species has been estimated to be 5 percent of the world's

Invasive species also pose as an indirect threat to those around them. They are able to change the food web in an ecosystem, by destroying or replacing native food sources. The invasive species provide little to no food value for wildlife, for they do not fit the food web. In result, they mess up the chain because they cannot be taken down or there are too many of them to get rid of. Invasive species can alter the abundance or diversity of species that are an important habitat for native wildlife. Aggressive plant species like Kudzu can quickly replace a diverse ecosystem with a monoculture consisting of just kudzu. Some invasive species are capable of changing the conditions in an ecosystem, such as changing soil chemistry or the intensity of wildfires (National Wildlife Federation, ND). Environmental impacts are that they can negatively impact biodiversity, can cause species extirpation and even extinction, can cause soil degradation, and erosion, and can alter fire cycles. () One can see the great harm that these invasive species do on an environment. Concerning the societal impacts, invasive species can cause disease, cause human or animal suffering, and can reduce land and water

When these kinds of species settle and expand, they become very difficult to maintain and abolish. Therefore, the finest way to eradicate invasive species is to; bring in other species to isolate and eliminate the invasive specie in the area. In addition, you must be careful with introducing insects in a situation, for they may damage other plant species and become invasive species themselves. “In Australia, prickly pear cactus, which is native to the Americas, was growing out of control. The cactus was destroying rangeland, where ranchers raised livestock. The government brought in cactus moth caterpillars to eat the cactuses. The caterpillars are natural predators of the cactus” (National Geographic, NA). Another way to solve the problem is to educate the public about invasive species and when to detect them and how to get help. “For example, in the United States, international fishing vessels are warned to wash their boats before returning home. This prevents them from accidentally transporting zebra mussels or other species from one body of water to another” (National Geographic,