Alien Invasive Species Essay

The introduction of alien invasive species (AIS) into new environments is a problem that has wreaked havoc on forest ecosystem throughout the entire world. AIS can have dire effects on the ecosystems they affect including altering the chemical makeup of the water and the availability of resources, including food. Invasive species pose an immense threat to indigenous species because “invasive species evolved with other competitors and native species evolved in the absence of invasive species. Thus, native species lack the ability to compete (Cock, M. and R. Wittenberg 2001).” Ultimately, this leads to a decrease of the overall biodiversity of the forest ecosystem because the area increasingly becomes more populated by invasive species and less …show more content…
Although it has been estimated that only about 1% of introduced species become AIS, it is more cost-beneficial to implement a program of prevention than have to confront the enormous costs that can ultimately arise if an alien invasive species takes force (Williamson 1996). For example, the estimated costs of losses in the U.S. from the alien invasive species of the gypsy moth and the nun moth in 2004 were approximately $45 billion (U.S. Congress 1993). Although forest ecologists have failed to develop a virtually inexpensive method to halt the progression of the AIS moth species, as well as treat potentially contaminated goods, the method currently in place is far lower in cost than the potential costs that can result from an AIS moth establishment (U.S. Congress 1993). Sometimes, however, the preventative method may fail, and thus, an eradication method becomes the next plan of action. Eradication is the complete elimination of an AIS in an area of consideration. A plan of eradication’s best chance of success is by implementing the program during the early stages of an AIS invasion when the species is still relatively contained in a small