Invasive Species In Georgia

To summarize, this is a destructive plant that is destroying the habitat of many species of plants and animals in the South. The rapid growth of the vine has only exacerbated the

The Maryland ecosystem is being ravaged by several invasive species. These species are introduced into the ecosystem in several ways, with several discoveries of invasive species every year. Whether it be Wavyleaf basketgrass or Purple loosestrife, these plants are capable of outcompeting with native plants and causing devastation to the native ecosystem. These invasive species are damaging to the environment and we should work as a community to halt the spread and limit its impact on the ecosystem of Maryland.

Invasive species come in many forms; they can be plants, animals, insects, fish, fungus, organisms, and bacteria. Invasive plants are those which cause environmental, economic and human harm and originate from another area or region. They are a complex and difficult problem to tackle. There are more than 4,000 plants species found in Florida, of those 1300 or more are non-native or invasive. Many invasive species are taking over Florida’s waterways disrupting their natural ecosystem by outgrowing and replacing Florida’s native plants. Relieving the damage they cause is not easy, but scientists and members of the communities being affected are finding that it is achievable, as long as everyone works as a team to address the issue.

Issue: The environmental issue that I have chosen is the impact that invasive species have on the environment. The impact that invasive species have on the environment is vast, yet little is done about it. This issue is extremely important and will impact the world for generations to come. In this paper, I hope to learn about the effect they have on environment and what we can do about it.

Florida’s ecosystems are at risk due to the invasive species which inhabit our state. Because of the negative impact of the invasive species of Florida, we should be informed and aware of the effects. There are many non-native, not only animals, but plant species also which are of concern. Three invasive species that are harming Florida are Lionfish, the Burmese Pythons, and the Brazilian Pepper.

On May 15, 2016 me and around 20 other University of Washington students volunteered to remove invasive plants from Yesler Swamp. We started the day by meeting in front of the Yesler Swamp trial sign. After that, our guides started to introduce themselves there was three of them. Then, started walking on the trail to reach our designated spot that we are going to on. While we were walking Carolyn, one of the guides, started explaining what we are going to do. She started inform us about the different type of plants and which ones we should take out, invasive plants, and which we should leave, native plants.

An example of an invasive plant includes the Canada thistle. The Canada thistle harms the environment because it, “crowds out and replaces native plants, changes the structure and species composition of natural plant communities and reduces plant and animal diversity… prevents the coexistence of other plant species through shading, competition for soil resources… through the release of chemical toxins poisonous to other plants” (Canada). The Canada thistle’s only special way of harming the surrounding environment consists of poisoning the plants that surround it. Otherwise the Canada thistle does not have any special ways that it harms the environment. People brought the Canada thistle to the United States in the 1600’s. By the year 1954, Canada and the United States of America declare the Canada thistle as a “noxious weed.” However now many consider the Canada thistle as an invasive plant (Canada). The Canada thistle has many ways that you can control it. You can cut it by hand, pull the plant out, burn them, or use chemicals to kill these plants. The best way to get rid of the Canada thistle encompasses using chemicals. If you do not have any chemicals to do this job you can always cut the plant down to the ground, and when it regrows do this again until the roots become exhausted

There are many invasive species that populate Florida. An invasive species is defined as a plant, animal, or fungus that has come to occupy a location aside from its native grounds. Often times, because Florida is not their homeland, these animals play a negative part in the ecosystem. Because of this, the citizens affected are often forced to seek means of removing these animals to eliminate their negative effects. The Burmese Python, the Green Iguana, and the Wild Boar are just a few examples of some of the invasive species that can be found in Florida.

An invasive species is any kind of living organism that is not native to an ecosystemand usually causes harm to the ecosystem (National Wildlife Federation, 2014). Native species have not coevolved with the invasive species and may not have the ability to deal with the introduced species (Holway et al. 2002). The Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) is a relatively aggressive species of ant native to South America. It was introduced on multiple occasions into the United States in the early- to mid-1900s (Callcott et al. 1996). Since then, it has spread to the very borders of its geographical climate tolerance, and through acclimation, hybridization, and the effects of global climate change, has managed to extend its range much farther than experts ever anticipated. It is now the subject of much research, as it has impacted not only ecological communities but the agricultural economy as well. It is estimated that RIFA have an impact of around $6 billion a year due to control, medical treatment, and damage to property (Lard et al. 2006). Agriculturally, Red Imported Fire Ants can cause financial damages in a number of different ways including eating various parts of the plant or causing the disruption of machinery. (Collins and Scheffrahn, Last Accessed 2014)

We continue to have to keep up with the removal of these harmful plants, as we do not want to harm the other wildlife in our yard. Recently we found out about the third invasive plant that we were supporting: the Asian Elm. We had a large Asian elm on the border of our lot, separating our house from that of the neighbors. We realized that we would have to cut it down. Now that we lack that large tree, the side of our yard is more open than it was before. We have lost privacy from the neighbor's house, but we know that cutting down the Asian elm was the best thing for our ecosystem.

According to the Invasive Species Advisory committee, (Committe, 2006), the term, “invasive species” relates to the establishment of a non-native species in an ecosystem. Furthermore, the presence of these species is likely to cause deleterious effects to the economy, environmental or human health. However, this characterization is sometimes contradicted as some non-native species seem to be beneficial either ecologically, economically, or esthetically, in the ecosystems to which they were introduced ( Definitions Subcommittee of the Invasive Species Advisory Committee, 2006). These alien species can include various organisms such as a plants, animal, fungus or bacteria.

Coccinia grandis is a common invasive plant species found on Hawaii (KISC, 2015). This vine-like plant displays broad, flat leaves with star-shaped white flowers, and is characterized by chili-like red fruits (Fox, 2008, p.D8). According to Fox, C. grandis (also referred to as 'Ivy Gourd') is native to parts of Southeast Asia, India, and Africa, and it is likely that this hardy (and hard to eradicate) plant found its way to the Hawaiian islands as a hidden passenger on immigrants from these areas. It is well established that C. grandis is a harmful invasive species posing a threat to native Hawaiian plants and ecosystems in direct and indirect ways. Despite the plant's negative effects on Hawaiian plants, however, research has shown that C.

To begin with, plants are considered invasive if they displace native species permanently. The Kahili ginger is dangerous threat to our native Hawaiian Wildlife. It's taken over miles and miles of land since it exhibits aggressive growth. For instance, the Nature conservancy, "Weed Warriors", Pat Billy stated that, ginger is a problem because, "Indeed the exotic south Asian ginger is one of the state's most noxious alien weeds." (Billy, 1) What this means is, Hawaii environment cannot sustain the amount of ginger. For example, if the plant continues to spread, it

An invasive species is an organism that comes from a different area and does not belong there. These organisms often spread rapidly and take over the territory of indigenous species. An invasive species can be introduced to the non-native environment unintentionally through international trade and travel, or intentionally as pets, ornamental plants, and environmental studies.

Dr. John visited Norfolk State University on behalf of the Department of Ecology at the University of Georgia. He came to share information about invasive plants and the ecological research that he and others have conducted on it; his talk was entitled “Computational Botany for Invasive Species Decision Support, Risk Analysis, and Policy.”