A massive threat to the environment and one that is not often focused on is the introduction of alien species into habitats. Invasive introduced species rank second only to habitat destruction, as the largest threats to the natural environment. Introduced species are a greater threat to native biodiversity than pollution, harvest, and disease combined. These species come into nature and hinder the balance that ecosystems have.
One of the main issues in the news today is the introduction of the Burmese python into the Southern Florida Everglades. This particular species has become a very popular pet for people in the United States and it is estimated that 5,000 now live as pets in America. However, as with other animals some people buy the python as a pet and then once the snake continues to grow they find they can no longer care for it. People living closer to Florida found their out in the complex ecosystem of the Everglades. This has led to an overpopulation of the snakes as they find homes and begin to breed out of control, creating even more snakes out in the wild. The snakes then become a danger not just to people who are living in the area, but to the other wildlife that calls the Florida Everglades their home.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) implemented a python permit program and began in July and went until October. Now the implementation has just been announced to continue, it starts again in January and will go until the end of the year 2010. Permit holders are professional snake handlers who have the permission to capture and then either euthanize these large predators at a veterinary clinic or transport them to a reptile of concern licensed recipient. Officials hope that this program will encourage others to follow suit and rid the wild of Burmese pythons in the United States. The reason this program is so important is because this particular species can endure very different temperatures and lays about 50 to 100 eggs at a time. These pythons could easily move up North as their numbers increase.
The new program was just announced on December 2, 2009. Meaning that for an entire year these snakes will be hunted to diminish their already strikingly high numbers. Introducing native species into alien habitats is a mistake of humans. The Burmese python is a gorgeous creature that is meant to be a companion to people. However, people make too quick a decision and buy these animals when they are small and then decide they are no longer able to care for them. I understand that it is not acceptable to leave these large predators in their non-native environment as they cause problems for the citizens inhabiting surrounding areas and the other species actually native to the Everglades. I agree that it is necessary to limit the numbers; however, it saddens me that such a lovely creature has to be hunted because of people’s naivety.
I definitely agree, while many non-native species can be beautiful creatures, they have the potential to wipe out entire species in a habitat if introduced into a foreign environment. Even if it is unintentional or the intentions of the introduction are not met do not matter when entire species and habitats become threatened by the introduction. Both plant and animal non-native, invasive species can have a strong and negative impact on not only specif species populations within a habitat, but also the habitat as well as its surrounding area as a whole. You might want to check out this link:http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/invspinfo.shtml. It provides a similar story of invasive plant species in Virginia specifically. The article shows how invasive plant species not only affect the the internal habitat, but also have various economic and environmental impacts for the surrounding area as well as the locality as a whole. Invasive species almost represent a double-edged sword that often does not benefit the non-native species, nor does it benefit the foreign habitat into which it is introduced.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well, but not all introductions are bad ones. Most all of the sport fish that we now fish for are invasive species. But I do agree that most of the introductions of invasive species turn out bad.
ReplyDeleteI can not agree with you more. Invasive species are terrible for habitats that are already in place. One prime example is the Chesapeake Bay and how it has really begun to go down hill over the past few years. I must agree with Aaron though also because some fish that have been introduced have been proven to help or not even effect the environment in any way.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you one hundred percent. It's a shame to see such a beautiful creature now being hunted down just because it was no longer convenient to the owner to keep it. The introduction of species almost always seems to end up negatively for the native species and the environment. There are countless examples of invasive species gone bad, from kudzo to snails in Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I knew the affect invasive species could have on the environment, I never knew that they were that great a threat to native biodiversity. I had to stop and reread the first paragraph again because I thought I had misread it.
Overall, it upsets me that these gorgeous creatures will now be hunted down. It also upsets me that Americans could be so quick to purchase these animals and then be just as quick to get them out of their hair.
As bad as the problem of invasive species is, I do not see any effective way of preventing their spread. Some invasive species have a way of stowing away as uninvited guests, the Zebra Muscle is a good example of such invasions. Since the prevention of invasive species would prove itself difficult, I think that it would be best to counteract with a self replicating agent that feeds exclusively on the invasive species like a disease or predator once you have an invasive species.
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