In the environment, there occurs various activities that result in the interplay of the different environmental factors. As a result, certain species may migrate and settle into new areas or surroundings in a bid to meet basic needs. The introduction of new species in a new environment may result in specific outcomes, depending on the kind of influence the new species has on that environment. A new species may have either positive implications for an environment, negatives ones, or both simultaneously. In the event a new species is introduced into a new environment, and it causes harmful/negative consequences, then such an alien species is termed as invasive species (Simberloff, 2013). Invasive species, as a result of their presence in a new environment, can cause detrimental implications on the environment, thus adverse effects on the economy as well as human health and well-being. This report aims to demonstrate the findings on the various negative implications of invasive species on the environment and its components.
Invasive species have negative or adverse implications on the environment, which are attributed to the changes caused by the invasive species. One of the negative implications of invasive species is that some displace and eventually replace original inhibitors of the environment such invasive species are introduced into. When original species are eliminated from their environment due to the entry of invasive species into the environment, adverse effects occur due to the disruption of typical processes. For instance, in an environment where animals and plants have a symbiotic relationship, introducing an invasive species that cannot maintain the same relationship causes a negative implication on the environment. For example, plants use the carbon (iv) oxide produced by animals and in turn give off oxygen, which animals need, replacing animals with plants introduces an invasive species as the process of air purification in exchange for Carbon (IV) Oxide is disrupted. This may result in the death of other living organisms that depends on the interplay between animals and plants, thus negatively influencing environmental factors.
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Among the other impacts, invasive species have on the environment is the deterioration of the normal predator-prey relationship, in the event, the invasive species becomes the prey. Invasive species encounter predators that have not evolved with them, thus are unable to benefit from such preys. For instance, invasive species with defense mechanisms such as camouflage or poison may disrupt the normal predator-prey relationship, leading to increase in numbers for the invasive species while the predators decrease in number. An increase in the number of prey/invasive species may cause a strain on the environmental resources consumed by the invasive species thus having detrimental implications on those environmental resources.
An example of the negative implication of invasive species on the environment is that of the invasive species, fungi.
Fungi that are known to be invasive in the U.S, which come from regions whose native trees are resistant, cause detrimental environmental impacts on the environment. This is because the invasive fungi decimate trees in the United States since such trees have no defense mechanism against such invasive species. An example of such invasive species is the chestnut bark disease or chestnut blight, which results from the introduction of the invasive species, fungus, known as Cryphonectria parasitica. The fungus negatively impacts the environment by killing the trees which they invade since they enter wounds grow in and under the bar, thus eventually killing the cambium present in twigs, branches or the trunk, eventually causing the tree to die due to the inhibition of secondary growth (Anagnostakis, 2000). Figure one below shows the detrimental impact of Cryphonectria parasitica, which eventually causes inhibition of growth, thus stunted tree growth and even death eventually.
Figure 1: An American chestnut stem with a chestnut blight canker (Anagnostakis, 2000)
Invasive species also can make use of resources in a new environment that the original species of the environment did not previously use, which may bring about the dominance of the invasive species. Even if native species in an environment that has seen the introduction of invasive species did use a certain resource that the invasive species also use, it results in competition for the resource. Increased competition may result in draining of/or depletion of the resource, which has a ripple effect on both the dependent species and the environment.
Similarly, invasive species that make use of resources that native species do not use have negative implications on the environment such as exploitation of certain resources such as space/land (Crowl et al., 2008). An example is demonstrated by the introduction of the invasive species, barbed goatgrass, which thrives in the serpentine soils of western America since native plants do not grow in the soil. This has led to the barbed goatgrass spreading across landmasses in California, which brings waste to lands that could otherwise be used for more constructive activities since grazing animals in the region do not even consume the invasive species, barbed goatgrass.
Figure 2: Barbed Goatgrass Spreading Across Landmasses in California (Crowl et al., 2008)
In addition to negatively influencing the environment directly, invasive species also can cause changes in the new environment that favor their existence as opposed to that of native species. This can result in the depletion through death or disease of the native species, which may result in a detrimental effect on the environment. Similarly, by merely altering the environmental factors to favor their survival, invasive species as opposed to native species, also known as ecological facilitation, can have negative implications on the environment (Crowl et al., 2008). An example of the implication of invasive species can be demonstrated through the observations on the west coast. The introduction of starthistle an invasive species to the west cause has caused its increase and decrease of the regions native species since it secretes hydroxyquinoline which harms the native plants.
Invasive species cause a loss of habitat for other species living in the new environment that they are introduced into, thus causing negative implications on the environment. Environmental sustainability is typically dependent on certain forms of interplay between environmental factors, as well as different species. In the event invasive species destroy the various forms of interplay between environmental factors on the species living with a certain ecosystem, then defense systems are lost, allowing the invasive species to thrive (Clayton, 2015). For instance, introducing invasive species that can multiply two numbers that negatively affect the environment through depletion of resources, as well as overpopulating the new environment.
Biodiversity is among the environmental element that ensures sustainability in the event of the interplay between various environmental factors, as well as different species living in an environment.
Through biodiversity, ecosystems can generate and provide resources such as water, fuel, and other essential resources that support the life of the organism in an environment (Powell, 2013). However, in the event invasive species are introduced to such an environment, they disrupt the normal functioning of such an ecosystem, which disrupts functions such as the production of food. This negatively influences not only the environment since it causes depletion of the available resources, but also a living organism that depend on the functions of the ecosystem. Therefore invasive species cause negative implications of the ecosystem such as lack of food, thus their impact on the environment.
Conclusion
Based on the influence invasive species have on the factors of the environment as well as species living in an environment, detrimental effects develop as a result. Impacts of invasive species such as environmental degradation, alteration, as well as resource depletion are attributed to the changes brought about by the alien species, which require proper attention for reducing the adverse implications. For instance, in the event it has been established that a certain species acts like an invasive species in a certain environment, research should be done to establish a solution that has few to no implications on the environment. Therefore, the old age act of introducing invasive species should be done in a controlled manner in a bid to prevent their adverse effects on the environment.
References
Anagnostakis, S. L. (2000). Revitalization of the majestic chestnut: chestnut blight disease. Online (www. apsnet. org). APSnet Feature, The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN. 9p .
Clayton, T., & Radcliffe, N. (2015). Sustainability: a systems approach . Routledge.
Crowl, T. A., Crist, T. O., Parmenter, R. R., Belovsky, G., & Lugo, A. E. (2008). The spread of invasive species and infectious disease as drivers of ecosystem change. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment , 6 (5), 238-246.
Powell, K. I. (2013). The effects of invasive plants on biodiversity across spatial scales . Saint Louis, Mo: Washington University.
Simberloff, D. (2013). Invasive species: What everyone needs to know .
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Biodiversity is essential for the functioning of the ecosystems that provide vital resources such as food, water, fuel, building material and traditional medicines for millions of people. Invasive species pose a serious risk: by altering and degrading the environment, they have a negative effect on both native species and the people who live and work there.
