Invasive species, also called nature’s invaders, are a species that is not native to the environment it now lives in and is harmful to the ecosystem of that environment. They can be there due to a natural phenomenon, such as a flood, but more likely they were brought there by humans. Therefore, humans play a huge role in creating and controlling invasive species. An invasive species is able to cause the extinction of the native plants and animals, they multiply quickly and take a lot of the natural resources the native plants and animals need to survive. They have little to no natural predators because of the fact that they do not normally live there, therefore they are almost impossible to get rid of. They are not natural, and they strive by destroying other species and their habitats. This is an invasive species. While many people do not know much about an invasive species, they have all heard of them.
…show more content…
Some may have helped create a new invasive species, others may have even assisted the government in limiting their population. Lionfish are one such example of a common invasive species.The lionfish are the coral reefs’ worst invasive species. While they are native to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, they now live along the southeast coast of the United States, the Caribbean, and in parts of the Gulf of Mexico. How did they get there? Marine specialists assume that people have been dumping them from aquariums into the ocean for up to 25 years. During those years the lionfish population has grown and spread. Lionfish are an almost perfect invasive species.They are an ocean predator, and since they are not native, they have no natural predators. They can also feed on practically any species that is smaller than them. They have venomous spines that assist them in killing their prey and defending their territory. The venom itself cannot kill anything, but it causes terrible pain, allowing the lionfish to kill its victim. It also keeps them safe from predators. An adult lionfish will viciously defend its territory and will eliminate many of the fish inside of it. A single lionfish can eat up to 30 times their own stomach volume every day. They eat multiple fish daily which lowers the population of reef fish and this predation puts them in danger of causing extinction of some of these species. They have already caused the extinction of many native plants and animals. One animal that is in danger of extinction is the recently discovered social wrasse. A social wrasse is a fish that is essential to the reef ecosystem. It feeds on zooplankton which is full of nutrients. A reef ecosystem has a very limited amount of resources. These fish are able to obtain extra resources and because they are low on the food chain the nutrients they consume go through to many different types of fish. They are expected to go extinct due to the fact that they are one of the lionfish’s favorite food sources. There is not much that can be done to completely stop the lionfish. Marine invasive species are the hardest to eliminate completely. So far divers have been capturing them and moving them back to their native environments or to labs to be observed. Also the Invasive Lionfish Control Committee has developed plans to help control the lionfish invasion. They hope to raise awareness about the impact invasive species have on the environment and to persuade people to think about their actions, so that they realize the problems of releasing their pets into the wild. If they can stop the majority of people from doing so, then similar problems will not happen. Also the committee aims to warn people of the possible dangers and impact the lionfish have not only on the environment but on humans. They, like most invasive species, will affect a larger scale than what is typically seen. Besides bothering commercial fishing and endangering reef ecosystems, they could harm divers and swimmers, cause the coral reefs to die off and eventually they could spread all over ocean. All invasive species are dangerous, if not directly to
Some may have helped create a new invasive species, others may have even assisted the government in limiting their population. Lionfish are one such example of a common invasive species.The lionfish are the coral reefs’ worst invasive species. While they are native to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, they now live along the southeast coast of the United States, the Caribbean, and in parts of the Gulf of Mexico. How did they get there? Marine specialists assume that people have been dumping them from aquariums into the ocean for up to 25 years. During those years the lionfish population has grown and spread. Lionfish are an almost perfect invasive species.They are an ocean predator, and since they are not native, they have no natural predators. They can also feed on practically any species that is smaller than them. They have venomous spines that assist them in killing their prey and defending their territory. The venom itself cannot kill anything, but it causes terrible pain, allowing the lionfish to kill its victim. It also keeps them safe from predators. An adult lionfish will viciously defend its territory and will eliminate many of the fish inside of it. A single lionfish can eat up to 30 times their own stomach volume every day. They eat multiple fish daily which lowers the population of reef fish and this predation puts them in danger of causing extinction of some of these species. They have already caused the extinction of many native plants and animals. One animal that is in danger of extinction is the recently discovered social wrasse. A social wrasse is a fish that is essential to the reef ecosystem. It feeds on zooplankton which is full of nutrients. A reef ecosystem has a very limited amount of resources. These fish are able to obtain extra resources and because they are low on the food chain the nutrients they consume go through to many different types of fish. They are expected to go extinct due to the fact that they are one of the lionfish’s favorite food sources. There is not much that can be done to completely stop the lionfish. Marine invasive species are the hardest to eliminate completely. So far divers have been capturing them and moving them back to their native environments or to labs to be observed. Also the Invasive Lionfish Control Committee has developed plans to help control the lionfish invasion. They hope to raise awareness about the impact invasive species have on the environment and to persuade people to think about their actions, so that they realize the problems of releasing their pets into the wild. If they can stop the majority of people from doing so, then similar problems will not happen. Also the committee aims to warn people of the possible dangers and impact the lionfish have not only on the environment but on humans. They, like most invasive species, will affect a larger scale than what is typically seen. Besides bothering commercial fishing and endangering reef ecosystems, they could harm divers and swimmers, cause the coral reefs to die off and eventually they could spread all over ocean. All invasive species are dangerous, if not directly to