Kudzu Essay

By taking action, people will eliminate the problem in a shorter, more effective manor. One article states, “Since people can now travel around the world much more easily than they ever could before, it has become easier to introduce invasive species by accident,” (Alien Attack, paragraph 5). This demonstrates how quickly species can spread with the help of humans. People need to eliminate these species faster in order to save ecosystems. Overall, humans need to remove all invasive species before they take over the ecosystems of the world.

However, they disagree on whether or not it is harming the wildlife populations in those areas. Terris says “roads and sprawling neighborhoods are replacing pristine wildlife habitats at an alarming pace, putting the survival and reproduction of plants and animals at risk.” Terris also believes it may be “the problem for U.S. wildlife in the 21st century”. (Terris) According to Terris, one victim of sprawl is the Florida panther, which has been reduced to a population of 30 to 50 adults. Furthermore, in the Sonoran Desert many plant species are affected, which also affects the animals that rely on those plants. She goes on to give numerous examples of animals and plants that are being harmed that spreads across the U.S., supporting the fact it is widespread.

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.

What makes something invasive? Is it when the object takes over? When it reproduces to a great extent? When it takes over all of your space? These are all aspects of an "invasive" thing. Invaders cause other tiny problems along the path of their destruction that can be difficult to control. In Mark Sanchez's, "The Invaders," and Aaron Hartman's, "Kudzu: From Pretty Vine to Invasive Pest", two plants, the milfoil and kudzu, are taking over. These invasive weeds have more than just being invasive in common with each other, they also share a hand full of dissimilarities. These plants have gobs of similarities and differences between each other.

According UF’s Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, the Air potato is both on the Florida Noxious weed list and is listed as one of Florida’s most invasive plant Species since the 1990’s. The air potato is originally from the tropics of Asia (CAIP) and is heart-shaped in appearance. The reason the air potato is considered a ‘harmful’ species is because it is parasitic. The potato starts its journey in the ground and continues upward in vine form to find a host to latch onto. Once the vine finds a host tree, bush, or other plant, it begins by latching itself onto the outermost leaves, twigs, and limbs. Once the vine has fully attached itself, it drains nutrients from the fleshy parts of the host, thereby helping itself survive and harming the host, rendering itself with the label,

Invasive species are very common all over the world. Invasive species are an organism that lives in an ecosystem in which they don’t belong. Invasive species are not only dangerous to people, but also the ecosystem and must be removed.

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.

There are many creative ways the of invasive species is being addressed and they are a problem. There are many different problems with invasive species. There might be problems with invasive species, but people are coming up with fun and different ways the problem can be addressed. Pythons, wild pigs, and red foxes are all a danger to different wild life. There will continually be more species even if everyone thinks they are gone, they will come back every time even if it is a different

Research Strategy: In order to back my idea I will find several informed and scholarly articles, backing my theory. This includes looking at the effects invasive species have on the native ones. I will look at both sides to accurately come to the final conclusion. The most accurate information will come from books published on invasive species. These books can be found at local libraries and online libraries.

The major negative effect of invasive plants is that they replace the native plants. Other negative effects of invasive plants are reducing native wildlife habitat, reducing forest health and productivity, altering the ecosystem, and degrading recreation areas. These plants should be removed immediately because they grow and reproduce rapidly, meaning, that they grow a lot faster than the native plants and more in abundance. They also affect the native plants by competing aggressively on resources. To resolve the problem invective plants is by removing them and adding more native plants. Also, another way to stop invective plants is by not planting them in new

Georgia has been invaded by numerous species that are known as harmful exotic plants and animals. It is so costly to attempt to control invasive species and the damages they inflict cost the United States annually an estimated $137 billion (Georigia Invasive Species Task Force, 2005). For example, in South Georgia there is an estimate of 7 million acres of Kudzu vine that originated in Japan and China. The damage that arises with the Kudzu vine is that it grows up to one foot per day and overgrows and shades out trees, covers houses, barns and road signs (Georigia Invasive Species Task Force, 2005). In order to make this a top priority some things congress needs to change is the revision of current United States policy on importation of live plants and animals and when considering, reviewing, or approving trade agreements they address specific invasive species. In addition, the implementation of prescribed burnings in areas with invasive species will help eliminate and control the spreading of such invasive species.

Invasive species are a potential critical problem. They can influence the environment completely; anything from individual species to entire ecosystems. The brown tree snake was at first located in Indonesia and New Guinea, but the brown tree snake became an invasive species to Guam by coincidence (3). Because the Brown tree snake is very capable to hide in confined spaces it is believed that they were distributed to Guam by U.S military ships during their war against Japan (5). The brown tree snake can be easily distinguished by its brown, greenish colour, rear fangs and a large, almost disproportioned, head compared to its body (5).

BamBOO! Yes, we are learning about golden bamboo. Golden bamboo is tall and strong with green leaves, it can reach a height of 8 to 10 meters and always have a calming look. It is fast- growing plant that overtook the path and destroying the plants and habitats. Golden bamboo were from China, where Pandas live. In 1882, it was introduced to the United States of America in the state called Alabama. It been spreading to Southeastern United States, including Maryland to Florida, Louisiana to Arkansas, and Oregon. Golden bamboo’s stems are green, but it will turn into yellow when it is exposed to sunlight. The flowers of golden bamboo appear around 7 to 12 years, so it is very rare characteristics. It is blooming where there is full sunlight in most climates and growing in forests where sunlight can enter the landscape. It will grow faster if it has seen in moist, luxuriant soil and spreading because it is tolerant plant. When bamboo set in an area, it is really difficult to remove it. State and national agencies wanted to remove golden bamboo, they may manage or control this issue. They may mowing and making sure herbicides cannot be used. They need to cut plants as close to the ground and repeating several times because golden bamboo can

The overall website page on Channel Islands includes many tabs for users to explore. The page on terrestrial invasive plants is a helpful resource in learning about the competition of non-native plants. Colonization of invasive species poses harmful threats to native plants because many invasive plants such as sweet fennel, olive, and eucalyptus, compete for nutrients, light, and water. Sometimes these invasive species can outcompete native plants which can then lead to extinction. Constant eradication of invasive species is needed in order to ensure that native populations are not harmed. The web page provides in depth descriptions of the main invasive plants on the island as well as how each plant survives on the island. Although this website

Influence on ecosystems range from human causes like the bulldozing of a forest to natural causes like a fire or a flood.  In recent times, the introduction and spread of invasive species has transformed native communities rapidly and, in some cases, created irreversible damages.  In the Earth’s history, changes have often occurred in the ecosystems.  For example, glaciers and the retreat of glaciers cause wide-spread changes.  However, although change is a constant in ecosystems, animals and habitats often cannot adapt to the rapid alterations of non-natural stresses.  Harm to the environment from the introduction of invasive species occurs through changes in the habitat and declines in the native species.  Invasive species