Invasive Species
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife claim that there are approximately 4,300 invasive species in the country (Crawford, 2018). These species are destructive to the native ecosystem. This paper explores the problem of invasive species in terms of its history, causes, impact, and possible solutions.
The History of Invasive Species
Invasive species comprise any form of a living organism, whether a plant, fish, seeds or amphibian, found outside its native ecosystem (National Wildlife Federation, n. d.). A living organism qualifies to be included in the invasive species category if it causes harm to its new habitat. The study of invasive species can be traced back to Charles Darwin. According to Charles Darwin, it is a species’ ability to adapt to new changes that enable them to survive and reproduce (Crawford, 2018). Invasive species exist by colonizing new territories. Invasive species differ in the years in which they were introduced in different parts of the world. For example, American and European landscape architects started complaining of the presence of suspicious plants in these areas as early as the 19th century (Crawford, 2018). The suspicious species were non-native to these areas.
Causes of Invasive Species
There are many ways in which invasive species are spread, and one of them is through human activities. For example, ships can transport aquatic organisms from one part of the world to the other (National Wildlife Federation, n. d.). Also, insets may get into shipping palettes, crates, or wood. Besides, some ornamental plants may stick to people’s clothing. The other cause of invasive species is climate change. Climate change may result in invasive plant species such as purple loosestrife, kudzu and garlic mustard moving into new areas (National Wildlife Federation, n. d.). These species end up colonizing new areas after the effects of climate change destroy their natural habitat.
The Impact of Invasive Species
To begin with, invasive species are a major cause of the extinction of animals and plant varieties. The predicament of about 42% of endangered or threatened species can be attributed to invasive species (National Wildlife Federation, n. d.). This is what happened in Guam, which is an island in the South Pacific. Between the 1940s and 1950s, brown tree snakes were introduced to this area accidentally (National Geographic, n. d.). No animals were preying on the snakes. On the other hand, the island had a large population of rodents, birds and other small animals that were hunted vigorously by the snakes. Over time, the snakes have resulted in nine of the 11 bird species inhabiting the island to get extinct (National Geographic, n. d.). At the same time, invasive species have severe economic and health implications. Many recreational, commercial and agricultural activities rely on healthy native ecosystems. However, these systems are disrupted by the presence of foreign species resulting in widespread losses. For instance, invasive species account for 16% or $ 96 billion worth of losses in maize, rice and wheat farms each year (Action on Invasive Species, 2020). Farmers are forced to incur more costs trying to control the invasive species.
Possible Solutions to the problem of Invasive Species
One of the solutions to invasive species is to plant native plants (National Wildlife Federation, n. d.). The native plants starve the invasive species limiting their capacity to breed and multiply. At the same time, a person can identify and uproot invasive species. This is what is happening in the Chesapeake Bay, where nutria is causing major problems. On this note, the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, which operates in the America’s state of Maryland, joined hand with hunters to tame and possibly eliminate 8,500 nutrias that had colonized the area (National Geographic, n. d.). The hunters used technologies to identify, set traps and kill the nutria. After two years, the program managed to eradicate the nutria paving the way for the restoration of the wetland (National Geographic, n. d.). At the same time, a person should learn to clean his or her boats regularly, tires, boat and gear that he or she uses outdoors (National Wildlife Federation, n. d.). This strategy ensures that plant parts, insects and eggs are prevented from colonizing new territories. In the U.S., international fishing vessels are expected to be washed before docking (National Geographic, n. d.). This strategy aims at ensuring that foreign species are not introduced into the country.
There are also some biological methods of taming the spread of invasive species. These methods involve the introduction of living organisms known to prey on the invasive species being targeted for elimination. For example, the cactus moth caterpillars were introduced to Australia to prey on the prickly pear cactus (National Geographic, n. d.). The prickly pear cactus was not native to Australia, making it an invasive species. More importantly, it was damaging rangelands causing much damage to Australia’s agricultural sector. However, introducing living organisms to prey on invasive species may not be the best option. This is because the introduced living organisms may breed and multiply becoming invasive species themselves. For example, cane toads were introduced into Australia in the 1930s as a biological control for beetles damaging sugar cane farms (National Museum of Natural History, n. d.). However, the cane toads ended up thriving in their new ecosystem, causing the government to spend huge amounts of money trying to eliminate them.
In conclusion, invasive species are found in almost every corner of the world, and they have disruptive effects on their new habitats. They occur when living organisms are carried from their natural habitat and taken to new ecosystems where they end up breeding and spreading. These species can be controlled either artificially or biologically.
References
Action on Invasive Species. (2020). A threat to economic growth and sustainable development. Retrieved from https://www.invasive-species.org/about/
Crawford, A. (2018). Why we should rethink how we talk about “Alien” species. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-scientists-are-starting-rethink-how-they-talk-about-alien-species-180967761/
National Geographic. (n. d.). Invasive species. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/invasive-species/
National Museum of Natural History. (n. d.). Invasive species. Retrieved from https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/life-science/invasive-species
National Wildlife Federation. (n. d.). Invasive species. Retrieved from https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Threats-to-Wildlife/Invasive-Species