Question: Write an essay on invasive species.

According to McNeely et al invasive species are alien species that sustain self-replacing
populations over several life cycles and produce reproductive offsprings, often in very large
numbers at considerable distances from the parent or site of introduction and have the potential to
spread over long distances. A species that establishes itself in an area that is outside its natural
range is called a non-native or alien species. If it begins to harm its new environment, it is said to
be invasive. Invasive species have become a growing problem worldwide as global travel and trade
increase. An invasive species can be any kind of living organism an amphibian , plant, insect, fish,
fungus, bacteria, or even an organism’s seeds or eggs that is not native to an ecosystem and which
causes harm. They can harm the environment, the economy or even, human health. Hence, Species
that grow and reproduce quickly, and spread aggressively, with potential to cause harm, are given
the label of invasive. According to Hunter and Hart, (2013) the main factor that makes many
species invasive is lack of predators in their new environment.

Some examples of invasive species are as follows, the Asian carp a catchall title for species of
silver, bighead and black carp from Asia are a fast growing fish that out-compete native fish for
food and habitat. Brown marmorated stink bugs have become an increasing nuisance in homes and
the agriculture industry. Stink bug populations are expanding rapidly away from their predators.
Another examples is West Nile virus which is spread by mosquitoes infected with the virus. This
is an invasive pathogen that has caused direct harm to humans sometimes resulting in death as well
as to wildlife especially birds. It has been detected throughout most of the continental United
States. The other example is the Cogongrass. This is an Asian plant that arrived in the U.S. as seeds
in packing material. It is now spreading through the Southeast, displacing native plants. It provides
no food value for native wildlife, and increases the threat of wildfire as it burns hotter and faster
than native grasses. Feral pigs another invasive species eat almost anything, including native birds.
They compete with native wildlife for food sources such as acorns. Feral pigs spread diseases,
such as brucellosis, to people and livestock. Zebra mussels another example first came to the U.S.
from Eurasia in ship ballast water released into the Great Lakes. Since 1988, they have spread
dramatically, out-competing native species for food and habitat. Zebra mussels can attach to almost
any hard surface they clog water intake and discharge pipes, attach themselves to boat hulls and
docks, and they even attach to native mussels and crayfish. The process of invasion can be
conceptualized with reference to the naturalization invasion continuum, which posits that an alien
species needs to overcome a sequence of barriers to become naturalized or invasive. A species is
introduced from a region where it is native by means of human action via various pathways,
including both deliberate introduction and release into the wild, and unintentional introduction.
People, and the goods we use, travel around the world very quickly, and they often carry uninvited
species with them. Ships can carry aquatic organisms in their ballast water. Insects can get into
wood products, shipping palettes and crates that are shipped around the world. Some ornamental
plants can escape into the wild and become invasive. According to Dorcas, (2012), some invasive
species are intentionally or accidentally as happens sometimes with animals in zoos and game
parks or released pets when they are no longer needed for example burmese pythons are becoming
a big problem in the Everglades. Some invasive species were actually brought in as unsuccessful
attempts to control other invasive species.

Only a fraction of introduced species successfully establishes or invades in the new region.
Whether or not they succeed depends on how their biological traits equip them for dealing with
the rigors of the new environment, whether they are able to reproduce, disperse, and successfully
compete with resident biota in local communities but also on the habitat and climate match
between the native and invaded region and on the invasibility of recipient communities. Traits
contributing to the success of taxa as invasive aliens are not universal and need to be related to the
features of the invaded community, geographical conditions, and a set of external factors,
including propagule pressure. In the new region, synergistic interactions may occur among
invaders that accelerate invasions or amplify their effects on native communities.

Hybridization is an important mechanism of evolution of invasive plant species, and many

widespread successful plant invaders are recently formed allopolyploid hybrids. Escape from
natural enemies is another important mechanism leading to evolution of invasiveness and plants
introduced into an environment that lacks such enemies may experience selection toward
allocating less energy to defense and more to growth and reproduction. Enemy release is greater
in plant species adapted, in their native range, to resource-rich environments, and these species are
likely to become invaders because of their capability for fast growth. Therefore, enemy release
and resource-use efficiency act synergistically. Invasive species cause harm to wildlife in many
ways. When a new and aggressive species is introduced into an ecosystem, it might not have any
natural predators or controls. It can breed and spread quickly, taking over an area. Native
wildlife may not have evolved defenses against the invader or they cannot compete with a species
that has no predator. The direct threats of invasive species on native biodiversity include preying
on and hybridize with native species out competing native species for food or other resources
causing or carrying disease preventing native species from reproducing or killing their young.

The indirect threats of invasive species Changing food webs, Invasive species can change the food
web in an ecosystem by destroying or replacing native food sources. The invasive species may
provide little to no food value for wildlife. They decrease biodiversity, invasive species can alter
the abundance or diversity of species that are important habitat for native wildlife. Invasive Species
affects humans, they cause damage to boats, docks, power plants, and municipal water sources,
Compete with game fish, Prohibit swimming and boating. These impacts affect the delivery of
food, freshwater, and fiber, as well as water purification, pollination, natural pest control, disease
regulation, soil fertility, and nutrient and water cycling. One example is the Zebra Mussel which
accumulate toxins in their tissues such that when they prey other organisms or when preyed on the
toxins are passed up the food chain and can also enter animals consumed by humans. Economic
costs to society of harmful invasive species involve those associated with losses of biodiversity
and impaired ecosystem services, as well as the costs of controlling invasive species and reducing
and mitigating their impacts. Synergistic interactions between invasive species and other elements
of global change make it difficult to assign a rank to specific causes of biodiversity decline, but
invasions are a fundamental driver of ecosystem degradation in many parts of the world.

Invasive species are increasing in number, extent, and influence worldwide. They are both
passengers (symptoms) and drivers of change, and they interact synergistically with many other
facets of global change. In many cases they cause rapid and dramatic ecosystem degradation, loss
of biodiversity, and homogenization of regional biotas. Many other, more subtle effects also have
profound (usually negative) implications. Invasion ecology has exploded as a field of study, and
thousands of publications are generated every year on an increasingly broad range of themes. There
are marked geographical and taxonomical biases in the study of invasions and invasive species,
but there have been major advances in the understanding of invasions for most taxonomic groups
and major biomes in recent years. The harmful effects of invasive species are recognized in many
parts of the world and integrated strategies have been implemented to reduce current and future
impacts. Invasive species are a major element of global change and are contributing to biodiversity
loss, ecosystem degradation, and impairment of ecosystem services worldwide. Research is
shedding new light on the ecological and economic consequences of invasions. New approaches
are emerging for describing and evaluating impacts of invasive species, and for translating these
impacts into monetary terms. Dove, (2011) states that most invading species alter the environment
in a manner that makes it more favorable for them, but less favorable for natives, which is called
ecological facilitation.

The harmful effects of invasions are now widely recognized, and multiscale programs are in place
in many parts of the world to reduce current and future impacts. The extent of biological invasions
has increased rapidly over the past half century. Along with other drivers of ecosystem degradation
such as habitat change and exploitation, environmental pollution, climate change, and associated
effects, including the loss of keystone species, loss of pollinators and altered ecosystem
functioning biological invasions contribute to the decline of biodiversity worldwide. Invasions also
have rapidly increasing impacts in biomes that are not yet seriously affected, e.g., dryland and
forest zones.

Ecologists have reviewed exciting developments in risk assessment, pathway management, early
detection and rapid response, and mitigation and restoration. Multiple facets of global change pose
significant challenges for ecologists and conservation biologists, and new approaches are needed
for managing biodiversity. Every effort should be made to keep representative areas, such as
protected areas, free of alien species. However, in the increasingly human dominated matrix, more
pragmatic approaches will be needed. For example, management may in many cases be more
effectively directed toward building and maintaining ecosystems capable of delivering key
ecosystem services than attempting to steer degraded ecosystems back to some historic pristine,
alien-free condition, which may be futile.
REFERENCES

1. Crowl, T.A. (2008), The spread of invasive species and infectious diseases as drivers of
ecosystem change. Frontiers in Ecology and the environment.
2. Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention & Control.
http://www.minnesotawaters.org/index.php? (accessed March 22, 2019).
3. McNeely JA, Mooney HA, Neville LE, Schei P, Waage JK, eds. 2001. Global Strategy on
Invasive Alien Species. Gland, Switz. Cambridge, UK: IUCN on behalf of Glob. Invasive
Species Program.
4. Dorcas, M.E (2012). Severe mammal declines coincide with proliferation of invasive
Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park. Proceedings of the National Academy of
sciences.
5. http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/asiantigmos.shtml accessed on 22 March
2019