In the year 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was instituted in order to bring attention to the issue of species that are in danger of extinction as well as to provide conservation of species that are endangered or threatened. Currently, there are around 2,245 species that the Endangered Species Act lists as either endangered or threatened throughout the world, many of which are found in the United States ecosystems and a handful that are only found in foreign ecosystems (Ehrlich 12). Because of the considerable number of endangered species, people should be aware of endangered species and help to protect these creatures society, as their unnatural extinction due to our actions and neglect will affect ecosystems and the environment (“Why …show more content…
Invasive species are organisms that have “moved into an area in which it previously did not exist” (Snider, Mahan, and Holloway).Often times, the introduction of invasive species is usually for the purpose of controlling a native species that is considered a pest, but sometimes they are introduced because people are importing them as pets or ornamental plants, and even sometimes they are introduced as a mistake (Evans). Many environmental scientists consider invasive species as the most dangerous cause of endangerment, because they affect the biodiversity of ecosystems and biological communities, thus affecting the natural food webs and habitats of species. Ehrlich actually contributes fifty-four percent of the one hundred and seventy extinct species, of which the causes of extinction have been reliably identified, directly to invasive species (Ehrlich 37). Therefore, the introduction of invasive species to any new environment causes a threat to the ecosystems, as the foreign species will fight to survive and ultimately thrive in its new environment, meaning that invasive species hold the risk of pushing native species into extinction (Ehrlich …show more content…
The main threats that the bald eagle species faced were habitat destruction and degradation, illegal shooting, as well as the issue of contamination (Guernsey). In the year 1963, the population of bald eagles was down to the low number of 417 breeding pairs, and this is mostly due to the use of DDT, an insecticide (Guernsey). The ultimate recovery of the bald eagles is due to the efforts of the Endangered Species Act as well as the United States federal government ban of the use of DDT (Guernsey). Even with this ban, the population of the bald eagles would not have been able to increase and grow without the habitat protection that was provided by the Endangered Species Act (Guernsey). Therefore, the bald eagle is another success story of the Endangered Species Act that demonstrates the effective performance of the
Did you know that you happen to be surrounded by invasive species? These species are animals that come into areas they do not belong in. The articles, “Invaders among Us,” and “Invader Alert,” show this. They harm the environment, cost tons of money in damage and extermination, and they have to be prevented.
Invasive species as a whole have become a nuisance to many habitats and ecosystems around the world. What defines an invasive species is the following. It must be a species that is foreign to the habitat it resides in, have no natural predators which allow it to reproduce in such a rapid manner, and out compete native animals of food and shelter (Rosenthal 2011). These characteristics are what create such high populations of these invasive species in various habitats around the globe.
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.
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).
The main downfall of the bald eagle was the pesticide DDT. DDT otherwise known andichlorodiphenyltrichoorethane, would not dissolve in water or break down in the environment. This cause it to be absorbed by small animals or aquatic plants. The contaminated plants or small animals were thereatfter eaten by fist. These subsequent fish were then scooped and and eaten by bald eagles. Now, the higher up in the food chain DDT travelled, the more embedded it became in the animal’s fate. This caused the eagles to lay eggs with weak shells which, in turn caused the population to diminish. After the government found tra...
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.
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.
All discussions regarding the phenomenon of invasive species will inherently result in the consensus that they are an unwanted or an even evil entity. Ever since the age of exploration humans have been primary dispersers of these so called “exotic” species (Mooney and Cleland 2001). Famous examples include the release of cane toads in Australia (Urban et al., 2008); the rainbow trout (Fausch 2008) and the Japanese Kudzu vine in the southern U.S. (Blaustein 2001) and zebra mussels in the great lakes of Canada (Nalepa and Schloesser 1992). However, documented marine invasions compared with
In 1996, the Asian Longhorn Beetle made its way into the New York and New Jersey creating the decimation of the forests. The Asian Longhorn Beetle has so far caused the cutting of over 10,000 trees in New Jersey, and quarantine of 109 miles in New York today . The spread of this foreign beetle has created great impacts on the environment. The Asian Longhorn Beetle is an invasive specie, a harmful specie from another locations, mainly other countries, that has ended up in a foreign habitat. As time has progressed, invasive species have continued to come into our environment more frequently creating many unforeseen consequences. The relationship of invasive species within the United States’ environment and ecosystem has been changing ever since the arrival of the Europeans in the 1700s to present day. Due to these encounters with other species whether harmful or neutral, the majority, if not all, of the United States has been affected with the threatening encroachment of native species due to the industrialization of waterways and transportation.
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).
Invasive species are organism such as fungus, insect, plants, etc., that have been called as Alien. Alien species have been on earth since dinosaur still existed. Everyday, scientist and others searcher are out there searching for new alien species all around us. Normally, the invasive species occur when a new species from another country get transfer to a new environment. They can cause a huge impact on us; such as diseases and harming our environment when they are getting loose and/or not well handle.
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.
One of the big causes of extinction or the endangerment of species is foreign species entering a habitat. This species that are not native to the land can disrupt the food web in that community. These species take control of the food web and endanger some of the other species. The native species become endangered and over the course of many years they either adapt to their new way or life, the foreign predator leaves or is killed off due to the different environment, or the species is killed off and becomes extinct. Organizations like the “World Wild Li...
In the world today there are about five thousand endangered species. Around one specie dies out every year. Some animals become endangered because people are killing them for their horns, as in the case of the Black Rhino of Africa. Others become extinct because pesticides are put on the food we eat, causing the animals that eat the insects off the plant to become contaminated, which causes their predators to become contaminated, which often affects the shell of that organism?s egg. Here is a list of the endangered species, 91 endangered birds, 76 endangered mammals, 36 endangered reptiles, 21 endangered amphibians, 115 endangered fish, 70 endangered clams, 35 endangered snails, 44 endangered insects, 12 endangered arachnids, 21 endangered crustaceans, 594 endangered flowering plants.
In our world today we have approximately 26,021 endangered species. Endangered species are organisms that may possible become extinct. The term 'endangered species' refers to all species that fits this description. However some conservation biologists and scientists normally use the term ‘endangered species’ to refer to species that are put on the IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature)Red List. Many factors can be looked at when considering the conservation status of a species. Factors such as human threats or environmental threats can cause a species to become endangered.