Invasive Species

Question 1

What is an invasive species?

Answer 1

A species that adversely affects the environment’s they’re a part of. Often used synonymously with non-native/introduced, but can also be native, eg. Canada goose in southern Ontario

Question 2

How do invasive species disrupt the environments they enter?

Answer 2

• compete with native species for limited resources (more often exploitation than interference)
• prey on or parasitize
• explosive pop. growth in absence of natural predators (natural enemy release)

Question 3

What kind of strategies can be used to combat the effects of invasive species?

Question 4

How do invasive species spread?

Answer 4

• Stowaways in shipments (e.g. Guam’s Brown Tree Brown Tree Snakes)
• Stray seeds in grain shipments
• Fungal spores in wood
• Organisms in fruit and vegetable produce
• Careless treatment of live bait (e.g. Rusty Crayfish)
• Escapes from gardens/open-concept farms (feral pigs in Florida)
• Ship ballast: soil (older method) or water (modern)
• Removal of barriers (lamprey eels through the Welland Canal around Niagara)