Invicta Soil Patterns

Thought to have been first introduced into the wild via pet owners (Dorcas & Wilson, 20011) have caused significant declines in mammal populations. An observational study conducted by Dorcas et al (2012), found a 90% reduction in encounter rates of a number of species including racoon, opossums, bob cats and white tailed deer over the period 2003-2011 in which Burmese python populations have increased. The introduction of the Burmese python has also caused a significant decline in bird species. A study conducted by Dove et al (2011) found remains of 25 different species of birds in the digestive tracts of 85 Burmese pythons collected from 2003-2008, 4 of which are of special concern in Florida and 1 the ‘Wood Stork’ is listed as endangered. Preying on native wildlife and competing with native predators has impacted the food web and trophic level dynamics of the ecological

The conquering and development of natural land has in the past, been seen as a mark of human civilization. In the United States, our progress is often measured by growth and development, but should this be re-examined? There are many opinions on the subject of urban sprawl and its effects on wildlife, but one thing is for certain, we are expanding. From 1955 to 2005, urban and suburban areas grew by 300%, however, the population only increased by 75% over the same period (Ewing, Kostyack and Chen). According to NatureServe, a non-profit conservation organization, urban sprawl threatens one of every three endangered species in the United States. NatureServe’s analysis states, “rare and endangered species data shows that three-fifths (60

There are many invasive species in Florida, which affect the environment in many ways. First, one way is that the animal cannot thrive in its new environment, the reasons being; not enough food or the wrong climate. Another example would be, that the animal might thrive successfully and reproduce. This is detrimental to the environment because the animal or plant can wreak havoc and become an invasive species. Species can become invasive due to the lack of predators in its environment.

Although it supports a number of different organisms, Nudgee Beach lacks many of the fundamentals that make up a healthy and successful ecosystem. The first indicator of this is from the lack of birds present in the area. Although it has been noted for terrestrial bird species – such as kingfishers, pelicans, ibis, egrets, jabiru, stilts and heron – and wading bird species – such as golden plovers, curlews, tattlers and godwits – to have been spotted at Nudgee Beach and surrounding areas in the past; after a day’s worth of extensive observation and research, it was found that the birds observed were limited to magpie, ibis, great knot and eastern curlew species. To intensify this factor, at the time by which this lack of species was recorded, Nudgee Beach was expected to have started seeing tens of thousands of birds arrive for the migratory season [21]. This blatant lack of bird species diversity and quantity may have been due to the lack of small organisms within the ecosystem. The restricted number of small organisms at Nudgee Beach is detrimental to the entire ecosystem as these organisms make up the bottom levels of the food web and provide higher-level organisms with adequate amounts of food to consume. The smaller organisms expected to be observed – including; crustacean, shell, mollusc, lizard, frog, fish, worm, arachnid and insect species – was limited to the infrequent observation of crustacean, shell,

As an invasive species, the Burmese python has an immense impact on the native populations of the Everglades. In the last 20 years, observations of mammals in the Everglades have declined by 95% while the number of non-native Burmese pythons in the park has significantly increased (Sovie et al. 2016). Data from game cameras used in a study by Willson support this observation, showing the spatial pattern of mammal abundance being inversely correlated with spatial expansion of Burmese pythons in the Everglades (Willson 2017).

Attributed to the release of the exotic pet, the encroachment of the voracious species has already demonstrated its appetite for the indigenous fauna of the Everglades. It is now feared that with their migration to the Florida Keys, the

Florida, a treasure trove of many, many species of animals and diverse wildlife. How many of those, ‘Florida’ species are actually native to Florida though? If you walk outside you will probably see lizards everywhere, you know, the brown ones. Well, what if I told you, that they are not actually native to Florida? Those lizards are called Brown Anoles, and they are actually from Cuba and the Bahamas. This is just one example of the many invasive species, which compete with Florida’s native species for food, resources and territories everyday. A few more examples of invasive species that are harmful to our wildlife are the Cuban tree frog, which is a threat to not only other frogs but toads and lizards as well, the Burmese python, which is invading the everglades, and the air potato, which is slowly creeping its way up through Florida, tree to tree.

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.

Forests in Northern Arizona that the tribal communities depend upon are currently threatened by climate change. Ecosystems with high and rising temperatures, such as Northern Arizona, are susceptible to drought. In turn, the decrease in precipitation due to droughts leads to an overall reduction in growth as well as health for plants. A study concerning Northern Arizona forest found that tree mortality increased 200% from 1997-2002 to 2002-2007 in mixed-conifer forests and 74% in ponderosa pine forests. This tree mortality can be traced back to forest insects like bark beetles as well as long-term drought stress throughout the ecosystem (Ganey & Vojta, 162). Insects such as the spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis), pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae), and especially piñon ips beetle (Ips spp.) threaten forests (MacDonald & Turner, 21260). Climate change causes tree mortality as overall warming leads to greater beetle reproduction as well as greater range of beetle territory (MacDonald

The Everglades is a diverse ecosystem located in southern Florida, yet urbanization has created a considerable amount of impact that has altered the physical landscape of the region, resulting in a symbiotic environment between humans and nature. Based on geographical research, the original Everglades spanned an area of approximately 12,000km2, and now because of urbanization and agricultural growth in this sub-region the area of the Everglades has been condensed to half of its original size (Willard et al 1-2). The Everglades is actually a sub-region of the Southern Coastlands region of the United States. It is comprised of a unique climate, divided into sub-provinces that create a diverse pallet of environments for wildlife to thrive,

Invasive species provide a huge problem in ecosystems and in the development of other species in that surrounding area. Nonnative reptiles pose one of the major risks to native wildlife due to its ability to be in high densities and spread out covering larger areas with time. A large portion of South Florida including Everglades National Park (ENP) has Burmese Pythons native to Southeast Asia since the year 2000. It was then that the Burmese Python was found to significantly consume threatened and endangered animals of that area. As proof of the extent to which Burmese Pythons have affected the ecosystem, systematic road surveys were used in the ENP to sample the effects of them before and after they established in the region. Results showed

The coral reef surveyors were instructed to find the best sites that they believed had the most living coral and were thought to be least affected by human activities. This would allow Hodgson to determine if human activities were having an appreciable effect on the supposed pristine coral reefs, which were distant from urban centers. The invertebrate survey was undertaken at two depth intervals of 3m and 10m. Four 0.5 m wide by 20 m long belts were placed on the coral reef. Over a period of 3-5 minutes the observers counted the number of invertebrates found on the belts. The coral survey was performed, by placing four 20 m long belts on the coral substrate. At 0.5 m intervals the substrate on which the belts were lying was examined and recorded.

According to Van Driesche, nonnative species are more likely to establish if they invade habitats with lowered biotic resistance, encounter prey with poorly developed mechanisms of self-defense, or invade habitats unaccompanied by their specialized natural enemies or when their invasion is facilitated by earlier invaders (2000).  Damage to these communities, then, can be seen both in cumulative effects and in a cycle of self-reinforcement.  Although pristine environments are still at risk from invasion, this positive feedback loop makes habitats already with a disturbance by exotics even more vulnerable to other invasions.

D. Porter, USDA-ARS), with the largest workers 2 or 3 times larger than the smallest. Red imported fire ants are an exotic invasive species and in many areas of Texas they have displaced other species of fire ants native to the state. Solenopsis geminata, the tropical fire ant, is the most common native fire ant species encountered. To the unaided eye, they are almost identical to red imported fire ants. However, S. geminata will have a few larger workers with large, square-shaped bi-lobed heads. These ants specialize in collecting and milling seeds, but build mounds similar to red imported fire

This study explores the concept of whether native vegetation fosters the presence of native birds and/or non-native vegetation fosters the presence of non-native birds. My working hypothesis is: “there is no difference in the percentage of native and non-native birds between “gardens” having native or non-native vegetation.” Note: the word “garden” for the purposes of