The aliens are in the U.S!
No, not aliens from outer space! Aliens from our planet!I’m talking about alien species! Alien species are also known as invasive species.
What are invasive species?
Invasive species are nonnative organisms that are introduced into a nonnative habitat by humans.(Note: Not all nonnative species are invasive. In order for a nonnative species to be considered invasive, they have to damage the ecology1). They destabilize food webs, and compete with native predators for food, shelter, and other natural resources. There are over 6,500 invasive species in the U.S according to the U.S Geological Survey.2 But according to the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service there are about 4,300 invasive species and there are approximately 50,000 nonnative species(numbers vary widely).3
What are some invasive species?
One example of an invasive species is the Burmese python. Native to Southeast Asia, the python has been introduced into Everglades National Park in Florida. The python competes with native predators for food and destabilized the food web completely. 2,000 pythons have been removed from the Everglades but this is only a fraction of the population. Currently detector dogs are being used to track down the pythons.4
The beautiful Indo-Pacific lionfish has a devastating role in the Atlantic Ocean...5
1 "FAQs Invasive Species U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service." 2008. 16 Jul. 2015 <http://www.fws.gov/invasives/faq.html>
2 "U.S. Geological Survey: Invasive Species Program USGS." 2012. 16 Jul. 2015 <http://www.usgs.gov/ecosystems/invasive_species/>
3 "FAQs Invasive Species U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service." 2008. 16 Jul. 2015 <http://www.fws.gov/invasives/faq.html>
4 "Burmese Pythons Everglades National Park (U.S. National ..." 2015. 16 Jul. 2015 <http://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/burmesepythonsintro.htm>
5 "The Lionfish Invasion Florida Department of Environmental ..." 2015. 16 Jul. 2015 <http://www.dep.state.fl.us/COASTAL/news/articles/2010/1002_Lionfish.htm>
No, not aliens from outer space! Aliens from our planet!I’m talking about alien species! Alien species are also known as invasive species.
What are invasive species?
Invasive species are nonnative organisms that are introduced into a nonnative habitat by humans.(Note: Not all nonnative species are invasive. In order for a nonnative species to be considered invasive, they have to damage the ecology1). They destabilize food webs, and compete with native predators for food, shelter, and other natural resources. There are over 6,500 invasive species in the U.S according to the U.S Geological Survey.2 But according to the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service there are about 4,300 invasive species and there are approximately 50,000 nonnative species(numbers vary widely).3
What are some invasive species?
One example of an invasive species is the Burmese python. Native to Southeast Asia, the python has been introduced into Everglades National Park in Florida. The python competes with native predators for food and destabilized the food web completely. 2,000 pythons have been removed from the Everglades but this is only a fraction of the population. Currently detector dogs are being used to track down the pythons.4
The beautiful Indo-Pacific lionfish has a devastating role in the Atlantic Ocean...5
1 "FAQs Invasive Species U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service." 2008. 16 Jul. 2015 <http://www.fws.gov/invasives/faq.html>
2 "U.S. Geological Survey: Invasive Species Program USGS." 2012. 16 Jul. 2015 <http://www.usgs.gov/ecosystems/invasive_species/>
3 "FAQs Invasive Species U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service." 2008. 16 Jul. 2015 <http://www.fws.gov/invasives/faq.html>
4 "Burmese Pythons Everglades National Park (U.S. National ..." 2015. 16 Jul. 2015 <http://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/burmesepythonsintro.htm>
5 "The Lionfish Invasion Florida Department of Environmental ..." 2015. 16 Jul. 2015 <http://www.dep.state.fl.us/COASTAL/news/articles/2010/1002_Lionfish.htm>
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