Objective- The objective of the lab was to understand how random events in nature and invasive species affect the growth of certain species in an ecosystem. As a result, a species’ population could decrease or increase due the events that happen. In addition, the lab shows how the decreasing growth of certain species is affecting the area’s biodiversity.
Background Information- In this lab we explored how biodiversity can be loss in an ecosystem due to random events and invasive species. To begin with, “Biodiversity is the varieties of organisms and complex ecological relationships that give the biosphere its unique, productive characteristics.”(Cunningham 227) It is usually recognized by species. Biodiversity is important because certain
…show more content…
When I did this lab with my group an invasive species was not introduced until the 15th year, as you can see in Figure 1. As a result, we could not observe how badly an invasive species could affect different native species. Even though the starling species, our invasive species, was introduced the last year it still shrunk the grasshopper and red-headed woodpecker population by one. Many factors contributed to the loss of biodiversity in the forest community. These factors were disease, human activities (deforestation and their pets/strays), weather, pesticides, and invasive species. Many diseases spread through the forest killing nine American toads in year 7 and two oak trees each year (refer back to Figure 1 to see). In addition, field mice tried to take shelter in a nearby residence where they were eaten by cat, poisoned and encountered mouse traps. Then, roadways needed to be made, trees and grassland were removed twice, and neighborhood cats ate one red-headed woodpecker, cottontail rabbit, black rat snake, and field mouse. Also, the ecosystem experienced a dry day, a brush fire, and acid rain. The acid rain killed three oak trees and killed one more oak every successive year. Additionally, pesticides were sprayed onto a field that harmed insects and their predators, which include five grasshoppers, two American toads, two red-headed woodpeckers. Finally, our one invasive species did not greatly impact the ecosystem, except for killing one red-headed woodpecker and a
The bar chart was used to compare the number of species in each transect. In transect A, there were 5 different species. The species in this area were mostly grass, forbs, moss, bugs and beetles. Bugs and beetles made up a small population of this transect. In transect B, there were also 5 species. The species were mostly grass, shrubs, forbs, moss and bugs. In this transect, shrubs were found which makes transect B more diversed than A. In Transect C, 8 species were located in this area. The species included shrubs, grass, fobs, evergreen, trees, dirt, bugs and spiders. New species such as evergreen, trees, dirt and spiders were located in this location. Therefore the test that diversity happens through ecological succession was
In the article Stop calling abortion a ‘difficult decision’, Janet Harris suggests abortion isn't a burdensome decision to make individuals over think. Relating a Harris’s own experience on abortion, her only question was “How quickly can I get this over with?” Harris proclaims advocates on both sides of the issue forms statements by using “difficult decision” which depicts the meaning of the situation. Harris lists, surveys on women in relation to abortions to emphasize the choices was not a perplex decision. The author's purpose is to reveal seeking an abortion is straightforward in order to end dehumanizing women on their options. Janet’s annoyed tone desires the advocates on both sides of the abortion debate.
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
Carl Sandburg describes Chicago as a tough and hefty city. Chicago is portrayed as a proud city, a city proud to be so “strong and cunning” whereas other cities of the time were not. Chicago is characterized by the people and workers who live in it. Sandburg loves Chicago even though it is a brutally tough city. Sandburg uses imagery, personification, and punctuation to characterize the city as an actual person.
Although the natural ecosystem is a dynamic system that is always changing in response to environmental changes ("Invasive Alien Species in Canada." Government of Canada, Environment Canada. Government of Canada, 19 July 2013. Web. 8 July 2015. . ) . Invasive species affect the ecosystem in a negative way, both in the short term and longer term altering not only the habitat but impacting native species abundance and richness. Invasive species are successful at adapting to new environments so readily because they are generalist. Meaning that they have traits and physiological characteristics that allow them to thrive in variety of conditions, they don’t have any predators in the new environment and they are able to reproduce quickly ("Characteristics of Invasive Species." Web. 8 July 2015. .).
A species that are non-native to where they are located and are likely to cause environmental or economical issues; that is what invasive species are known for. They are transported through human activities such as trading; they may have been from the person’s clothing or from what they were travelling on and they can range from plants to animals. They are a problem as they threaten the lives of the native animals and damage our own economy. They are able to succeed in their environment as they normally had very few predators or competitors for resources, capability of living in different environments, and have high rates of reproduction and growth. One of these kinds of species would be the zebra mussels and the following will explain what
An invasive species is a species that comes out of its natural environment, and enters another. These animals are usually very bad for the ecosystem and may cause an unbalance. These animals usually come in with many competitive advantages and can easily dominate any competition. This will give them the ability to eat as much as they would like without being threatened in any way. This could possibly diminish many populations and end an entire ecosystem.
I am going to be finding the differences in Native and Invasive grasses, along with following information about the species. Native grasses are the dominant plants in the vast rangeland plant communities and are important in the understory of many forested areas. Fibrous roots of grasses hold the soil in place and build up soil fertility. Invasive plants are plants which grow quickly and aggressively, spreading and displacing other plants. Invasive plants are usually introduced by people either accidentally or on purpose, into a region far from their native habitat.
This article addresses the problem of invasive species, which has threatened native species all over world like the Everglades, South Africa, and the northeast region the United States (Evolving an Invasive Species 2014). Likewise they have caused billions of dollars in damage, and serious environmental destruction to the habitats they invade. This article proposed that evolution could assist in determining what introduced species will become harmful invasive species. In the end they discovered species with high phylogenetic diversity are more likely to be invasive than species with low phylogenetic diversity (Evolving an Invasive Species 2014). In all, this discovery is important because when a problem arises in a habitat and a biological organism is being proposed as a solution we can now analyze the organisms evolution to conclude if it will have a beneficial or detrimental affect on the
Invasive species is a term that is used both for plants and animals. In general, it refers to the introduction of a non-native species into an environment in which because there are no predators tend to dominate the ecosystem and adversely affect the habitat. The overall issue is that the environment becomes out of balance and out of control due to the lack of any natural controls on reproduction or spread. This can be predators or herbivores, and in a world of global commerce, and despite attempts to control, have become problems in many areas (USDA, 2012). One interesting and often quoted example surrounds the plants and animals brought to Mesoamerica during the voyages of Columbus in 1492 often called "The Columbian Exchange." Not all non-native species were dangerous, but because of the lack of controls in certain ecosystems, many plants and animals tended to overpopulate or harbor diseases that indigenous peoples and animals had no natural immunity to (See Figure 1).
Since an invasive species can be any kind of newly introduced living organism then it would be hard to determine what risk there would be from the introduction and what they would result in since, “Approximately 42% of Threatened or Endangered species are at risk primarily due to invasive species” (Source A). This shows that the introduction between these species have either not been thought out well or nothing has been done to prevent these threats. Since the protection of the native specie and the ability of the non native specie to adapt to the new environment is a crucial factor for a good encounter, the results must first be calculated as accurate as possible in order for the government to base the decision upon because the non native species will endanger the native specie if it becomes more dominant. Therefore, the habitat and food cycle of the native species must also be studied in order to prevent any altercations because they are considered one of the most impacted areas when the defence system of the native species is off. As a result, transferring the non indigenous specie into the habitat of a native specie will only be beneficial if there is balance in their ability to defend themselves from one
Additionally, I am interested in how invasive species may be impacting aquatic ecosystems in a similar way. Invasive species have the potential to influence the aquatic community by replacing native species and altering the function of the community, including food web dynamics. As more nonnative species are introduced to aquatic systems and as they expand into new areas, knowing how they alter ecosystem functioning is essential.
The biodiversity effects of non-native invasive species have been described as “immense, insidious and usually irreversible” (Veitch and Clout, 2002). There is significant evidence proving that invasive species can cause severe economic, environmental and ecological damage (Mack et al., 2000). A lot of time and research has been devoted to dividing the world into regions with distinctive habitats and species. Numerous pathways, mostly anthropogenic, are breaking down these realms and facilitating the ecological and biological invasion of non-native species.
Plants have an important role in nearly every ecosystem. They provide food and shelter for animals, and insects, and absorb CO2 and produce O2 through photosynthesis. However invasive plants are affecting many ecosystems by changing many aspects of soil chemistry and are outcompeting native plants. Not all introduced exotic plants are invasive, an invasive plant is an exotic plant that has the ability to spread quickly and aggressively in a new range that it does not naturally occur in. Invasive species in new habitats are sometimes able to outcompete native plants because the diseases, animals, and insects that previously reduced growth in its native range are no longer close by. Invasive plants affect habitats and decrease biodiversity.
Introduction. Biodiversity is a variety of life on Earth at all levels from genes to ecosystems and the ecological and evolutionary process that is able to keep biodiversity in balance (Willington, 2005). Biodiversity is important because it satisfy’s everyone including animals, organisms and humans basic needs such as food and water source and as well shelter(Wood, 1997). The overall goal in biodiversity conservation is to create a foundation in developing ways to protect and use biological resources in a way where it does not destroy important habitats in an ecosystem (Nangendo, 2002). In ecology it has been taught that everything from