Invasive species

Invasive species are species that are not local or native to a specific area but keep spreading quickly in an aggressive manner in the new habitat they arrive in. They reproduce fast, and their numbers get uncontrollably high. They are harmful and can cause huge economic and environmental harm to the new area. This sudden invasion of a strange organism in an ecosystem becomes troublesome to the native species of the area due to their different characteristics, and thus they are devastating to the native species. These invasive species have devastating effects on the entire wildlife. They can be said to be threats to the local species. Thus, they become harmful to the ecosystem.

Invasive species meaning:

Invasive species are also known with different other names like alien species, non-native species, non-regional species or exotic species. Most often they are considered harmful to the area they arrive in. These intruder organisms alternate habitats, cause loss of biodiversity and take the native species to extinction. However, we cannot say that all non-regional organisms are invasive in nature. For example, in the United States, different varieties of food crops are grown together like cereal crops and vegetables such as tomatoes, but none of them cause harmful effects to any other.

Features of invasive species:

Invasive species have certain traits:

• They are adaptable in nature, and so they adjust in any area.
• They spread quickly as they reproduce fast.
• They can be in any form like animals, plants, creatures, birds, insects, etc.
• They are aggressive in nature, and they harm their new area, economy, or the native plants and animals of the new area.

Introduction of invasive species:

There are two ways of introducing invasive species to the new area: (a) many invasive species accidentally enter a new area (b) many invasive species are brought to a new area intentionally for a purpose.

1. Zebra mussels are a good example of invasive species. They are originally from the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea but somehow arrived at the Great Lakes in North America. In today’s scenario, we find a number of zebra mussels in the Great Lakes where they have emerged as a threat to the native species of the region.
2. Sometimes, some types of species are brought to a new area for a specific purpose. Specifically, they are brought as pets or decorative displays. We can take examples of different popular breeds of dogs that are imported from other regions to be tamed as pets. They are introduced to other regions in the form of pest control; however, since they reproduce quickly, they soon become invasive.

Invasive species examples:

1. European green crabs: They are one of the invasive species harming their new residence, San Francisco. They compete with the native species of the region for food and other resources. They have also harmed the commercial fisheries there as they eat a huge amount of shellfish.
2. Conograss: It is a famous grass from the largest continent of Asia. It has arrived in the United States in the form of seeds in packing material. Now it is spreading quickly throughout the Southeast of the United States. The new area is not benefited by its arrival as it has no food value for wildlife there. Instead, it has entered like a threat as it burns more quickly than any other regional grass and causes a hotter climate.
3. Feral pigs: They are also invasive to their new region. They compete with the local inhabitants for food. They can eat almost anything. They also spread diseases like brucellosis to people.

Some other examples of invasive species are zebra mussels, invasive carp, water hyacinth, brown marmorated stink bug, lionfish, etc.

Conclusion

Invasive species are not regional species but adapt to a new area quickly. Their suitability to the new area makes them highly competent to give a tough competition to the native species for food and shelter. They multiply quickly and thus become dominant in their new area, due to which the native species also become prey to the invasive species, which leads them even to extinction. Thus, invasive species are causing harm to the ecosystem and are one of the primary causes for biodiversity loss. However, sometimes invasive species are also beneficial in some cases, so they are also introduced to a region for fulfilling a special purpose.