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Effects of introducing foreign species on native communities
Research pepers of invasive plant species
Research pepers of invasive plant species
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Non-native species is a term commonly used to refer to plants and animals introduced to a foreign environment mostly by humanity either intentionally or accidentally.. Such exotic invaders die because they cannot adjust to the introduced ecosystem, which implies they entail domestication. However, some thrive to the extent of dominating their new ecosystem by spreading quickly and widely. These kinds of invaders do not have their native predators and with time take over the ecosystem from native species (David and Sweeney 53). The term invasive can refer to introduced species and diseases as well. Approximately 50,000 non-native species have been introduced in the US up to date. Non -native species can be referred to as invasive if it poses danger to the ecological systems. Introduced species that need to be taken care of by humans in order to thrive are known as ornamental plants. Other than human activities, non-native species can be introduced through climatic change due to natural selection whereby new organisms that can survive are established. Continental drift is another factor known to contribute to the presence of non-native species. However, these are slow processes and the most common is human activity. During past centuries, immigration has taken place globally man relocating to extremely far destinations whereby his movements yielded to the transportation of plants as well as other organisms to completely new environments away from their native ecosystem. To protect these ecosystems, native species and the economy of US, respective authorities have devised regulatory measures meant to control the introduction of new foreign species by humans. Invasive species encounter extremely strict measures imposed on them despite...
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...häuser, 2005. Print
Molnar, L., Rebecca L. Revenga, G . & Mark, D. Assessing the global threat of invasive species to marine biodiversity. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 6.9 (2008): 485–92
Richardson, D M. Fifty Years of Invasion Ecology: The Legacy of Charles Elton. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Print.
Roman, J. & John A. Paradox lost: genetic diversity and the success of aquatic invasions. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 22.9 (2007): 454-64.
Venner, Marie. Control of Invasive Species: A Synthesis of Highway Practice. Washington, D.C: Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, 2006. Print.
The Regulation of Live Animal Imports in the United States: Defenders of Wildlife. New England Herpetological Society, Inc. 2005-2014. Web. 9Th March 2013.
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.
Burton, Robert, ed. Nature's Last Strongholds. New York: Oxford UP, 1991. Print.
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.
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).
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.
A different scenario takes place when an alien species is transported to a new area. Although direct competition with similar species is still a problem, the new kid in the block may have no natural pests and diseases. Thus, large stands of monocultures can occur. It is generally accepted that one plant species will support 10 species of animals. If one species takes over 99% of a given habitat dozens if not hundreds of species are lost from that area and some populations are stressed enough that extinction is possible.
V6. N1:140-143. Netscape Web Sites - "The Web" Biology 65: Biological Conservation (lecture 1-Introduction). http://mamba.bio.uci.edu/pjbryant/bio65/lec01/b65/lec01.htm EDF Letter: Moratorium Ends, but Wildlife Needs a Better Law? http://www.edf.org/pubs/EDF-Letter/1996/Jul/l_mbean.html. Endangered Species Act:.
Niskern, Diana. Invasive species. Washington, D.C. (101 Independence Ave., S.E.): Science Reference Section, Science, Technology, and Business Division, Library of Congress, 2004.
Ecological imperialism is an idea introduced by Alfred Crosby in his seminal work Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900 which refers to the efforts of colonialists to introduce their animals, plants and even diseases in the native’s land to felicitate their rule. But that concept of Crosby has a renewed interest in postcolonial world especially in light of the growing popularity of capitalism and globalization. Capitalistic and colonialist invasions focus not merely on the subjugation of native but the land in which he lives. This conquest seems to have some ecological aspects. Voluntarily or involuntarily each of these conquests has an adverse impact on the land they conquered. In industrialist and capitalistic societies, such invasions into indigenous communities will result in an erosion of natural resources and deforestation. The new face of ecological imperialism and its impact on postcolonial indigenous communities can be seen in many of the works of postcolonial literature. A focus on Thomas King’s Green Grass Running Water and Leslie Marmon Silko’s Almanac of the Dead hopes to reveal the complex fabrics of relations between the oppressed land and its inhabitants.
Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900, by ecological historian Alfred W. Crosby explores how “portmanteau biota”, helped Europeans to eradicate whole societies in the Neo-Europes (xv, 89). Crosby believes that temperate zones, climates similar to that of Europe, allowed European biota to thrive, which allowed for European expansion. Crosby discusses the Norse invasions and the Crusades as examples of how Europeans were not able to expand. Crosby claims that climate was crucial to European expansion because it allowed portmanteau biota to thrive. The strength of Crosby’s argument is that he introduces ecology as a crucial factor in European expansion.
Invasive alien species are disrupting and changing the normal ecological functions of biomes, ecosystems, and the biosphere as a whole (CBD, 2009). They are a threat to biodiversity and can cause damage to, or even eradicate native species which natural cycles and other organisms depend on. While disrupting energy flow, food chains, and shaking the structure of ecosystems to the core, invasive species create not only ecological, but also a whole host of social, economical, and health issues that affect the livelihood of almost every organism on earth, including humans (CBD, 2009).
Lotze, Heike K., Marta Coll, Anna M. Magera, Christine Ward-Paige, and Laura Airoldi. "Recovery of Marine Animal Populations and Ecosystems." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 26.11 (2011): 595-605. Print.
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...