Transcript Slide 1

…or is it
unwanted???
New York State
Invasive Species
disrupt native
ecosystems
Here are New
York’s top 5 least
wanted!
Invasive species are non-native plants and
animals that adversely affect the natural
ecosystems in the places they invade, and often
affect human populations as well. Invasives are
great competitors and have few, if any, natural
predators in their new-found homes. They take
over with ease, making the struggle to survive
that much more difficult for native species.
These characteristics make it easy for invasive
species to quickly become the dominant species
while crowding out native species. Loss of
biological diversity due to invasive species is a
serious threat to natural ecosystems.
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4
Tie-
3
Tie-
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Emerald ash borer
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Many species of animals and plants in New York
State originated elsewhere. Some are harmless,
some are beneficial, and some are real
troublemakers. Some of the invasive species in our
state are widely distributed, while others are
concentrated in distinct areas. No place is immune
from invasive species, from wilderness to the hearts
of our largest cities. As we import and export goods,
and as we travel, people are major players in the
spread of invasives. Whether intentional or
accidental, we import living plants and animals,
potential invasives. When we export, our native
plants and animals may become invasives in other
lands.
Organism Details: Zebra mussel
Zebra mussels and a related species, the Quagga mussel, are small, fingernail-sized
animals that attach to solid surfaces in water. Adults are 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches long and
have D-shaped shells with alternating yellow and brownish colored stripes. Female
zebra mussels can produce 100,000- 500,000 eggs per year. They are native to Eastern
Europe and Western Russia and were brought over to the Great Lakes in ballast water
of freighters. Populations of zebra mussels were discovered in the Great Lakes about
1988.
Zebra mussels can cause problems for lakeshore residents and recreationists.
Homeowners that take lake water to water lawns can have their intakes clogged.
Mussels may attach to motors and possibly clog cooling water areas. Shells can cause
cuts and scrapes if they grow large enough on rocks, swim rafts and ladders. Anglers
may lose tackle as the shells can cut fishing line. Zebra mussels can also attach to
native mussels, killing them. Zebra mussels filter plankton from the surrounding water.
This filtering can increase water clarity, which might cause more aquatic vegetation to
grow at deeper depths and more dense stands. If a lake has high numbers of mussels
over large areas, this filter feeding could impact the food chain, reducing food for
larval fish.
Organism Details: Purple loosestrife
Purple loosestrife is a very hardy perennial which can
rapidly degrade wetlands, diminishing their value for
wildlife habitat. Wetlands are the most biologically
diverse, productive component of our ecosystem.
Hundreds of species of plants, birds, mammals, reptiles,
insects, fish and amphibians rely on healthy wetland
habitat for their survival.
However, when purple loosestrife gets a foothold, the
habitat where fish and wildlife feed, seek shelter,
reproduce and rear young, quickly becomes choked
under a sea of purple flowers. Areas where wild rice
grows and is harvested, and where fish spawn, are
degraded.
Organism Details: Round goby
The species was accidentally introduced into the North American Great Lakes by way of ballast
water transfer in cargo ships. First discovered in North America in the St. Clair River in 1990, the
round goby is considered an invasive species with significant ecological and economic impact;
the consequences are quite complex as the fish both competes with native species and provides
an abundant source of food for them while consuming other invasive species. In other words,
the round goby behaves much like most biological invasive controls. An aggressive fish, the
round goby outcompetes native species such as the sculpin and log perch for food (such as
snails and mussels), shelter and nesting sites, substantially reducing their numbers. Round
gobies are also voracious predators of eggs of native fish, many important to the angling
industry. The goby's robust ability to survive in degraded environmental conditions has helped
to increase its competitive advantage compared to native species. Many native predatory fish
such as smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, salmon and trout have begun to prey on
round gobies. These game fish feed so heavily on the abundant gobies that a bait company,
called Culprit, has created a soft plastic bait called the "Great Lakes Goby" to exploit this
behavior. The incorporation of the round goby into native food webs, coupled with the goby's
ability to consume large numbers of invasive mussels (zebra and quagga), may result in greater
bioaccumulation of toxins such as PCBs higher in the food chain, since these mussels filter-feed
and are known to accumulate persistent contaminants. However, this is partly beneficial
because even though they do not reduce the population of zebra mussels, they do control their
population. Hence, it prevents a large scale spread of the zebra mussel, which is also an invasive
species in the Great Lakes.
Organism Details: Japanese beetle
The Japanese beetle is a highly destructive plant pest that can be very
difficult and expensive to control. Feeding on grass roots, Japanese
beetle grubs damage lawns, golf courses, and pastures. Japanese beetle
adults attack the foliage, flowers, or fruits of more than 300 different
ornamental and agricultural plants.
Japanese beetles were first found in the United States in 1916 near
Riverton, New Jersey. Since then Japanese beetles have spread
throughout most states that lie east of the Mississippi River. However,
partial infestations also occur west of the Mississippi River in states such
as Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Usually
infestations in states west of the Mississippi River are eradicated before
the Japanese beetle becomes established.
Organism Details: Emerald ash borer
The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) was first discovered in the
U.S. in 2002 in southeastern Michigan. It was also found in Windsor,
Ontario the same year. This Asian beetle infests and kills North American
ash species (Fraxinus sp.) including green, white, black and blue ash.
Thus, all native ash trees are susceptible. Adult beetles leave distinctive
D-shaped exit holes in the outer bark of the branches and the trunk.
Adults are roughly 3/8 to 5/8 inch long with metallic green wing covers
and a coppery red or purple abdomen. They may be present from late
May through early September but are most common in June and July.
Signs of infection include tree canopy dieback, yellowing, and browning
of leaves.
Most trees die within 2 to 4 years of becoming infested. The emerald
ash borer is responsible for the destruction of over 50 million ash trees
in the U.S. since its discovery in Michigan.
Organism Details: Sea lamprey
In their natural habitat, sea lamprey - like salmon and alewives - are
ocean fish that spawn in fresh water. But some sea lamprey have always
inhabited Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, which are open to
the Atlantic Ocean. In 1921, lampreys appeared in Lake Erie for the first
time, arriving via the Welland Canal. From there, they rapidly colonized
all of the upper Great Lakes, with especially large infestations
developing in Lakes Michigan and Huron.
The sea lamprey is an aggressive parasite - equipped with a tooth-filled
mouth that flares open at the end of its eel-like body.
When attacking, the lamprey fastens onto its prey and rasps out a hole
with its rough tongue.
An anticoagulant in the lamprey's saliva keeps the wound open for
hours or weeks, until the lamprey is satiated or the host fish dies.