incoming! the world’s 10 worst invasive species. kudzu origin – japan & southeast china ...
TRANSCRIPT
KUDZU
ORIGIN – Japan & Southeast China New Location(s) – Southern USA;
New Jersey; Oregon How it introduced - At the
Philadelphia Centennial Expo of 1876 as a fast-growing ground cover
How it harmful - The vine is very fast-growing and overgrows, taking over native plant species
Rabbits
Origin – Europe New Location – Australia How it was introduced – Thomas
Austin, in 1859, released 24 rabbits in Australia
How it is harmful – They destroy native plants; cause soil erosion; damage the food chains
Starlings Origin – Europe New Location – All over the USA How it was introduced - In 1890,
Eugene Schieffelin released 60 starlings in Central Park
How it is harmful – Decrease the numbers of native birds; $800 Million in agricultural losses; cause of deadly plane crashes
Burmese Python
Origin – Asia New Location – Florida Everglades How it was introduced – People
released pets they no longer wanted into the areas surrounding the glades
How it is harmful – It has few predators so its numbers are not kept in check; it eats endangered species; disrupts the food chains
Cane Toads
Origin – America (Texas) New Location – Queensland, Australia How it was introduced – Purposely
released to control the population of beetles in sugar cane plantations
How it is harmful – Has toxins which kill would-be predators; eats native species reducing their numbers
Snakehead Fish Origin – East Asia & Africa New Location – Leeds, England How introduced – By fisheries How harmful – They devour anything
they can find; they can crawl on the ground & survive for 4 days breathing air
Eastern Grey Squirrel
Origin – North America New Location – Great Britain How it was introduced – Deliberately
introduced in the 19th century; the releasers were curious about grey squirrels
How it is harmful – Grey squirrels compete more successfully then the native Red Squirrels; grey squirrels also carry a virus that infects the red squirrels
Killer Bees (Africanized Honey Bees)
Origin – Sao Paulo, Brazil
New Locations- New Orleans, Southern Utah, throughout South America
How it was introduced – In 1957, 26 Tanzanian queen bees were accidentally released by a beekeeper and mated with honey bees
How it is harmful – The hybrid bees are VERY aggressive bees
Asian Carp Origin – China New Locations - Midwestern USA; along
the Mississippi River Imported to clear the algae from catfish
ponds in the Southern USA. Flooding allowed the carp to spread to the Mississippi River then to other locations
How harmful – Detrimental to the environment; Uproot natural vegetation