What Is Invasive Species?

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.

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.

One environmental issue that the great lakes watershed has been exposed to is invasive species. An invasive species is any organism that is foreign to an ecosystem and causes harm (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016). In ordered to be classified as foreign they do not have to be from a different country but they just must be a non-native to an established ecosystem. Some of the species travel at their own will but they primarily spread through human activities unintentionally. As we import and export goods, or travel, some uninvited species may ride along and travel to new places. Organisms can be stowed away in ships or products like wood. Some ornamental plants may

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.

Significance: The question of whether or not invasive species impact the environment is an important one. The answer affects everyone. In today’s world, we take the outdoors for granted. People don’t realize how much it does for us. It provides economical resources, areas to relax, and oxygen for us to breathe. Without these simple things our lives would change drastically. Life as we

Heavy feeding by the whitefly causes the death of numerous plants, or degradation in growth of older plants, because of the loss of sap. “When adult and immature whiteflies feed, they excrete honeydew, a sticky excretory waste that is composed largely of plant sugars. The honeydew can stick cotton lint together, making it more difficult to gin and therefore reducing its value. Sooty mold grows on honeydew-covered substrates, obscuring the leaf and reducing photosynthesis, and reducing fruit quality grade” (USDA 2016). By noticing the harmful effects that the whitefly has on the environment, many actions are being made to prevent the spread of further

An invasive species is defined by Executive Order 122114. They are defined as an alien to the ecosystem, and the introduction of this species could cause or does cause economic or environmental damage or is harmful to humans (“What is an Invasive Species?” 1). It is also important to understand that it is not just animals that can be an invasive species (“What is an Invasive Species?” 1). Plants and microbes are also able to cause much harm (“What is an Invasive Species?” 1). Just how much harm do invasive species do though? Well it seems that these species are able to displace or eradicate native species, alter fire regimes, damage infrastructure, and threaten the livelihoods of people (“Invasive Species…..What are they and why are they a problem?” 1). In fact they are currently causing changes in

An invasive species is a plant, fungus, or animal species that is not native to a specific location and one point should be noticed is that invasive species does not have to come from another country. For example, lake trout are native to the Great Lakes, but are considered to be an invasive species in Yellowstone Lake because they compete with native cutthroat trout for habitat. Although there are some invasive species arrive with spread and establish populations, like the native butterflies feed on non-native plants in California, the alien trees help restore abandoned pastures to a condition suitable for native plants in Puerto Rico and even the much-maligned zebra mussel helps filter toxins from great lakes, most policymakers regard invasive

ELMIRA (WENY) - As part of New York's Invasive Species Awareness Week, the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Finger Lakes Partnership for Regional Invasive Species and Management have teamed up to educate the public on local invasive species and how to stop them from spreading.

Invasive species got their name for a reason, and that’s because they’re invasive. Which basically means: They’re spreading everywhere even though, no one wants them to. Now let’s look at invasive plants. They’re about 1,300 non-native species inhabiting California (ipm.UCdavis.edu). And some have the potential to become a very harmful invasive species. They can cause many things: 1) Changing the soil fertility in an ecosystem, 2) Promoting a shorter interval (or in some cases longer) fire frequency that is not conducive to the survival of native species, 3) Creating a saline environment as roots absorb salts from deep in the soil and redistribute them from the foliage to the soil surface (ipm.UCdavis.edu). As you can see, non-native plants could really damage a new ecosystem. Especially when invasive plants thrive in said ecosystem, which could limit space and water for the native plants. And based on my research, invasive plants are as problematic as invasive

Humans should take care of the invasive plants because the invasive plants can completely wipe out the plants that should be here. I think that it is a good idea for humans to address the issue because they’re the ones who brought these invasive species into the US. Humans should deal with these invasive species because the animals and plants that they brought in here are damaging and killing the ones that are supposed to be here. Animals that are supposed to be here are being killed by ones that aren’t supposed to be here. There are animals and plants that eat or kill the plants that animals who are supposed to be here eat. If humans don’t address this issue then all of the food that non-invasive animals eat will be gone. They won’t be

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

The ability of biology students and biologists in general to identify species in the wild is important, and especially crucial concerning the specific organisms that they research. It is essential to the success of biological research that biologists they can correctly identify the organisms which they are studying. Improper identification of species in the wild by a biologist could result in incorrect data, misuse of public funds, or a misunderstanding of the trophic structure of an ecosystem, potentially derailing conservation efforts. Biologists are at the core of biological conservation efforts, and having well-trained researchers is imperative. Respected biologists are immensely knowledgeable about their subject matter, including species

The enemy release hypothesis states that invasive plant species are invasive because they experience significantly reduced herbivory when they invade a new environment, which allows them to flourish (Keane et al. 2002). This study sought to confirm the finding that invasive plants experience significantly lower levels of herbivory than native plants and support the hypothesis that this difference in herbivory is directly responsible for the invasive species’ superior fitness. Levels of herbivory between goldenrod (Solidago sp.), a native species, and mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), an invasive species, were compared as well as the relationship between the level of herbivory on an individual plant to flower count and height of the plant. We

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.