Title: INVASIVE SPECIES
1 INVASIVE SPECIES
- OR
- ARE THE ALIENS
- ALREADY IN YOUR BACKYARD?
2How poodles first came to North America
3What is a niche?
- What an organism does to survive using available
community resources, how it fits.
4Killifish eats mostly plant matter and is fed on
by bass
5- If two species compete for the same niche
(resources) one will lose over time. Example
flathead catfish (large fish predator) water
hyacinth (submerged plants, no light) starling (
bluebirds) purple loosestrife (wetland plants)
6What is a habitat?
- The address of an organism or where it lives.
- Examples sunfish aquatic box turtle
terrestrial cactus desert shark marine.
7HABITATS
- Habitats are often unique requiring specialized
adaptations like hydrothermal vents or arctic
fishes - Other habitats like coral reefs have high
diversity and complex interactions
8ECOSYSTEM
- A community of living organisms and their
physical and chemical environment. - Not limited by size aquarium pond - lake
river - coral reef.
9What are invasive species?
Plants or animals that invade a new habitat and
cause harm to other species spread rapidly.
Well put the swamp here
FROG PIONEERS
10Sources of Aquatic Invasives
- Ballast water/hull biofouling - crabs
- Aquarium trade - plants
- Aquaculture tropical fish species and nutria
(fur trade) - Seafood hard clam
- Bio-control Amur (Russian carp)
- Live bait - goldfish
- Canals - lamprey
- Nursery industry yellow iris
- Scientific research - oyster
11Problems
- Disrupt complex ecosystems (change food chains)
- Reduce biodiversity (fewer plants/animals)
- Degrade habitats (fewer niches)
- Transmit exotic diseases and parasites
- Estimate is 10,000 marine hitchhikers each day
- 138 billion cost to economy
1210 Rule of 100 exotics, 10 take hold, 1 becomes
invasive
Nutria and marshes
Loosestrife and wetlands
13WHERE ARE THEY FROM?
14From other regions in the U.S.
15What have we given the world?
16HOW DO THEY GET HERE?Almost all introductions
are by man.
Business Related
- Nurseries lilies (tiger lily) Norway maple
water lily - Aquarium Trade/live bait (2000sp. 30 countries)
Hydrilla/Elodea and lionfish marmata turtle
goldfish earthworms - Aquaculture/Restaurants) Atlantic salmon
Japanese oyster bull frog Codium sp.
17Global Trade
- Ballast water (11,507,000,000 gallons per year)
Japanese shore crab zebra mussel green crab
jellyfish sp. - Ship hulls and transport algae sp. tiger
mosquito zebra mussel - Intentional introductions starling Chinese
mitton crab ringneck pheasant
18Intentional
- Biological control grass carp, mongoose,
mosquito fish - Recreational fisheries enhancement/ research
organizations rainbow and brown trout, rockfish,
coho salmon, flathead catfish, Nile perch,
largemouth bass - Channels/locks/canals lamprey
19TIED TO EXTINCTIONS
20Solutions (Problematic)
- Chemical herbicides/pesticides rotenenone -
snakehead - Bio-control new introductions of species from
country of origin predators, herbivores,
disease grass carp - Genomics genetically modified (GM)
Looks like another one of those stupid
Incredible Journey things.
21Chestnut Nut Blight Endothia parasitica
- Around 1904 was introduced into the United States
from the Orient - Arrived in nursery stock in New York Bronx Zoo
late 19th century - Wiped out an estimated one-fourth of American
forests in 50 years
22Case in Point Chestnut blight 40 years and 3.5
billion trees gone
23CONCLUSIONS
- Mammals, horses to pigs to mice, at least 20
species - Birds, pigeons to parrots, 97 species
- Amphibians and reptiles, mostly Florida, 30
species - Fish, carp to trout, 138 species, mostly warm
water - Again, the cost for these animals and plants is
138 billion a year and climbing
24(No Transcript)
25Perhaps the greatest invasive is us.
Bill Hall University of Delaware Sea Grant Marine
Advisory Service