Invasive Species

Invasive species are organisms that are accidentally or intentionally introduced into an environment, that adapts quickly and disrupts the natural ecosystem. Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) are native to the northeastern part of North America and are some of the most damaging invasive species. Many cultures around the world eat frog as a delicacy, so bullfrogs were gathered up and sold around the world. However, some of the species were introduced into countries around the world. Currently, they have become established in over fifteen countries as invasive species (Save The Frogs! et al. 2013).

What is an invasive species? An invasive species is a species not native to an area, in this case not native to the Great Lakes area. A non-native species is a species that originally was not in a certain location but was brought there and causes a lot of damage. An invasive species also is a great danger to the environment and can cause damage to humans, plants, and animals. In Illinois and the Great Lakes area there are more than 180 invasive and non-native species. That means a lot of damage is made into our environment. One particular invasive species is Agrilus planipennis, more commonly known as emerald ash borer.

An invasive species is a species that is not native to an area, and whose introduction often causes harmful environmental impacts. The European Green Crab, also known as Carcinus maenas, is an invasive species from Europe. It was introduced to the U.S. most likely by ballast ship water, El Nino, or by being shipped unnoticed in the kelp packing around lobsters/bait worms. The European Green Crab now inhabits the eastern and western coasts of the US, in addition to its native home and other invaded areas.

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.

Invasive species come in many forms; they can be plants, animals, insects, fish, fungus, organisms, and bacteria. Invasive plants are those which cause environmental, economic and human harm and originate from another area or region. They are a complex and difficult problem to tackle. There are more than 4,000 plants species found in Florida, of those 1300 or more are non-native or invasive. Many invasive species are taking over Florida’s waterways disrupting their natural ecosystem by outgrowing and replacing Florida’s native plants. Relieving the damage they cause is not easy, but scientists and members of the communities being affected are finding that it is achievable, as long as everyone works as a team to address the issue.

Invasive species are animals, plants, or fungi that are non-native to the place they are currently in. Some non-native species are not invasive, but if the organisms cause harm to the native species, then they become invasive. Some invasive species on the Pacific Northwest are nutria, bullfrogs, and yellow star thistle. These plants and animals ruin the ground, eat whatever they can fit in their mouth, and can cause diseases. These invasive species don’t help the environment or the organisms living in the Pacific Northwest.

Influence on ecosystems range from human causes like the bulldozing of a forest to natural causes like a fire or a flood.  In recent times, the introduction and spread of invasive species has transformed native communities rapidly and, in some cases, created irreversible damages.  In the Earth’s history, changes have often occurred in the ecosystems.  For example, glaciers and the retreat of glaciers cause wide-spread changes.  However, although change is a constant in ecosystems, animals and habitats often cannot adapt to the rapid alterations of non-natural stresses.  Harm to the environment from the introduction of invasive species occurs through changes in the habitat and declines in the native species.  Invasive species

An invasive species is a species that comes out of its natural environment, and enters another. These animals are usually very bad for the ecosystem and may cause an unbalance. These animals usually come in with many competitive advantages and can easily dominate any competition. This will give them the ability to eat as much as they would like without being threatened in any way. This could possibly diminish many populations and end an entire ecosystem.

For most of Earth’s history, ecosystems have existed in perfect balance. Some species survived, some did not, but environments as a whole functioned well. All of this changed, however, when humanity began mass migrations and invasive species began to interfere. “Invasive species,” writes James C. Russel, author of the report, Do Invasive Species Cause Damage? Yes. “are defined as the subset of nonnative species that cross a threshold for disproportionate negative impact in an ecosystem.” In short, they are plants, animals, fungi, or even bacteria that enter an ecosystem in which they are not native, and take over. Invasive flora have become a particular issue in recent years. The plant kingdom has always been a vicious one, with organisms

When these species come and start taking over ecosystems, ecologist Charles Elton described it as a “militaristic "invasion" metaphor to describe exotic plants and animals—but there's no question some can be extremely destructive.” (Marris) For example, some invasive species take over farmlands in which farmers take their time to plow, plant, and water the plants so that they have an greater outcome of crops to sell. As these invasive species are introduced, agriculture workers are loosing their livelihood as now they are providing for and taking care of these invasive species without knowing it. These species have caused such a problem ecologically that now the imports cost “rose from $192 billion in 1965 to $3.3 trillion in 1990.” (Arnold)

Invasive species are those that normally live and thrive in a particular community. Non-Native species lives outside of its native range which has arrived there by human activity.

“Invasive species are among the leading threats to native wildlife. Approximately 42 percent of threatened or endangered species are at risk due to invasive species.” Invasive species are harmful to the environment and native systems, and money should be invested toward the damage. In order to be an invasive species, they must be able to adapt towards the environment easily, reproduce quickly, and harm the property, native plants and animals, and the economy. They are organisms that cause ecological or economic harm into a domestic environment where they are not native to. These pests can be unintentionally introduced by ship ballast water, accidental release, and mostly by humans. Invasive species can out-compete native organisms

Invasive species can negatively affect the environment. They can take out entire species by eating their food sources or by preying on them. They also threaten fishing, hunting and plant industries in the same way. Depending on the animals, they can also pose an actual physical threat on humans if they are dangerous. There are many different ways for invasive species to spread but most are caused by humans. All People should help prevent the spread of invasive

Invasive species are non- native plants, animals and pathogens that cause or are likely to cause ecological disruption, economic losses or harm to humans (Twelve invasive species of high concern in Virginia). I have chosen three examples of invasive species

Invasive species are organisms that are not native to an ecosystem and cause harm to it. These organisms are capable of bringing about a great deal of damage to the ecosystems they are foreign to. This can range from disrupting the growth of the environment it has taken over to completely decimating other species. The introduction of invasive species to new environments often involves humans. The way that invasive species are introduced to a new environment varies greatly. Invasive species may be introduced by something as simple as humans accidentally tracking species into a new environment from the bottom of their shoes, or something bigger like destroying an ecosystem to clear the land, forcing the species that lived there to flee to a new ecosystem that can be disrupted by the presence of a new species.