Invasion biology terminology

that this is truly a war. The U.S. government spent over 2.2$ billion in 2012 alone just trying to control the spread of invasives. Yet, as with any never ending war there are debates in the scientific community questioning whether or not this war can even be won; or if the tide of alien species should even be fought off or controlled at all. To this scientific community nature has a balance no matter what, so the process will eventually balance itself out. With this thinking alien species came from planet earth so they cannot be inherently bad. Human activity has changed the planet so much that the environment has past the threshold of no return. Humans just have to tolerate this new norm. Species being on the move is a normal part of biology on earth. This natural process is called ecological succession. What is different are the time scales involved. Ecological succession is measured in millions of years. Humans have accelerated the process ten-fold. Not long ago it was considered a good thing to transfer exotic plants to foreign habitats. They were very sought after. Thomas Jefferson himself even got in the act by saying by saying it was a great service to a country by adding a plant to the culture. He brought home native rice from Italy and sent native grass seeds to France. Exotic plants were used as gifts with no regard of what would happen. Alien seeds were brought to America wholesale under the guise of ornamentation. Then the rise of global trade carelessly brought…

increase this plant’s invasiveness” (p. 1). Not only does the reproduction tendencies contribute to the invasiveness of this plant, but also its adaptation to multiple environments. These adaptations make it where the plant can survive and reproduce where most others cannot. The invasive movement of the Tree of Heaven had many years to spread while taking over many ecosystems having negative impacts. Duncan informed readers that the “ease of establishment, rapid growth and absence of insect or…

When looking at the data provided, the trends of native-species increase in the restored area and the abundance of exotic species seen in the degraded areas provides an idea of how effective the restoration efforts where at restoring them to the reference site. To begin, the data provided in table 5 gives an idea of the distribution of the number of species found at each site, and how much of a contrast is shown between the restored and degraded areas and how they compare to the reference site.…

Strategy for Canada was approved and why Acts, such as the Plant Protection Act, prevent movement of invasive pests between provinces (Government of Canada, 1990). The province and country must have effective ways to control the invasive species at least for the benefit of the economy if not for biodiversity. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources claims it is working towards controlling and management of the plant, but no action have been taken provincially as of yet (Ontario Ministry of…

For thousands of years around the world different species of animals or plants have been either transported intentionally, or through the process of globalization. In many cases, the transported animal or plant does not thrive in its new environment. Due to a lack of proper food sources combined with the wrong climate can result in a rather short life span for said animal or plant. Unfortunately, in some cases, the specimen thrives and is able to successfully reproduce and spread throughout its…

Introduction Acacia Decurrens is an Australian tree commonly known as black wattle. Like many Australian acacias, it has been introduced to other parts of the world. In South Africa, it listed as Declared Invasive (South African Department of Environmental Affairs, 2016), along with several other species of acacia, due to negative impacts on native flora (Henderson, 1989). This negative impart comes largely the ability of acacia species to germination prolifically and rapidly under conditions…

Invasions by exotic plants threaten biodiversity in certain areas by altering the species composition, the nutrient cycling, and the hydrology prevailing in the specific habitat (Balaguru et al., 2016). Invasive plant species begin to utilize native water sources, limiting the amount of water sources available for already existing plants. When the native plants are competing more for water, they are unable to go through photosynthesis, leading to their deaths, causing a break in the base of the…

Invasive Species An invasive species is one that is not native to a particular ecosystem and that does or is likely to cause harm to the environment and/or the economy (Exotic Species in Illinois). For example, a Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora). This rose, also known as the baby rose, it is native to eastern Asia, and was introduced to the U.S. in the late 1700’s. The baby rose impacts an environment, by forming dense thickets that invade pastures, and crowd native species (Plants). Invasive…

is a word used in microbiology. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) and next generation sequencing were used in detection and purification of aquatic water from harmful species. qPCR is proved to be most authenticate in detection of population and it was also successful in detecting the least amount of eDNA from aquatic water as compared to sequencing methods and the PCR. Schneider, K. (2014). Communication: The fastest growing part of the management of plant invasions in Saxony­Anhalt, Germany. EPPO Bull…

Wunderle and Arendt (2009), invasions by non-indigenous species threaten nearly 50% of imperiled native species in the United States and the Nation’s second leading cause of species endangerment after habitat destructions and degradation (Finch et al., 2009, 44). The clarification by the author is an indication of how dangerous the invasive species from a general perception, they are dangerous to our planet earth. The author brings us closer to the situation being initiated by invasive species…