...Invasive Species are becoming an increasingly populous threat in the United States of America, and the United States government is not applying enough regulations and policies to control the import and spread of these species. To successfully stop the spread of these species and reduce the amount of new invasive species the government must act. The key to stopping the spread of these invasive is rapid response to the issue. The government must apply new policies, because without the government acting against these invasive species or regulating the flow of species the problem will just continue to increase (Beric, 2015). The problem with invasive species are they are just what their names imply, invasive. The threat level to the United States...
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...“Approximately 42% of threatened or endangered species are at risk primarily due to invasive species”. This is an environmental issue that I find particularly interesting because it is often overshadowed by more highly publicized issues. I was motivated to research this topic after reading a story about how humans had introduced pythons into the Everglades and the terrible consequences of those actions. Invasive species have left an atrocious path of destruction throughout recent history and their presence is only growing. When approaching this situation we need to view the natural and human introduction of invasive animals, what the effects are on all living creatures, and what we are doing to bring about a solution. Non-native species are...
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...UK invasive species top facts * Invasive non-native species are thought to be one of the biggest threats to global biodiversity, second only to habitat loss. * There are almost 2,000 established non-native species in Great Britain. * Invasive non-native species cost Great Britain around £1.7 billion annually. * Invasive species have been introduced to the United Kingdom from every continent in the world apart from Antarctica. What is an invasive species? An invasive species is a species which has been introduced to an area outside its natural range and can cause a multitude of ecological, economic and public health problems within the new habitat as its population grows. Invasive species may belong to any taxonomic group, with mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, plants, invertebrates, fish and viruses all having invasive populations around the world. The extinctions of numerous species around the world can be attributed to the negative effects of invasive species. When a species is taken out of its natural range and placed into a new habitat it is removed from its natural predators and any pathogens which help to control its population. Without these, population growth may become out of control and the invader can rapidly colonise its new habitat. The characteristics which enable an invasive species to outcompete native species include fast growth, a short life cycle and the ability to tolerate a wide range of habitat types and environmental conditions. Successful...
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...People are always looking for a better way to do things, a new and improved product, and exciting, unusual, and beneficial additions to their lives. The source of such finds often times come from outside the native culture in the form of a nonnative species, such as exotic animals, insects to control pests, or plants to improve health or diet. Looking outside one’s country for such answers brings forth new challenges for businesses and government agencies. In order to keep the environment safe and prospering, a government agency or business must consider how the invasive or non-indigenous species will react, adapt, or change in its new environment, what harm it can bring to humans such as health risks or destruction to an industry, and finally, if there will be any added benefits to introducing a new indigenous species to their country. These questions need to be researched before introducing such nonnative species into a new environment. Both accidental and intentional importation of nonnative species can have a negative effect on the environment especially if not properly researched. When nonnative species are unintentionally imported, great damage can be caused to the environment. For example, the balsam woolly adelgids were accidentally imported to the United States from Europe. The result can be seen in Source A. The Balsam Fir trees are completely stripped of needles and have the sickly appearance of a dead forest. When species are unintentionally imported, it comes as no...
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...Ecology Lab: Invasive Species Worksheet Learning Goal: To learn how an invasive species can affect an ecosystem. Prerequisite Knowledge: Before beginning this lab, you should be familiar with these concepts: • the definition of invasive species • the types of interactions that occur between different species in an ecosystem Introduction: Ecosystems are webs of intricately balanced interactions. But what happens when a new species is introduced that uses a disproportionate share of the ecosystem’s resources? In this lab activity, you will determine how an invasive species, the Burmese python, affects other species in the Florida Everglades. Part A Normal conditions (no pythons) Enter the Ecology Lab Room by clicking the button. Then follow the Lab Procedure. [pic] |Lab Procedure | |Four species appear in the Species Tracking box in the lower left: cougar (or Florida panther), house mouse, Burmese python, | |and red-eared slider. Note that the python population is set to 0 because in this first simulation, they have not yet been | |introduced to the ecosystem. | |Click the green play button on the Controller, the device sitting on the floor of the Lab Room. | |Let the simulation run until 20 years have passed, as displayed...
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...and wetlands are an example of freshwater ecosystems. Naturally, these bodies of waters are important for reducing pollution, controlling floods and the homes for aquatic life (National Geographic, n.d.). Since human population is rising any number of current negative uses such as the overuse of fossil fuels has a negative impact on freshwater ecosystems. Acid rain is a result of high amounts of nitric and sulfuric acid released into the air. Emissions from cars and power plants contribute to the rise of the acids released in the air. Acid rain affects the pH balance of freshwaters and depending on the body of water it may not be able to neutralize the acid. Therefore the acid becomes toxic to many aquatic species eventually making the species extinct altogether (Effects of Acid Rain, 2012). Humans can be affected as well since many...
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...that the big threat to marine species is their natural predators, in reality a more silent and deadly killer threatens to wipe out thousands of marine animals: ocean pollution. Ocean pollution kills thousands of birds, fish, and sea mammals alike every year, by toxic particles released in the water and being strangled by plastic alike. How many species have been killed off by pollution, let alone ocean pollution, may never be known. To preserve all of the planet’s species, action must be taken. Ocean and beach pollution must be stopped to prevent the destruction of...
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...WHAT EFFECTS ARE CANE TOADS PRODUCING TOWARDS THE SUSTAINABILTY OF ECOSYSTEMS AND THE SURVIVAL OF NATIVE SPECIES Chelcy Jordan SUST 1000 October 10 2012 The introduction of invasive species can often lead to unpredictable alterations and a shift within natural ecosystems. Cane toads were originally introduced to Australia in 1935. They were brought into Australia to prey on specific pests that were attacking sugar cane plants. Cane toads are highly adaptive and can easily adjust to climate changes and feeding grounds. The growth of reproduction in cane toads has formed a species invasion on the habitat of native animals. Immense competition and a shift in ecosystems are a result of their significant growth rate. What effects are cane toads producing towards the sustainability of ecosystems and the survival of native species? Many animals, and plant species have been either finding new ways to adjust to changes caused by the introduction of cane toads. Cane toads have impacted natural ecosystems so drastically that they have left a strenuous effect on native species ability to maintain their own survival. This is crucial when looking at the effects cane toads have on sustaining plant and animal life within ecosystems. Dramatic changes in an ecosystem could potentially fail due to inadequate nutrients and energy distribution. It is important to examine ways in which cane toads affect ecosystems so environmentalists can predict potential negative shifts and try to develop...
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...The Asian Long Horned Beetle Introduction The sustained existence of our environment and ecosystem is quickly being diminished and depleted by invasive species. Invasive species can be thought of as non-native, or alien species to a specific ecosystem that immediately causes economic or environmental harm or even harm to human upon introduction (7). This is concerning not only to our well being, but also on a macro-spectrum, our environment. In time where global warming and industrialization are already challenging the preservation of the biodiversity of ecosystems, invasive species are becoming an increasing threat to environments and ecosystems. A species that has recently threatened and destructed many states including Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio, is known as the Asian Long-Horned Beetle. The Asian Long-Horned Beetle attacks many species of trees, including “poplars, maples, elms, and mulberries” and has a primary impact on street trees (5). Although the beetle is no bigger than an inch, it definitely packs a punch, causing massive and widespread destruction, which costs several hundreds of dollars to be spent per infestation. Background on the Asian Long-Horned Beetle The Asian Long-Horned Beetle is a native to Asia and was introduced to the United States in 1996 from “wood pallets and other wood packing material accompanying cargo shipments from Asia” (7). The Asian-Longhorned beetle is a tiny creature that is measured to be 1 to 1.5 inches in length and antennae...
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...Have you ever seen a type of animal or plant and realized that they didn’t belong there? You knew it looked rare and unique, but it didn’t belong in the habitat. What you saw are known as invasive species. An invasive species is a living creature that has negative effects on our economy, environment, or health, but is brought here by human assistance or by self-migration. They can also be called “introduced species, aliens, exotic, nonindigenous, and nonnative” according to Daniel Simberloff (3). As a contrast, he defined a native species along the lines of “a species is native to a region if it evolved there or if it evolved elsewhere, but arrived in the region of its own, usually thousands if not millions of years ago and without human assistance”...
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...Summary of chapter 6 We live in a world that has increasingly forgotten the powerful influence our environment plays in our daily lives. If we come to the conclusion that a plant or animal is inconvenient to us we pursue for its destruction or removal. Changing ecosystems for any benefit must be heavily considered with the knowledge of the current benefit the habitat already serves as well as its history. Interspecific and intraspecific relationships weave a web, so to speak, of any ecosystem that can easily fall apart if one strand is broken. Weed eliminating chemicals are largely used without any thought of later consequence. An example of this method was implemented for sage brush lands of the rocky mountains. Citizens wanted to see the sage land destroyed to give rise to a grassland habitat. This area contains high plains from the west that connects to the low slopes of mountains. The climate is harsh due to the location with high winds, heavy annual snowfall, and intense summer heat. The plants of this area took many long years learning how to adapt to this and eventually the sage took over. The physical characteristics of the sage allowed it to not only benefit the land but also the animals residing in it. The sage grouse relies on the sage bush for their nesting...
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...takeover of the New World by the Europeans. While the New World was impacted greatly from Western Europeans, West Tropical Africa was also affected. During the “Age of Discovery,” the European voyages had arguably the biggest effects on the New World, With this...
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...epidemics have slaughtered countless marine life around the world. Some of these epidemics happen naturally while others occur by virtue of man. Can these outbreaks be related to stress? After all, stress causes the immune system to be more susceptible to disease. One disease that has obliterated seal population a few times is canine distemper. Subsequently, toxic pesticides are breaking down immune systems of marine life. Injured animals that are more susceptible to climate change and warming waters have not help matters either. In addition, warming waters cause stress on marine life adding to their...
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...Feeling the Squeeze: The effects of the Python molorus bivittatus (Burmese python) in South Florida Inez Broom PCB 4043 October 7, 2015 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effects of Burmese python in their non-native environment of South Florida. The discovery of how and why they have made South Florida their home and the impact they have had on the local ecosystem will be discussed. In addition, the management and control methods being used. Introduction The Python molorus bivittatus referred to as the Burmese python originated from Southeast Asia and have made South Florida their permanent home. Burmese python have been considered a subspecies to the native Indian python and have been able to squeeze out...
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...Become Predators What is an owner to do with a pet that has become too aggressive to handle, too expensive to feed or too large to house? This is a question many uneducated exotic pet owner’s face soon after purchasing a juvenile exotic reptile. Unfortunately, for many pet owner’s, the answer is to release the pet into our neighborhoods and parks creating a multitude of problems for homeowner’s, State officials and the environment. Probably the best known pet to become a predator is the Burmese python, also known as the Indian python. Burmese pythons average approximately 13 feet in length, but can grow to over 20 feet. (Indian Python) Their weight may exceed 200 pounds. Most owners begin feeding their juvenile pythons mice, but a snake grows quickly and graduates to rabbits, chickens and eventually pigs. A full grown python requires a cage of at least 8 feet in length. Because a Burmese python has a life expectancy of over 20 years, the potential buyer must carefully evaluate the long term commitment required with this purchase. Another well know pet to predator is the Nile monitor lizard. These lizards average 4 to 6 feet in length, but can soon grow to 7 feet. They are a carnivorous lizard that as a juvenile begins eating crickets, then graduates to gold fish and later to rats and other small animals. When full grown, monitor lizards like the Burmese python, need an enclosure of at least 8 feet, however, it is recommended that they have their own room. Because...
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