The Negative Effects Of Invasive Species

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The Bubonic plague, one of the world’s worst epidemics was the result of a species of rat boarding a cargo ship from Asia to Europe. This rat carried diseases that eventually wiped out a third of Europe. That species of rat could be considered an invasive species. An invasive species is a species that is not native to a specific habitat, and whose introduction can cause environmental harm or harm to another population. Some of the most significant negative effects of invasive nonindigenous species on native biodiversity are the result of direct predation (Chappell, et al., 2016). Invasive species can be plants, animals, fish, fungi, or even single celled organisms such as bacteria. Outside forces such as human interferences are how invasive …show more content…
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 ecosystem’s food chain. Studies conducted in Centers for Biodiversity in Tamil Nadu, India revealed that the invasive species increased negative relationships between the native species. For example, among the forest types dry evergreen, moist deciduous and tree savanna were found to be more vulnerable to invasion of Lantana camara and Chromolena odorata, wherein tree savanna and plantation were more vulnerable to invasion of Pteridium aquilinum (Balaguru et al., 2016). Increased richness in invasive species will lead to increased detrimental effects among native plant species, causing ripples in the food …show more content…
The lionfish had detrimental effects toward the species diversity in the hardbottom reefs of North Carolina due to odd patterns of predation. Latana Camara altered the hydrology patterns of other producers in the ecosystem, causing the other producers’ populations to decline, ultimately leading to less food sources for organisms that rely on these producers for food. The invasion of Spartina Alterniflora, however, allowed for the development of native plant, animal, and microbial species. Invasive species are not always detrimental to their new environments’ as they can have a variety of effects on native species and their preexisting symbiotic

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