Biodiversity of Alabama: Invasive Species

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Biodiversity of AlabamaInvasive Species
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Invasive Species

• Definition non-native species that are brought
  into an area and then displace native species
• Also called exotics, alien species or introduced
  species
• Do not have natural predators or competitors

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68. Privet

• Introduced as a hedgerow
• Spread by birds that eat the fruits
• Outcompetes native shrubs and trees

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69. Kudzu

• Fast-growing climbing vine from Asia
• Introduced to control erosion
• Smothers native plants

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70. Cogongrass

• Introduced from Japan, accidentally and
  intentionally
• Reasons it is a problem
• Fire hazard
• Destroys native habitats
• Livestock cant eat it

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71. Mosquito Fish

• Small fish with bulbous body
• An invasive species that was brought here to eat
  mosquito larvae that live in water

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72. European Starling

• Released into New York City in the late1800s by a
  man who wanted to introduce to the U.S. all of
  the birds mentioned in Shakespeare
• Now widespread across North America
• Outcompetes many native birds for nest holes

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73. House Sparrow

• European species, now found worldwide
• Aggressively outcompetes native cavity-nesting
  birds
• French fry birds thrive near humans

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74. Asiatic Clam

• Introduced from Asia
• Very common in Cahaba River where they take over
  native clam species

Sandbar covered with clam shells
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75. Japanese Honeysuckle

• Grows as a vine and chokes out native plants
• Can survive year-round giving it an advantage
  over some plants
• Few natural enemies
•  

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76. Hydrilla

• Clogs waterways, restricting recreation
• kills other aquatic life by blocking sunlight and
  using oxygen
• promotes mosquito breeding

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77. Chestnut Blight

• Chestnut once comprised one-fourth to one-half of
  eastern U.S. forests, and was prized for its
  durable wood, and as a food for humans, livestock
  and wildlife. Today, only stump sprouts from
  killed trees remain.
• Chestnut blight is a disease caused by a fungus
  that infects the tree

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78. Wild Boar

• Sus scrofa
• Probably introduced by European settlers
  originally, although subsequent releases of
  European feral swine" and illegal trap and
  transplant operations by hunting enthusiasts have
  encouraged their hybridization and spread. 
• Considered a direct and aggressive competitor
  with native wildlife and destroyer of natural
  plant communities of the state. 
• Every opportunity for eradication should be
  undertaken.

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• 79. Fire Ants

• The RIFA was accidentally introduced into the
  United States aboard a South American cargo ship
  that docked at the port of Mobile, Alabama, in
  the 1930s, and came to infest the majority of the
  Southern and Southwestern United States.