Invasive Species

Introduction

Floating Pennywort an invasive aquatic plant

Rampant pond plants will be banned from sale to avoid a Day of the Triffids-style rampage through Britain, it was revealed today.

Water fern, parrot’s feather, floating pennywort, water primrose and Australian swamp stonecrop are all popular with gardeners for adding greenery to water features.

But experts say they are so invasive they are threatening to take over the countryside – like the killer plants in menacing 1962 sci-fi movie The Day of the Triffids.

Another is:

Asian Carp

Flying fish?

No, but maybe the picture looks familiar. It is the invasive fish species, Asian carp, which jump in the air when boats pass in the water. They are considered invasive in the Great Lakes.

"So what?" you may ask, "It looks cool." Yes, the pictures are quite fascinating. But there is more than meets the eye.

Task

Invasive species are becoming a huge concern in the United States and many other parts in the world. By becoming educated on invasive species, we can learn how we can prevent introducing and spreading invasive species.

Image result for invasive species animals

Through research, and lecture, we will learn:

What invasive species are
Characteristics of invasive species
Differences between native and invasive species
Advantages and disadvantages of invasive species
How invasive species are introduced to new habitats

So get ready to learn about invasive species!

Process

To define invasive species, we must first define native species.

According to the Department of Natural Resources, native species, also called exotic or indigenous species, are those species that are present in a habitat naturally without human intervention.

An invasive species is a plant, fungus, or animal species that is not native to a specific location (an introduced species), and which has a tendency to spread to a degree believed to cause damage to the environment, human economy or human health.[1][dubious – discuss]

So what are invasive species, also called nonindigenous species?

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, an invasive species is one that does not live in the natural habitat and "whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health."

Invasive species are continually spreading across the United States. In 2011, CBS did a feature on invasive species. The video gives great information on invasive species and how some species were introduced for purposeful reasons but have turned invasive. Some populations of invasive species have increased tremendously since their introduction especially because they are not maintained and humans unintentionally keep introducing the invasive species elsewhere. In the recent years, laws and regulations have been implemented. But, are they enough to prevent and decrease the population of these invasive species?

We, as humans, should become educated about invasive species. The habitat may be advantageous for the invasive species to live in. However, if humans do not introduce these species to other environments, we would have less threatened and endangered species and spend less money trying to prevent the spread of the invasive species.

Beavers from North America constitute an invasive species in Tierra del Fuego, where they have a substantial impact on landscape and local ecology through their dams.

Evaluation

Below is the rubric. Five points will be given when the presentation is handed in via e-mail on time.

Student name:

Total: 100%

Conclusion

The term as most often used applies to introduced species (also called "non-indigenous" or "non-native") that adversely affect the habitats and bioregions they invade economically, environmentally, or ecologically.

An alternate usage broadens the term to include indigenous or "native" species along with non-native species, that have colonized natural areas.

Asian Carp