This past unit in Environmental Science, we have been studying invasive species! We have learned about many different invasive species and their impacts on their ecosystem.
In simple terms invasive species are species that have come to a non-native environment and have disrupted that ecosystem. They often create unnatural competition for native species or act as a predator to a native organism. They are important to understand because of the profound impact they can have on the ecological health of an area. Some species that we explored were the Burmese python, the tigerfish, kudzu vine and my personal favorite, the cane toad. Specifically looking at the cane toad, this animal has run rampant in Australia because its lack of natural predators, venom, and ability to adapt to many situations. We watched a very entertaining documentary about this problem that really discussed the complicated role the cane toad plays in not only the ecosystem, but Australia's culture. I highly recommend watching the documentary below!
We also learned about the different management techniques to control invasive species populations. There is mechanical management that involves using a machine or other contraption to eradicate the organism. Another technique is manual control in which a person will go and manually remove the organism by hand. Chemical control utilizes pesticides to kill the invasive species. Lastly, biological control refers to the use of another animal, disease or organism to control an invasive population. Each of these methods have major benefits and drawbacks that must be considered in the context of each invasive species' environment.
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