Invasive Species

organisms that are not native to an ecosystem. Something that is introduced to an ecosystem for a reason.

example: saalmon in Lake Michigan for fishing

exotic organisms that adersely impact the habitats they invade.

can be economic, environmental, or public health perspective

• provides goods: timber, water, food, etc.
• provides services: ex. wetlands filter toxic substances

also maintains population balances

• Water hyacinth: covers entire lake/pond so other organisms can't live there
• Brown tree snake: causes extinctions of other vertebrates, poweroutages and lack of exporting goods in Guam
• Formosan Subterranean Termite: rapid wood consumption rate because of large numbered populations

• Other examples:
• wild pigs, fragmities, ferrel cats, blackberry, pigeons

• Gateway for importing/exporting goods
• young lakes

• Zebra muscle: filter feeders, eat algae and make water cleaner but cling on pipes and other things that can cause clogs and backups
• Round goby: eats eggs of important sport fish
• Alewif: get washed up on shore after spawing causing decrease in beachgoes
• sea lamprey: parasite on fish with sharp razor jawless mouths.
• Purple Loosetrife: will overtake all other plants in wetlands and cause major problems
• Gypsy moth: has ability to eat all leaves in forest
• Emerald ash borer: lay their eggs in between bark and tree. eggs hatch and burrow tunnels through tree and end up killing it.

• Big ships: europeans used soil to balance ships their soil got dumped onto our soil
• Root bulbs: plant root bulbs from other locations got transported here and contained earthworms in the dirt with it.

• Being used as bait
• cocoons get stuck in the giant treads of trucks and tractors and get moved to a different location

• Root disruption
• decreased seedling recuitment
• reduced ground cover
• reduce plant diversity
• facilitates invasive plants
• alters nutrient cycle