1. Introduction
The biodiversity effects of non-native invasive species have been described as “immense, insidious and usually irreversible” (Veitch and Clout, 2002). There is significant evidence proving that invasive species can cause severe economic, environmental and ecological damage (Mack et al., 2000). A lot of time and research has been devoted to dividing the world into regions with distinctive habitats and species. Numerous pathways, mostly anthropogenic, are breaking down these realms and facilitating the ecological and biological invasion of non-native species.
One of the most striking dividing lines between realms is the Wallace Line between Australia and Asia. Because Australia is isolated from the Asian land mass its biodiversity is rich with different species and ecosystems. However, due to trade and human transport methods the highly adaptable and dispersive Aedes albopictus (typically native to Asia) has been located in the Torres Strait (between Papua New Guinea and Australia) with invasion to mainland Australia imminent. This r-strategist has adapted to different environments to promote egg fecundity and viability enabling it to spread further as well as being epidemiologically important threatening global health. This report aims to provide an insight into the species and aims to assess the current damage caused by the invasive Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus) in the Torres Strait.
2. Species description and native ecology
The Asian
With the environment, as one of the most commonly discussed topics today, invasive species are often included in these discussions. However, many seem to participate in these conversations with limited background on the topic. It seems that non-native species are unfairly given the title of ‘invasive’ for a variety of reasons which I plan to explore. As a starting point, it is important to understand the various titles that are allocated to non-native species that have been introduced into a new ecosystem. Under the umbrella of non-native species, there are multiple classifications given to wildlife found in a region different from where the species originates. The broadest of these classifications is non-native or exotic. Non-native is very much a cut and dried description; the species is found in an area that it is not native to. Beyond non-native is established exotic. A species can be distinguished as established exotic if it is first considered a non-native species, then can establish a breeding population. In short, this means that the species must not only be new to an environment, but can then survive and succeed as a species in that environment. Last, there is invasive. To be considered an invasive species, the species must fit three criteria: one, the species is not native to the environment it is found in. Two, the species has been able to reproduce and has created a viable breeding population in the new environment. And finally, the species has begun to cause
Invasive species are very common all over the world. Invasive species are an organism that lives in an ecosystem in which they don’t belong. Invasive species are not only dangerous to people, but also the ecosystem and must be removed.
Issue: The environmental issue that I have chosen is the impact that invasive species have on the environment. The impact that invasive species have on the environment is vast, yet little is done about it. This issue is extremely important and will impact the world for generations to come. In this paper, I hope to learn about the effect they have on environment and what we can do about it.
An invasive species is a non-native species whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic harm, environmental harm, or harm to human health. The term "invasive" is used for the most harmful aggressive plants & animal. These species grow and reproduce rapidly, causing major harm to the biomes in which they are introduced too. If most invasive species are left uncontrolled in certain situations they can destroy the ecosystem they’re in leaving it useless for native species. The longer we ignore the dilemma the harder, more expensive the battle for the biomes will become. Most invasive species can terrorize your ability to enjoy hunting, fishing, boating or other outdoor recreational activities. “The United States suffers from $1.1-120 billion per year in economic losses due to exotic, invasive species.” (Invasive)
A species that are non-native to where they are located and are likely to cause environmental or economical issues; that is what invasive species are known for. They are transported through human activities such as trading; they may have been from the person’s clothing or from what they were travelling on and they can range from plants to animals. They are a problem as they threaten the lives of the native animals and damage our own economy. They are able to succeed in their environment as they normally had very few predators or competitors for resources, capability of living in different environments, and have high rates of reproduction and growth. One of these kinds of species would be the zebra mussels and the following will explain what
As humans began to travel and change the landscape of the lands, the pace of invasions has increased dramatically. The word “invasive species” has a lot of negative connotations. However, invasive plants are actually like native plants, not bad when they are in their native habitat, but it is just when they are in a favorable non-native environment that causes them to become invasive. One and half million of the estimated species ten million species are identified as an invasive species. It is impossible to predict what the consequences of bringing a new
According to the Invasive Species Advisory committee, (Committe, 2006), the term, “invasive species” relates to the establishment of a non-native species in an ecosystem. Furthermore, the presence of these species is likely to cause deleterious effects to the economy, environmental or human health. However, this characterization is sometimes contradicted as some non-native species seem to be beneficial either ecologically, economically, or esthetically, in the ecosystems to which they were introduced ( Definitions Subcommittee of the Invasive Species Advisory Committee, 2006). These alien species can include various organisms such as a plants, animal, fungus or bacteria.
From all the plants at Kit Carson, I have found one native invasive species I found, is known as the Brazilian Pepper plant. This plant is a native evergreen shrub. The plants has red edible berries, while the leaves have a soft fuzzy texture. This plant widely infiltrated throughout Florida, Hawaii, Bermuda, Bahamas, and recently California. This plant spreads because of the small animals that eat there berries and disperse the seeds throughout the area. This plants spreads rapidly which cause threats to natural vegetation and the organisms that feast of of that vegetation. What makes it even worse is that it is a salt tolerant plant, able to withstands floods, fires, droughts, and can sprout immediately after being cut down. It ability it
Native species are those that usually live a particular community. An invasive species is a non native species that affects habitats and biodiversity. Native species normally live in a certain place on the there hand invasive species can thrive any where and are long lived. Non native species aren’t always harmful but some can be harmful to the environment and to other species. An example of an invasive species would be the Asian carp.
A new controversy has arisen, arguing that not all invasive species are bad, and that they can improve diversity and the resilience of ecosystems. I however, believe that the risks substantially outweigh the benefits, and therefore invasive species should not be encouraged. Although it is true that not all introduced species have negative effects and completely destroy their new ecosystem. An example where an introduced species had a positive effect was the himalayan blackberry, that provided fruit to local wildlife and people. However, the plant crowded out native species in a competition for sun and nutrients. Another example is the scotch broom, a plant that is known for its bright yellow flower. It was introduced to beautify the landscape
Introducing alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species,that lives outside its native environment or habitat, usually arrives there by human activity, either deliberate or accidental. Non-native species can have various effects on the local ecosystem. Introduced species that have a negative effect on a local ecosystem are also known as invasive species. Not all non-native species are considered invasive. Some have no negative effect and can, in fact, be beneficial as an alternative to pesticides in agriculture for example.[1]
What is an invasive species? Invasive species are plants, animal, fungi and bacteria that are non native to the ecosystem around it. There are three different category of invasive species. The three are category are invasive animal species, invasive fungus species, and last invasive plant species. You can classify invasive plant by seeing if it is from the region or area.Well, an invasive plant has the ability to thrive and spread aggressively outside its natural range. This means that they are able to adapt to it surrounding very easily. A naturally aggressive plant may be especially invasive when it is introduced to a new habitat. Some invasive plants are worse than others. For example, like the witchweed, or even tall grass. When invasive plants like ivy or clematis dominate the groundcover, there is very little root structure to bind the soils. That’s why large areas dominated by invasive plants are more likely to erode during flood events than areas with a diverse understory of trees and shrubs, which provide more root structure diversity. “Invasive Plants can cause declines in native plants and animal numbers” (www.portlandoregon.gov). For example, if a strong animal came in, such as a lion and ate most of the weakest living things there are, then it can have a huge affect on the other kinds of living animals around it this has the same effect with plants. For example, the kudzu plant
Climate change and concomitant shifts in extreme events may favored invasive plants over to native by affecting species demographic processes, mortality, and competitive interactions between species (Hellman et al. 2008; Diez et al. 2012; Leishman and Gallagher 2015). All aspects of extreme events, however may not necessarily favor invasive over native, instead effects on native and invasive species and their responses to the events are uneven and species and context dependent (Leishman and Gallagher 2015 and references therein). For instance, salinity stress from hurricane generated storm surge and sea level rise has shown to impact native and invasive coastal plants differently (Pathikonda et al. 2009; Paudel and Battaglia 2013). Still missing
Prevent the unauthorised introduction and spread of alien and invasive species to ecosystems and habitats where they do not naturally occur,
With globalization and the ability to travel around the world comes the movement of many things, including many plants and animals. However, the connectedness of the world allows non-native species to be introduced to new habitats. The introduction of most species that become invasive is “due to unintentional ‘hitchhiking’ through international trade, with invaders stowing away in ships, planes, trucks, shipping containers, and packing materials, or arriving on nursery stock, unprocessed logs, fruits, seeds, and vegetables” (McNeely, p. 1, 2001). The movement of organisms around the world started with the earliest of colonists as they tried to recreate their homes and create a familiar environment in newly discovered lands. Not all alien species are invasive and some are the basis of modern agriculture, but the species that have become invasive have led to sometimes disastrous repercussions and numerous extinctions.