What Is Water Hyacinth?

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. .).

Producing long and hair-like filaments, Lyngbya normally grows in dense mats at the bottoms of nutrient-enriched lakes and spring-fed systems. These mats produce gasses during photosynthesis that often cause the mats to rise to the surface where they can grow to several acres in size. Winds push the mats causing them to pile up against shorelines and in channels making navigation difficult and decreasing sunlight for the native species. In some areas, the algae bloom covers so much of the pre-existing vegetation that it smothers eelgrass, a preferred food of the endangered West Indian manatee. Reduced water clarity and extreme fluctuations in oxygen stress every part of the ecosystem and as a result, tiny essential, life-sustaining micro-organisms that feed on native vegetation are severely reduced, and so are the fish, turtles, manatees and other wildlife that feed on them. The birds and larger animals that feed on smaller animals must find new, more plentiful

In studying the problem of hydrilla Florida waterways, it was apparent that management of this invasive species must take an interdisciplinary approach. The economic indicators with the possibility of lost revenue, water usage, and habitat biodiversity drive the need for control. According to Corn, at the federal level there is a need for comprehensive legislature to address invasive species. The current process in reporting an invasive species problem can run into time constraints working through the many agencies to achieve funding. A rapid response is desired to quickly remove the plant before it spreads beyond the ability to control. It is believed that hydrilla is so wide spread today that control can only be achieved through managing feasible levels of it within the limits of funding. Two new integrating approaches are proposed to aid in the goal of reaching sustainable

Also known as salt cedar, the Tamarisk plant was imported in the 1850’s as an ornamental plant and also used as a method to control erosion. There are a few pros to this invasive species but they do pose a concern. Tamarisk not only crowds out natural riparian vegetation, but also consumes an alarming amount of water. To effectively save as much water in the river as possible, putting an end to this invasive species may be necessary. Since the Tamarisk roots run deep, it helps out a lot with erosion, however it consumes a significant amount of water. Tamarisk covers about 50,000 acres of the Colorado basin area and consumes more water annually than the rivers native vegetation. Not only do these plants deplete the water but the animals living in areas where the tamarisk grows, are usually fewer in number and type, and are less healthy then animals in areas where Tamarisk does not grow. Although the issue with the Tamarisk plant is very small compared to the other issues involving the river, it is still important that the plant be removed to improve and conserve the Colorado River (Nijhuis).

Last but not least, the benefit of planting also including the improvement of soil and water quantity. In the article “Native plants for sustainable landscapes: Establishment and management of lakeshores and gardens” byVera Krischik, an associate professor at University of Minnesota, department of entomology, it represents some benefits of the native plants, that sustain the land with

As well as pollution, invasive species are damaging the lake ecosystems and food chains, made fragile by pollution and overfishing. The introduction of a new species throws off the balance of food chains. Some common invasive species include the sea lamprey, Asian carp, and zebra mussels, among many others. Zebra mussels have dramatically influenced and affected stable food chains by reducing the amount of zooplankton and phytoplankton. This presents a problem, as fish mostly feed on the drifters, and so they go hungry and die, leaving no food for larger fish to prey on. In addition to underwater disruption, it affects us as well, but only slightly. Plankton and algae especially are the most productive aquatic producers of oxygen, and by the decreasing population, we lose oxygen as well. The sea lamprey is also a problem, though it is not so influential to ecosystems as the zebra mussel.

Until a stable balance is reached, healthy and balanced ecosystem keep this balance through several limiting factors, which can restrict and regulate the size or range of species such as natural climate, geography, presence or absence of predators. When, however, these invasive species are accidentally or intentionally transplanted into out waters. They can upset the ecological balance. They lack disease and predator controls, so these non-native species can rapidly reproduce and spread at an amazing and faster pace than native species. The consequence is that these invasive species compete with native species for food and habitat. These organisms harmful not because of what they are, but where they happen to be. Most of the world’s ecosystem are the result of coevolution by numerous different organisms in the worlds, adapting to their environment and each other. In other words, natural ecosystems become totally disrupt and out of balance. if the new species and habitat’s limiting factors fail to restrict the rapid

Issue: The environmental issue that I have chosen is the impact that invasive species have on the environment. The impact that invasive species have on the environment is vast, yet little is done about it. This issue is extremely important and will impact the world for generations to come. In this paper, I hope to learn about the effect they have on environment and what we can do about it.

Invasive species have been brought into the United States, some on purpose to help fill a needed use and then latter getting out of control and creating a mess of what they have done to waterways,

The St.Lawrence river is a large tourist attraction for northern New York. With invasive species being introduced to the river and the land surrounding they have affected the way the river looks and the species that are in it. Any plant or animal found outside of its normal range is considered to be invasive to the area it is now located. There has been an estimated 163 invasive species that have been discovered in the Great Lakes and the St.Lawrence since the late 1800’s. Of the 163 species that have been unintentionally introduced to the area, 85 of them reside in the St.Lawrence river. The variety of non-native plants and animals in the St.Lawrence river and surrounding land have had a continuing negative effect on the native ecosystem.

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

Invasive species are plants or animals that spread to a non-native ecosystem and cause harm to that area. Common characteristics of invasive species include their ability to permit a variety of conditions, produce lots of seeds or eggs, separate easily, has long growing period or quick reproduction time, and their new environment has comparable conditions to the original habitat. Invasive species most often have negative impacts when they are transported to another environment. A recent study done by the Center for Aquatic Conservation describes the effect some invasive species have. In various states of the U.S, it has been found that invasive species are costing more than “$200 million a year in losses to commercial

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;

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

Invasive species often have few natural predators or other biological controls in their new environment. Although not always considered harmful to an environment, invasive species can become agricultural or ecological pests and can displace native species from their habitats. Invasive species are often introduced to an environment unintentionally, as the zebra mussel was to the Great Lakes, but are sometimes introduced for a purpose, as kudzu was to the southern US, where it was originally planned to control erosion."