APES Unit 9 Invasive Species

different species classifications

-Native

-Non-native

-Invasive

-Indicator

-Keystone

-Foundation

intentional invasive species

-as gifts (kudzu)

-to grow food crops

-to control "pests" (cane toad)

-pet owners can't handle their pet (Burmese python; snakehead fish)

accidental invasive species

-ship's ballast water (zebra mussel)

-seeds or eggs stuck in the treads of shoes or tires

-hitchhikers on socks, clothing, or shipping crates (stink bug)

-as packing material

how do populations become invasive?

-non-native

-no known predator (in the new area)

-reproduce rapidly (r-selected)

-outcompete the native species

-often have a generalist niche

-have large ranges of tolerance for abiotic conditions

-disrupt food web by over consuming certain species

-damage the ecosystem

kudzu

introduced to the U.S., in 1876, as a gift from the Japanese

zebra mussles

-first found in the great lakes

-native to Eastern Europe

-likely arrived in ballast water of large tanker ships, or attached to bottom of boats.

burmese python

owners couldnt handle, invasive in everglades

argentine tengus

pet owners cant handle

yellow crazy ant

protect scale insects which affects plants and allows ants to devastate land crabs

stink bugs

hitch hikers on packing crated from PA

asiatic stiltgrass

was used as packing material to cushion china.

cane toads

australian government introduced cane toads in 1935 to eat sugar cane grubs.

indicator species

an organism whose presence, absence, or abundance in an ecosystem reflects specific environmental conditions

keystone species

a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.

foundation species

a species that forms the basic, structural foundation of an ecosystem, creating the habitat for many other species