Florida Invasive Species

Introduction Southwest Florida's ecosystem consists of warm temperate waters and a subtropical climate that attracts the majority of the generalist species. Generalist species are species that can adapt to a variety of locations without needing certain foods to eat or certain climates to survive in. Attracting generalist species that do not belong a part of Southwest Florida's ecosystem concludes in an unbalanced environmental system. My interest in this topic was the certitude that if we continue to surmise that this issue will not affect us, it will cease in an extremely negative way. It is crucial to inflate the effects invasive species have on our ecosystem to prevent any more harm to the environment. The effect of an invasive species …show more content…
Despite that invasive species do not have any competition at the new ecosystem they occupy, this allows them to reproduce uncontrollably and rapidly. They began to emerge in South Florida 15 years ago; there are approximately 100,000 Burmese pythons residing in South Florida (Walsh, 2014). Florida's Everglades biodiversity consists of 60 various reptiles, 76 mammals, 432 distinct types of fishes and 38 amphibian native species throughout the course of 2 million acres (Cubie, 2009). While the Everglades is the largest marsh in North America, species such as the Burmese python and the Asian tiger mosquito cause difficulties within the ecosystem and degrade native species (Cubie, 2009). Consequently, the Burmese python obtaining the position of a top predator of the food chain has an unfavourable influence on the Everglades biodiversity. The Burmese python nourishes off of the native species as prey; it consumes species such as, rabbits, deers and alligators. Acknowledging the fact that the Burmese python is capable of consuming an alligator, we can infer that this invasive species can eat just about anything (See Appendix A for picture). According to Dorcas et al. (2012), there has been a 93.3% diminution in raccoons, a 98.9% decrease in opossum and 87.5% decrease in bobcats. Additionally, the Burmese python consumes endangered birds such as, the Key Largo woodrat and the wood stork (Dorcas et al., 2012). …show more content…
According to Pimentel, Zuniga, & Morrison (2005), the United States spends 120 billion dollars per year. Not to mention, that is only the amount spent on damages; it does not include prevention programs, campaigns, etc. An abundance amount of money is being put into creating new laws and enforcing them to avoid releases of non-native species into environments. According to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, an estimation of about more than 6 million dollars since 2005 has been spent on to put forth control of the invasive Burmese python. Walsh (2014) states that the United States federal government spent 2.2 million dollars solely trying to hinder the expansion of invasive species. Furthermore, according to the Defenders of Wildlife, 137 billion dollars is spent in Florida annually to control the meted out damage invasive species inflict. On the other hand, Florida additionally spends 179 million dollars annually solely on losses of animals, plants, diseases and agriculture as stated by the Defenders of Wildlife. Aside from burdening the economy from the amount of money that is spent on the damage that invasive species cause, the same species have backlash in the agriculture industry. The United States of America, relies on commercial, agricultural, and recreational activities when it