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The ugly side of spring: invasive species
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Invasive species Kudzu
Everyone loves Spring. Flowers are blooming, the weather is warming, making for great nature hikes and beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, a lot of the flowers in bloom are actually invasive species, which have virtually extinguished native wildflowers from some areas. Invasive species are defined as plants, animals, fungi, or microorganisms that spread rapidly and cause harm to other species, communities, or entire ecosystems.
We’ve heard of butterfly colonies having to move farther up in altitude and latitude to live because of the warming temperatures, and warm-water sea creatures are moving toward waters that once were too cold for them to thrive. All of these movements alter ecosystems. Trophic levels change, prey animals have to adapt to new predators, predators have to get used to different prey. None of these things happen overnight and species are becoming endangered because of altered habitats.
These changes aren’t limited to animals. Plants are feeling the heat (pardon the pun) just as much. Native plants are being dominated by non-native plants which are spreading to areas that better fit their needs. Birds help in dispersion and pollination of plants; as migration patterns change and bird habitats change, these seeds the birds are eating are moving where the birds are moving, causing plants to grow where they once did not. Restoration ecology is becoming a popular field of study now because of this climate change effect.
Yes, these plants are pretty. Yes, it might be nice having more animals in some areas where they didn’t used to be. The fact is, however, that we need to look past this deceptive exterior and realize the cause of it isn’t so pretty.
Fun fact time! The top five worst invasive animal species worldwide, considering their impact on native ecology are:
5. Feral Pigs
4. Rats (native to India)
3. Zebra Mussels
2. Cane Toad
1. European Rabbit (yes, little bunny rabbits are blamed for their part in the extinction of almost an eighth of mammal species in Australia.)
And the top invasive plant species:
5. Japanese Knotweed
4. Water Hyacinth
3. Cheatgrass
2. Kudzu
1. Hottentot Fig
These lists are reported on environmentalgraffiti.com and may not reflect every ecologist's expert opinion.
