BIOLOGY 1101 Lecture 17: Biology1101BiodiversityLoss
6 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
Several types of biodiversity and factors that influence extinction. Invasive species: species not naturally found in an ecosystem; overtake and dominate other species in the system. Can grow up to 1 ft a day. Structural parasite - climbs/envelops entire structures; ~. 5 million a year cost just to repair damaged power lines. Eats for of commercial fish species as well as fish eggs; has caused multiple fisheries to collapse. Taken over large swaths of the great lakes. This and similar pests are why you are not supposed to move firewood between states/campgrounds. Like the chestnut blight did to chestnuts before it, emerald ash corer is leaving swaths of forest completely denuded of ash trees. Natural controls on the species (predators, competitors, diseases, coevolved hosts) are not present in the ranges they are introduced to. Emerald ash borer and sea lampreys coevolved with hosts. We originally introduced (intentionally or unintentionally) these species to their current ranges.
