Non Native Invasive Species

Improved Essays
Non-native invasive species have caused conservationists and ecologists to stew. In simpler terms a non-native species is a species that is an alien to an environment, but will not cause danger. Invasive species are species that causes harm. More specifically, a non-native invasive species are a particular type of species that are foreign to an environment and causes risk towards that particular environment. Non-native invasive species, invasive species and NNS will be used interchangeably. Usually, invasive species arrive in an environment due to human’s bringing them into the country from foreign areas. There are ongoing arguments about whether the threat of non-native invasive species is significant or not. Currently, the debates have stated …show more content…
For example, “Holland et all. (1995) identified the [zebra] muscles are the principal reason that eutrophication abated in Lake Erie, while others have noted similar effects in other lakes and rivers (e.g., Strayer et. al., 1999)” (Sagoff 2005). The significant reason why zebra muscles are taking over is due to competition for resources. The zebra muscles can out-compete the other native species for resources allowing them to thrive. Also, native muscles in the Great Lakes rest on hard surfaces which are being occupied by zebra muscles. If the native muscle gets to the hard surface first, the zebra muscles will lay on top of the natives and kill them. The most common invasive plant species is the purple loosestrife; “the invasion of purple loosestrife into North American freshwater wetlands alters decomposition rates and nutrient cycling, leads to reductions in wetland plant diversity, reduces pollination and seed output of the native Lithium alatum, and reduces habitat suitability for specialized wetland bird species…” (Blossey, Skinner, & Taylor, 2001). The purple loosestrife can outcompete almost any plant and any animal. They prominent reasons they outcompete most species is because they can withstand almost any soil type and environmental conditions; even habitats that have been destroyed. This plant species invades fast and takes down any species in its way leading to a decline in biodiversity. When there is the introduction of non-native invasive species they overrule the native species and shrink their variety down leading to a drop in

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Invasive Species

    • 1306 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Introduced and native species can develop positive relationships with each other. Kornis et al. (2013) claimed that when the invasive round goby was introduced into the Great Lakes, the sites the round goby invaded had both a “significantly greater Shannon diversity and species richness compared to non-invaded sites” (p 189). Another example of these positive relationships is the Asian copepod that invaded the Columbia and Snake Rivers, and in all the sites in which it was present, there was a burst of different zooplankton in different seasons; however, in the site that the copepod did not invade, there was no bloom of any zooplankton (Emerson et al., 2015, p 37). Both examples suggest cases where the invasive species improved the abundance and biodiversity of the native…

    • 1306 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Invasive plants tend to thrive in wetland environments because of the excess of energy, a higher water table and more fertile soil. When an exotic species invades an area, it takes space, water, nutrients and pollination chances away from the…

    • 1373 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Mongoose In Hawaii

    • 2723 Words
    • 11 Pages

    When somebody thinks of Hawaii, they think about a marvelous getaway in an alluring oasis of comfort and relaxation. But, an abundance of people don’t realize that this sacred and indigenous land is being harmed by invasive plants and animals that could destroy Hawaii’s numerous native plants and damage the life cycle of native animals. This major problem evolved in 1793 when Captain Vancouver introduced cattle to Hawaii (Info Grafik “Introduction of Cattle”). This establishment led to the extinction and injurious effects of native plants in Hawaii.…

    • 2723 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Non Native Species Essay

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Native species are species that have evolved to in a particular region over a long period of time, and have adapted to live in that region’s climate and habitat. These species live in this region with all the other species to form an ecosystem. Non native species on the other hand, are species that are introduced to an area they're not used to by humans, either by accident, or intentionally (getthegreen). Invasive species are a type of non native species, that are very likely to cause harm to the ecosystem (NOAA). They destroy the habitat of other species, and eventually kill plants, and/or other species.…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014. 83-90. Print. Summary: In Alan Burdick’s essay, “The Truth about Invasive Species”, he discusses the theme of how living organisms can adapt fairly easy to different environments without causing harmful damage. There is evidence presented in the article that tells readers information about invasive species.…

    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Zebra Mussels

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Silent but deadly. It might be too late to save the aquatic animals in the Great Lakes from migrant species that have come to take over, and make a new home. Shipping vessels coming from other waters carry many unwanted guests, known as invasive species, to make home in our waters in the United States. Invasive species hiding in the ballast of ships entering the Great Lakes damage the Great Lakes’ ecosystem.…

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In addition to reptiles, other animals, fungi and plants can also be invasive species, which are species that are not native to a specific location. In Australia, the penguins were being attacked by foxes. The foxes were eating them, and they could not think of anything, but the idea was simple. All you had to do is use sheepdogs to scare the foxes away. With the Burmese Python we could get something that could scare it…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Florida Invasive Species

    • 1732 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The effect of an invasive species…

    • 1732 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Invasive Species

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Invasive species are a problem both economically and environmentally. One example of an invasive species is the zebra mussel. In this essay you will learn what the zebra mussel is, why we don’t want it in Iowa, and how this invasive species is being controlled. The zebra mussel is a freshwater mollusc.…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Burmese Pythons Are Invading the Everglades More than 2,000 pythons have be removed from Florida’s Everglades, but this is only representing a fraction of the population of tens of thousands. Burmese pythons are native to the grassy marshes of Southeast Asia, and they are among the largest snakes in the world (Source 1). They are capable to growing to an astounding length of 23 feet and a weight of up to 200 pounds (Source 1). The presence of Burmese pythons is changing Florida’s everglades because of the pythons being an invasive species, the impact on the ecosystem, and how we as a group have responded to this unfortunate mishap.…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Invasive species are everywhere in the world. Almost, if not all, reasons that invasive species get to new locations is because of man. Man is also the only one who can eradicate or prevent this from happening by either using other animals or by just not releasing the animals into the wild. These invasive species can cause many damages. With the variety of animals, we have a variety of methods to remove them.…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Florida's Everglades is very important to us. Without the Everglades peoples water supply will go to risk, we wouldn’t have a natural buffer to help prevent the damage of hurricanes, and people would dump their unwanted pets causing problems to our food chains. Without the Everglades or wetlands people will be risking their water supply. People don’t realize that when they are polluting the Everglades they are not just harming the Everglades but they are also harming themselves. People nearby use that water for their water supply and if people are constantly polluting the Everglades then these people are bathing, drinking, and playing in polluted water.…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The reading states that zebra mussel has long been spreading out from its original habitats and has now reached parts of North America. therefore it poses a serious threat to freshwater fish populations in all North America and provides three reasons for support. However, the professor explains that zebra mussel is not likely to the serious threat to the freshwater fish population and refutes each of the author's reasons. First, the article claims that it is possible that zebra mussel spread to North America from Europe by human transportation. The professor refutes this point by saying that in the reading author refers to this that mussel collects in the ballast water of the ship.…

    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Pragmites

    • 1502 Words
    • 6 Pages

    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 Natural Resources,…

    • 1502 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    What is an invasive species? According to the National Invasive Species Management Plan, an invasive species is defined as “a species that is non-native to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health”. Invasive species will look like they belong in the environment they are taking over, however, more than likely they are over-powering a native species in their own habitat. Would you be able to identify one of the species I’m about to discuss? North America has more than twenty-nine hundred invasive species in our environment today.…

    • 1141 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays