Invasive Species In Canada
Invasive Species
The invasion of non-native species is one of the United Nation’s top five environmental concerns; however the term invasive species is one which many people do not fully understand. It is a term used in the media, by governments and ecologists, to indicate to the public that a new species has entered an area, and usually very little is said afterwards, however many people do not realise the severity and long term effects of invasive species in their area and worldwide. Unfortunately this attitude is what makes the problem worse. In Canada alone there are hundreds of known invasive species including insects, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, aquatic and terrestrial plants, marine and freshwater fish, algae, fungi, and molluscs. Many species are able to incorporate into the existing environment without harming it; however there has been an increasing number of invasive species that cause uncontrollable damage to local ecosystems. Some better known examples this type of invasive species in Canada include the emerald ash borer, zebra mussels, sea lamprey and purple loosestrife. …show more content…
The introduction of invasive species is a direct result of human activities.
In earlier times some species, such as the rainbow and brown trout and chinook salmon were intentionally released to improve local fishing conditions. Other species were intentionally released to combat more threatening species, and were transported accidently, or escaped and spread to other areas. Nevertheless the single largest contributor to the introduction of invasive species has been by international cargo ships, which carry up to 20,000 tonnes of ballast water used to stabilize the ship, especially on rough water. These ships empty and re-fill their ballast tanks at their destination releasing hundreds of aquatic species from its originating
point.
Invasive species generally share common characteristics which can make them difficult to control and contain. These characteristics include high rates of reproduction, fewer or no natural predators, parasites or pathogens and the ability to adjust to new different environments. This problem is further worsened by the public who are unaware that they are spreading these species at an accelerated rate.
Once firmly established an invasive species can permanently disrupt an ecosystem’s biological integrity. The Zebra Mussel, for example an invasive species that is most well known in Ontario for invading the Great Lake region. Since its discovery in Lake St. Clair in 1988, located east of Detroit, Michigan, along the USA/Canadian border, they have spread throughout the Great Lakes and across Ontario, Quebec, as far west as Kansas State and down to the Gulf of Mexico along the Mississippi River. The mussels are small, finger nail sized, D-Shaped, striped mussels originating from Asia. They grow in clusters, attaching themselves to any hard surface, including water intake pipes, existing hard shelled species, such as clams or crayfish, and ships. Small buoys have been known to sink under the weight of layers of zebra mussels, causing much hardship.
Zebra Mussels have an even more devastating impact on the ecosystem to which they have been introduced. They are efficient filter feeders that can filter up to a litre of water a day. Through this process they remove much of the phytoplankton from the water and clear murky water, and remove contaminates. As phytoplankton is the base of many aquatic food chains, the effect of their presence negatively affects all subsequent levels. Furthermore because zebra mussels filter contaminates from the water, they become concentrated in the mussel and further concentrated in higher levels of the wood web as they are preyed on by some duck species and by the round goby, another invasive species, which is then preyed upon by local fish. Clearer water results in more sunlight to penetrate the water column, affecting light sensitive fish such as the walleye, which have to find new habitat. More sunlight also means more photosynthesis by algae including toxic blue-green algae blooms. Zebra mussels further degrade the ecosystem by covering rocks where fish spawn, deteriorating them from reproducing, creating fewer prey fish.
Like many invasive species, the zebra mussel has relied on humans for accelerated transport. A female zebra mussel can produce between 40,000 and 1 million eggs a year, which develop into microscopic, free-floating larvae called veligers, which can be easily transported on boating equipment, in bait buckets, live wells, or fishing gear. This transfer can easily be prevented by draining, cleaning or drying boats, trailers, and other fishing equipment before moving to another water body.
National, Provincial and State governments have many resources available that provide detailed information on all invasive species and how prevent their spreading. It is important to educate the public on these methods, as invasive species is everyone’s problem.
The invasion of non-native species is one of the United Nation’s top five environmental concerns; however the term invasive species is one which many people do not fully understand. It is a term used in the media, by governments and ecologists, to indicate to the public that a new species has entered an area, and usually very little is said afterwards, however many people do not realise the severity and long term effects of invasive species in their area and worldwide. Unfortunately this attitude is what makes the problem worse. In Canada alone there are hundreds of known invasive species including insects, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, aquatic and terrestrial plants, marine and freshwater fish, algae, fungi, and molluscs. Many species are able to incorporate into the existing environment without harming it; however there has been an increasing number of invasive species that cause uncontrollable damage to local ecosystems. Some better known examples this type of invasive species in Canada include the emerald ash borer, zebra mussels, sea lamprey and purple loosestrife. …show more content…
The introduction of invasive species is a direct result of human activities.
In earlier times some species, such as the rainbow and brown trout and chinook salmon were intentionally released to improve local fishing conditions. Other species were intentionally released to combat more threatening species, and were transported accidently, or escaped and spread to other areas. Nevertheless the single largest contributor to the introduction of invasive species has been by international cargo ships, which carry up to 20,000 tonnes of ballast water used to stabilize the ship, especially on rough water. These ships empty and re-fill their ballast tanks at their destination releasing hundreds of aquatic species from its originating
point.
Invasive species generally share common characteristics which can make them difficult to control and contain. These characteristics include high rates of reproduction, fewer or no natural predators, parasites or pathogens and the ability to adjust to new different environments. This problem is further worsened by the public who are unaware that they are spreading these species at an accelerated rate.
Once firmly established an invasive species can permanently disrupt an ecosystem’s biological integrity. The Zebra Mussel, for example an invasive species that is most well known in Ontario for invading the Great Lake region. Since its discovery in Lake St. Clair in 1988, located east of Detroit, Michigan, along the USA/Canadian border, they have spread throughout the Great Lakes and across Ontario, Quebec, as far west as Kansas State and down to the Gulf of Mexico along the Mississippi River. The mussels are small, finger nail sized, D-Shaped, striped mussels originating from Asia. They grow in clusters, attaching themselves to any hard surface, including water intake pipes, existing hard shelled species, such as clams or crayfish, and ships. Small buoys have been known to sink under the weight of layers of zebra mussels, causing much hardship.
Zebra Mussels have an even more devastating impact on the ecosystem to which they have been introduced. They are efficient filter feeders that can filter up to a litre of water a day. Through this process they remove much of the phytoplankton from the water and clear murky water, and remove contaminates. As phytoplankton is the base of many aquatic food chains, the effect of their presence negatively affects all subsequent levels. Furthermore because zebra mussels filter contaminates from the water, they become concentrated in the mussel and further concentrated in higher levels of the wood web as they are preyed on by some duck species and by the round goby, another invasive species, which is then preyed upon by local fish. Clearer water results in more sunlight to penetrate the water column, affecting light sensitive fish such as the walleye, which have to find new habitat. More sunlight also means more photosynthesis by algae including toxic blue-green algae blooms. Zebra mussels further degrade the ecosystem by covering rocks where fish spawn, deteriorating them from reproducing, creating fewer prey fish.
Like many invasive species, the zebra mussel has relied on humans for accelerated transport. A female zebra mussel can produce between 40,000 and 1 million eggs a year, which develop into microscopic, free-floating larvae called veligers, which can be easily transported on boating equipment, in bait buckets, live wells, or fishing gear. This transfer can easily be prevented by draining, cleaning or drying boats, trailers, and other fishing equipment before moving to another water body.
National, Provincial and State governments have many resources available that provide detailed information on all invasive species and how prevent their spreading. It is important to educate the public on these methods, as invasive species is everyone’s problem.