Invasive species have had devastating effects on many of the earth’s ecosystems and species. When species are introduced to a new environment, it can have negative effects on the native species and disrupt the natural balance of the ecosystem. Whether introduced by humans on purpose, accidentally, or from some other occurrence, invasive species can harm the earth and its ecosystems, and it is often discussed how to deal with them.
Invasive species are most often introduced into a foreign environment by humans. Sometimes, humans bring the species into a new environment on purpose, such as releasing pets into the wild or introducing new species to try and help with pest control. Other times, a species can travel with humans unnoticed to new ecosystems, like through boats or firewood. In many cases, these species are able to thrive in the new environment and lay waste to native species. This is because the invasive species won’t have any predators in their new environment, and are able to prey on the local wildlife and continue to reproduce without any obstructions.
Invasive species’ effects have been seen across the globe, like one of the most infamous cases in Florida. In the late 1980’s, humans inadvertently introduced an incredibly harmful invasive species to the coast of Florida. Some private aquarium owners wanted to get rid of some lionfish in their possession, a species of fish native to the South Pacific and Indian oceans. Unfortunately, releasing these fish into the new environment ravaged the local wildlife. With the lionfish’s ability to eat prey over half its size and protect itself from anything that might try to prey on it with poisonous barbs, many keystone species in the coral reefs of Florida were affected.
There have been many attempts to fix this problem, but so far, the lionfish remain prominent in many Florida coastal areas. Some people believe that they should be left alone to let nature take its course with no human involvement. Others have a more aggressive approach, saying that they need to be exterminated from their new environment. Action has been taken on this approach, and divers have been paid by the government to capture and kill this harmful species. I think that the best way to go around this is to get rid of these species as quickly as possible so they can’t further harm the ecosystem they invaded.
What do you think we should do about these invasive species?
Should humans get involved?
How should people deal with the lionfish in Florida?
Sources:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/ecosystems/impacts-invasive-lionfish
Replies
I really like this topic and I think it should have more comments. This topic has not been done this school yar so +5. You did a great job on your summary and your commenting!
I think it depends on the species on how it should be controlled. There is an invasive duck that destroys the land it lives at. The DNR has opened a special hunting season for those ducks. However, other species like fish that have no purpose for meat or other products would be harder to kill.
I think the idea of killing them all would never work. I think that humans would need to get involved because of the possibly negatives effects it can have on the ecosystems. This is an overlooked issue that could possibly lead to instinction.
I feel like humans should get involved. Humans should get involved wether it is breeding them, taking them in, or cleaning an area for them to live peacefully. I feel we should do as much as we can to save species. Once they are gone, this world will never have them again.
Though It would be interesting to see carried out, I think the option of killing them all is unlikely to ever suceed. People just aren't usually agressive enough to eliminate an entire species from one area. Instead, we should put a predator of lionfish into the coastal region of florida. If that gets out of hand, we'll just work our way up in the food chain.
I think we should remove the invasive species weather that means killing them or rehoming them. If they are affecting our food chains like the lion fish than we need to get involved. I think that humans should be involved because this is a big problem.
I think we need to remove these invasive species from anywhere they pop up. The aligatorgars were killing all the fish for so long that the government said if you fish one up that you should just leave it on the ground and make sure it dies. We should do the removing very carefully, since they could be endangered
If it was an invasive creature such as a bug I would just kill it. I do think that humans should get involved because of animals such as the lionfish. They are very aggressive and since it is doing damage to the food chain and by using their poisonous barbers on them.
I think that it's critical that we do more to help with invasive species. Personally I believe that people should get involved so that we can protect the ecosystems. I think that divers killing the lionfish is a great way to help with limiting the lionfish population.
I agree, recruiting people like divers and paying them to help get rid of and kill these invasive species is a very helpful way to ensuring the safety of the native species.
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