My AP Biology ThoughtsUnit 8 Episode #31Welcome to My AP Biology Thoughts podcast, my name is Saarim and I am your host for episode 31 called Invasive Species. Today we will be discussing invasive species. Before I start, I’d like to give credit to several different sources including the National Wildlife Federation, National Geographic, Eric Guise’s AP Biology videos, as well as UC Riverside Center For Invasive Species Research, New York Invasive Species Information, Wikipedia, National Geographic, the Global Invasive Species Database, and last but not least, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Segment 1: Introduction to Invasive SpeciesInvasive species descriptionNon-native, spread rapidly, economic/environmental harmAdapts to new area and reproduce quickly - cause some type of harmSpread by human activities - pest control, traveling from one place to another, people releasing pets into the wild (goldfish and burmese python), animals and pets could escape from humansImpacts and reasons for impactsInvasive species = no natural predators or control - no limiting factorsThey can outcompete native species for same resourcesThey could prey on many native organismsAffects smaller ecosystems and food chains in negative waysBiodiversity would be lessened They could change the abundance of certain significant species important to other organismsNative species would be defenseless new invader with no limitationsInvasive species could carry or cause disease, prevent native species from reproducing They can change native food webAbiotic conditions impacted - invasive plants affect water quality, tree cover, and can create fuel for wildfiresSegment 2: Examples of Invasive SpeciesBrown Tree SnakeSpread through travelWW2 - snake transported from South Pacific to Guam - stowaway in ship cargo or in landing gear of aircraftCould have been used to suppress the rat populations in Guam which were very high before 1950sSnakes - no natural predators+abundant prey = exponential growth