I feel as if I have fallen into a routine with my life, and I haven't really taken the time to think about the consequences that my actions, and other's actions, may have on the planet. No this post will not be all about how everyone should go green to save the environment. But I do hope that it may just enlighten you on how introducing non-native species into an environment can really harm it.
In biology class these past two weeks we have been discussing ecosystem structures, and different population dynamics. Many ecosystems survive on a delicate balance between all organisms. Apart from a natural disaster, the introduction of a non-native species is one of the fastest ways to completely mess up an entire ecosystem.
An ecosystem is made up of many communities, which are groups of populations, which in turn are groups of organisms... Did you get that? In simple terms, an ecosystem is made up of many organisms. When a new, non-native, species is introduced to an ecosystem competition begins. competition in an ecosystem determines an organisms place in that environment. Non-native species create competition for the native species in terms of survival. Competition is natural in an environment, but the competition of a non-native species may be too much for the other organisms to handle. Soon, because of the new competition, a non-native species can completely wipe out a native species.
For example, take a look at this wetland ecosystem diagram to the right. Lets say I added another large fish to the equation, that was non-native to this wetland. This new large fish would begin eating the smaller fish, increasing the competition for food between the native species and the non-native species. The population of the small fish will quickly drop, which in turn would affect the population of the plankton that live in the wetland. With the threat of the small fish gone, the plankton population would increase rapidly. The new non-native large fish would also make the population of the native large fish dwindle as well because of the competition for food. Altogether the addition of this large fish would send a balanced ecosystem into chaos. Photo credit: http://www.goldridge08.com/foodchain.htm
This video shows a real life example of how a non-native species had effected an environment. Non-native species are introduced to environments with the aid of humans, who don't realize the consequences that their actions have on the entire ecosystem.
I hope that after this blog post we can all be more conscious about how the things we do can really harm the environment.
For now
Yours truly,
The AP Bio Student
Invasive species are so tricky to deal with. Once a few make it over they reproduce and it becomes much more difficult to get rid of them. It's such a shame. Plus it's tough to keep track of where they came from. :/
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about how quickly an invasive species can become a problem! I definatly agree about how it is difficult to keep track of where they came from, and most of the time we find out too late :/
DeleteVery informative post. Invasive species often are misrepresented and only certain species are looked at. We put much of our efforts into the Asian carp species (as we should), but there are numerous plant species in this area that often are ignored (except by those who are actively fighting to remove them).
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