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Invasive Species

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There are invaders coming to homes all over America. They are causing damage to entire ecosystems and they can spread to new areas very rapidly if the issue is not dealt with now. These invaders that are destroying our native plants and ecosystems are known as invasive species. Invasive plant species are a problem all over the United States and many people fail to realize it. These invaders can cause huge amounts of damage to native environments. More people need to be made aware of the problem that is happening with these species. Education is the best way to get people to realize the problem at hand and get involved in helping reduce the spread and prevent further damage from being done. According to the United States National Arboretum, …show more content…

Invasive species often have few natural predators or other biological controls in their new environment. Although not always considered harmful to an environment, invasive species can become agricultural or ecological pests and can displace native species from their habitats. Invasive species are often introduced to an environment unintentionally, as the zebra mussel was to the Great Lakes, but are sometimes introduced for a purpose, as kudzu was to the southern US, where it was originally planned to control erosion." Invasive species are normally introduced by accident by getting on someone or something (boats, animals, etc.) and spreading to a new area. People with good intentions can help the invasives to spread when they are not informed about the proper ways to handle them. Some people think that if they find an invasive species they can put it in the compost and it will not spread. Unfortunately, the truth is that the plant fragments can re-sprout. Many people may not even be aware of what plants are invasive or native. For example, in California, there is an invasive plant called cotoneaster and it is sold in 46% of nurseries in the entire state totaling at about 58 nurseries where they are being sold (The Nature Conservancy). If the owners of these nurseries knew the plants they were selling were an invasive …show more content…

Garlic mustard was introduced into New Jersey in 1886 as a common garden plant. It is called this because of its distinct garlic smell. Many people would use garlic mustard in their salad to give it a tangy taste. Eventually, the seeds spread and caused problems in other environments where it was introduced such as New England. Garlic mustard is still a problem in New England today. Garlic mustard is not a problem because it destroys the native plants, but much like many invasive plants, it deprives the native plant species of the needed light and space they need to grow. (Invasive Plant Atlas of New

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