Invasive Species Invade The Great Lakes

: Larchwood Lake may not ever be the same again. The story about Larchwood Lake is not that uncommon. Without doing extensive research into possible things that could occur by lowering the lake level, the Larchwood Lake Homeowner’s Association destroyed the very thing they were trying to protect. Carelessness and poor planning are not the only root causes however. There are a number of reasons that led to the degradation of Larchwood Lake that happen to relate to more macro level environmental issues. Those reasons are poorly designed environmental policy created by the E.P.A., poor understanding of lake ecology by the managers of the land, and false confidence in poorly planned ideas. By looking at how these factors contributed to the degradation of the lake, hopefully we will be able to make more ecological sound decisions in the future.

There are unwanted visitors threatening to make their home in the Great Lakes. Originally coming from Asia, the fish immigrated to the Mississippi River eventually making their way to the Great Lakes. Let’s take a look at the problem, the causes and effects, and the possible solutions of the Asian Carp Invasion.

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.

The second biggest impact of habitat destruction is climate regulation. Climate regulation has a big impact world wide as well as the molecule level. The areas around Lake Claremont have become hotter. This has come down the loss of trees as well as the fact that the lake used to be a rubbish tip, this killed a lot of trees that help disperse a lot of carbon dioxide. The effects that climate regulation has on biotic factors are animals are not used to the new temperatures so they die quicker. This is a massive problem as it also effects the trees as there is either more or less water in the ground, that will kill the trees quicker. The impact between species isn’t as big as it is in habitat destruction but, it does effect how animals hunt for food. The new temperature will often kill the producers (grass, small plants), this means that all of the primary producers will have nothing to feed on effecting everything beyond. The flow that is destroyed when the climate changes be

The Python and other invasive animals including plants that has recently made their mark on the Everglades by intruding on the food chain. Animals such as Alligators have been competing for their food against the Pythons but the pythons would do anything for their food such as eating the gators. It is not only invasive animals that hurt the way of living in the Everglades but also invasive plants, the

Lake Erie had become extremely polluted and it needs your help! Because in the 1960 people dumped all their trash and pollutants into the lake. So the effect of that is it get blue green algae. People called lake erie the burning lake or the dead lake Lake Erie contained increased levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and the city took steps to improve its sewer system and better monitor water quality and fisheries sports anglers pulled five million walleye from the rejuvenated lake every year.Lake Erie had become polluted due to the due to heavy industry.

An invasive species is an organism that is not native to a certain area but it resides there anyway (What is an Invasive Species, 2016). There are many of these invasive species that are now in Florida. Such as the Muscovy duck, the Burmese python, the Asian sword fern, and many others. Invasive species can be a huge burden on nature, and society. This is why certain species that are not in this region of the world should stay out.

Weathering, erosion, and deposition have all had an impact on the formation and shaping of the Great Lakes Region over time. In the image below, the Great Lakes Region is shaded in brown. The Great Lakes include:

Another main challenge facing the Great Lakes is the threat of invasive species, specifically the Asian Carp. The Asian Carp is very dangerous to the great lakes if they were to invade the Great Lakes they would have the capability to knock out entire species of fish while having no real predators. The intrusion of this fish has the potential to ruin the lake's ecosystem altogether. Not only would it hurt the ecosystem immensely, but would drastically hurt the 7 billion dollar fishing industry in the United States. The Greats Lake Restoration Initiative has funded electronic barriers in places vulnerable to the Asian Carp, to keep the fish out of the Great Lakes. These barriers have been successful and have slowed the spread of Asian Carp in

Alien species on the humber watersheds are a major ecological issue for the environment because they prevent other native species from living/growing in their natural habitat. Alien species do this by taking up physical space that native species need , preventing native species from reaching their food and water and spreading disease. The humber watershed is affected in two different ways: native species and the overall ecosystem of the watershed. invasive species on the humber watersheds have a major threat to the biodiversity of our waters,wetlands, and marshes. These organisms that originate from different ecosystems pose a great threat to our ecosystem because coming to our ecosystem their natural predators can no longer keep the population's growth rate under control and that causes an increase in population because of that devastating effects on native species, habitats, and ecosystems may occur. There are reports that over 185 non indigenous species were found Ontario’s Great lakes. Some invading species that been found in the Great lakes are the following;

Sea Lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) are an invasive species of lamprey that, while native to marine environments, have moved into the freshwater great lakes. Sea lampreys first entered the great lakes through canals, which were revolutionary means of transportation at the times. There were multiple canals, connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the great lakes. The lampreys were previously impeded by Niagara falls. Now with the canals connecting both bodies of water, there was no longer an obstacle.

There are six common aquatic invasive species that happen in Lake Winnipeg. They are the common carp, rainbow smelt, white bass, the cladoceran Eusbomina coregoni, Asian tapeworm, and spiny water flea. These species affect the ecosystem`s health and function, the economic value of ecosystems, and human health.

There is one more aquatic invasive species. Have you ever seen the aquatic invasive species on the lake? This is Eurasian Watermilfoil, which are also found at Fort Snelling State Park. It was suddenly introduced to North America from Europe. The main reason why Eurasian can rapidly reproduce is that a single segment of stem and leaves can take root and form a new colony through stem fragmentation and runners. / Reproducing from lake to lake creates numerous amounts of new stem fragments while they cling to boats and trailers. / There are biological control and Invasive species program, which is to curb the spread the growth of Eurasian Watermilfoil. Using minimum of herbicides and imposing mechanical removal are to reduce them, but there is

Thousands of lakes in the Midwest were formed by glaciers. The glaciers moved across the land. As they moved, they scraped the land and formed deep holes in the earth. When the climate became warmer, the glaciers melted and water filled the holes. This is the same process that formed the five Great Lakes. Click the buttons to learn more about the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes hold 1/5 of the world’s fresh water. The fresh water has many uses. It provides water for people to drink and is used for transportation, power, and recreation.

Climate change and concomitant shifts in extreme events may favored invasive plants over to native by affecting species demographic processes, mortality, and competitive interactions between species (Hellman et al. 2008; Diez et al. 2012; Leishman and Gallagher 2015). All aspects of extreme events, however may not necessarily favor invasive over native, instead effects on native and invasive species and their responses to the events are uneven and species and context dependent (Leishman and Gallagher 2015 and references therein). For instance, salinity stress from hurricane generated storm surge and sea level rise has shown to impact native and invasive coastal plants differently (Pathikonda et al. 2009; Paudel and Battaglia 2013). Still missing