In this blog we will look at how climate relates to invasive species. The success of a species relies on its ability to adapt to its environment, and its climate. While species may face predators and competition, the largest threat to the success or failure of a species is that which nature throws at it. Whenever you see a climate shift, for instance an ice age, or a warming period, you will always see an increase in extinction rates as species that are not well adapted die off. Invasive species have several advantages over native species in terms of predators. But would this be enough to help them escape the fact that they themselves are in an alien environment that they did not evolve in? This is a question we can only speculate on, however, if we look at invasive species adaption to their new environments we can get clues. The Asian carp for example is slowly working its way towards the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are a chain of cold freshwater lakes connected making a huge diverse community. The Asian carp come from similar cold freshwater origins, so they are already well adapted to the cold climate. They may not be specifically evolved to deal with the climate here, but they come from a similar place. As such they stand a good chance of surviving here. With a lack of predators and evolution in a similar climate, the Asian carp, if they arrive seem to be set up to survive and become a new permanent resident of the great lakes community.
Sources:
http://www.glfc.org/fishmgmt/carp.php
http://www.endangeredspeciesinternational.org/overview.html
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Restoration Ecology
Restoration Ecology has to do with restoring damaged ecosystems to a healthy state. This blog will discuss how invasive species tie in with Restoration Ecology. The major issue with invasive species is that they tend to be overly successful due to a lack of natural predators. The most successful invasive species are those that adapt well, or those that manage to wipe out the competition. Arguably the largest threat to the Great Lakes, both in terms of actual size and potential threat is the Asian carp. This fish when fully grown will have few if any naturally occurring predators in the Great Lakes. The only shred of good news is that certain native fish prey on a fish called shad which apparently looks similar to Asian carp less than a year in age. (www.mlive.com) So, the Asian carp will at least have some check on their explosive growth. (Asian Carp breed in vast numbers, allowing explosive population growth) While there is no check on the adult population, the juveniles and eggs can be kept in check by maintaining a high population of predatory native fish. (which will be encouraged by a new food source) So Asian carp could in fact be kept in check in the great lakes. While its not exactly restoration of the natural ecosystem, its better than a total collapse.
While the Asian carp threat has some hope, another looming threat may prove to be as bad if not worse than Asian carp. Zebra mussels may not have the size of Asian carp, but they make up for it by reproducing faster in large numbers and choking out all other competition consuming the lowest level of the food chain. According to fi.biology.usgs.gov, the zebra mussels do in fact have a few predators, but a few species of fish and some ducks are not going to make a significant impact on the population of zebra mussels given their sheer numbers and reproductive rates. This species will probably require human intervention to prevent it from taking over our lakes.
Sources:
http://www.mlive.com/opinion/muskegon/index.ssf/2010/01/we_can_beat_asian_carp_threat.html
http://fl.biology.usgs.gov/Nonindigenous_Species/Zebra_mussel_FAQs/zebra_mussel_faqs.html
While the Asian carp threat has some hope, another looming threat may prove to be as bad if not worse than Asian carp. Zebra mussels may not have the size of Asian carp, but they make up for it by reproducing faster in large numbers and choking out all other competition consuming the lowest level of the food chain. According to fi.biology.usgs.gov, the zebra mussels do in fact have a few predators, but a few species of fish and some ducks are not going to make a significant impact on the population of zebra mussels given their sheer numbers and reproductive rates. This species will probably require human intervention to prevent it from taking over our lakes.
Sources:
http://www.mlive.com/opinion/muskegon/index.ssf/2010/01/we_can_beat_asian_carp_threat.html
http://fl.biology.usgs.gov/Nonindigenous_Species/Zebra_mussel_FAQs/zebra_mussel_faqs.html
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Food and Hunger
In today's blog I will be going over the effects of invasive species on Food and Hunger. Invasive species are not the greatest threat to the food security of humans near the great lakes as most people who live near the great lakes do not rely on fish or food directly from the lakes as a primary food source. The real threat to humans is not to food, but to commercial fishing. The invasive species would be a far greater threat if America was a third world nation without the availability of food in the united states. Fish caught from fresh water are not a major part of the American diet and this is only likely to effect fishers directly. Fresh water fish are not consumed as often as salt water fish due to high mercury levels so this will not effect the diets of Americans significantly. (abcnews.go.com) The real problem is when you look at the greater effects of invasive species.
Invasive species can wipe out entire ecosystems if left unchecked, and the Great Lakes have their share of invasive species that threaten their stability. Asian Carp, Sea Lamprey, Zebra Mussels, and a wide range of other invasive species threaten our lakes. These invasive species consume phytoplankton which is the basis of the aquatic food chain. Animals like the Asian Carp can consume 10 percent of their body weight a day (livescience.com) and breed at alarming rates. With few if any predators limiting their explosive growth, Asian Carp are a significant threat to the Great Lakes. Wiping out the base of a food chain can cause a collapse leading to mass extinction, potentially taking out entire ecosystems. If this happens in the Great Lakes, it would expand outward from the lakes to the terrestrial animals that depend on freshwater for food. Few terrestrial animals if any rely on the great lakes as a major dietary component, so it is unlikely that many terrestrial animals would go extinct, however it could shift diets of animals and force them to adapt in unpredictable ways.
To conclude this blog, invasive species in the Great Lakes are not likely to effect the human food supply significantly. Rather, they are a threat to the native species in the Great Lakes, and terrestrial species that rely on food from the Great Lakes. The threat to humans is an economic threat rather than a threat of starvation.
http://www.livescience.com/8364-asian-carp-fearsome.html
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/mercury-found-fish-streams-country/story?id=8369324
Invasive species can wipe out entire ecosystems if left unchecked, and the Great Lakes have their share of invasive species that threaten their stability. Asian Carp, Sea Lamprey, Zebra Mussels, and a wide range of other invasive species threaten our lakes. These invasive species consume phytoplankton which is the basis of the aquatic food chain. Animals like the Asian Carp can consume 10 percent of their body weight a day (livescience.com) and breed at alarming rates. With few if any predators limiting their explosive growth, Asian Carp are a significant threat to the Great Lakes. Wiping out the base of a food chain can cause a collapse leading to mass extinction, potentially taking out entire ecosystems. If this happens in the Great Lakes, it would expand outward from the lakes to the terrestrial animals that depend on freshwater for food. Few terrestrial animals if any rely on the great lakes as a major dietary component, so it is unlikely that many terrestrial animals would go extinct, however it could shift diets of animals and force them to adapt in unpredictable ways.
To conclude this blog, invasive species in the Great Lakes are not likely to effect the human food supply significantly. Rather, they are a threat to the native species in the Great Lakes, and terrestrial species that rely on food from the Great Lakes. The threat to humans is an economic threat rather than a threat of starvation.
http://www.livescience.com/8364-asian-carp-fearsome.html
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/mercury-found-fish-streams-country/story?id=8369324
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