Download Invasive Species MN

Invasive Species MN
Community and Ecosystem Effects
Group 1: Gabe, Robin, Andrew, Miles
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Buckthorn
o Introduced from Europe in the mid 1800s as a hedge
o Outcompetes native plants, leading to erosion
o Hosts pests like crown rust fungus and soybean aphids
Wild parsnip
Photo credit
o Grown as a root vegetable but escaped cultivation
o Native to Asia and Europe
o Sap causes burning, blistering, and discoloration of skin
o Not likely to invade well established prairies but invades disturbed dry,
moist, and wet-moist habitats
Earthworms
o All terrestrial earthworms in Minnesota are invasive species from Europe and Asia.
o Earthworms eat away the layer of decomposing leaves called the “duff” layer in MN forests. photo credit
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This prevents seedlings, wildflowers and ferns from taking root.
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Which in turn causes erosion and nutrient loss.
Photo credit
Group 2: Emilee, Emily, Lark, Jeff
● Red cedar: invades prairies; disturbs grassland birds,
uses a lot of water, shades native plants; this species
has ecosystem effects because it changes the
landscape
● Queen Anne’s lace: grows in disturbed prairies,
threatens grassland recovery by competing with
native plants; does not have large ecosystem effects
● White nose syndrome in bats: European fungus that
kills bats; nearly 6 million bats killed in Eastern U.S.
so far; because of decline in bats, insect population
will increase greatly; ecosystem effects could occur if
insects consume plants/crops Link to map of WNS spread
across the US: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wns/index.html
Group 3 - Lily, Jake, Lael
Siberian Elm
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systemic change includes canopy cover, soil retention, nutrient
processing and biomass
invades prairies, due to high rates of seed germination
seedling establish quickly and rapidly alter abiotic factors of
ecosystems
Sweet Clover
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disturbs shade of native plants thus degrading prairies
alters nutrient levels in soil
Eurasian Milfoil
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displaces native species
in nutrient rich areas it has a tendency to form tangled masses pain for recreation
Group 4: Sophia, Michael, Thea
Reed Canary Grass: Native Eurasian species brought to the U.S. in the 1800’s for erosion control and
foraging (it is still being planted in some places) and occurs in most of the continental U.S.,
outcompetes native species in wetlands, forms large stands that drive out native grasses.
Knapweed: Invade rangelands through the production of root exudates that are toxic to native plants.
Meadow Knapweed grows in dense patches that reduce forage, native species diversity and wildlife
habitat. Spotted Knapweed is poisonous to other plants and can hybridize with Meadow Knapweed.
Zebra Mussels: native to the lakes of southern Russia; threaten existence of native freshwater bivalve
species, primarily by settling on them in large numbers and suturing their valves together with byssal
threads, so the native species suffocate or starve. (Timeline of the spread of Zebra Mussels)
Meadow Knapweed
Reed Canary Grass
Group 5--Ruth, Kristen, and Emma
Smooth Brome
Community effects: Grows before the other
species of prairie grasses, preventing other
species from growing
Ecosystem effects: Erosion control
Purple Loosestrife
Community effects: replaces cattails and other
marsh plants, puts many threatened wetland
plants and animals at risk.
Ecosystem effects: invades marshes and
lakeshores, makes a really dense stands which
are unsuitable for cover, food, or nesting sites,
disrupts water flow
Group 5--Ruth, Kristen, and Emma
Gobi
Community effects: ability to survive degraded
conditions allow them to outcompete with native
fish for food and habitat and eat the eggs of native
fish, also eats some other invasive species.
Ecosystem effects: can be found in groups of up
to 20 per square meter and take the habitat of
some of the native species. Bioaccumulation of
toxins as they eat many of the filter feeding
mussels.
Group 6 - Dani, Lisa, Erin,
Nate
Phragmites (Giant Reed):
● Increased fire hazard → ecosystem effects!
● Replaced mixed wetlands to monocultures of themselves
● Changed water and nutrient cycling, emitted harmful
toxins → ecosystem effects!
Gypsy Moth:
● invasive forest pest from Europe that defoliate trees
● repeated defoliation can lead to tree death thus changing
tree species mix, affecting dependant wildlife and
impacting forest and related industries
● effect on bird populations, and swallow-tail butterfly larvae
Asian Carp:
● Eats lots of plankton, messes with the food web by
reducing plankton populations
Group 7- Caitlin, Amy, Sam
Garlic Mustard, Emerald Ash Borer, Sea lamprey
Garlic
Mustard
Ecosystem Effects
Community Effects
Alters structure of forest floor vegetation
Reduces amount of habitat availability for insects
and small animals
Exudes a chemical that essentially poisons
other plants, other ground cover plants
As it expands, it shades other species, killing
them off
Ecosystem Effects
Community Effects
Death of trees changes forest floor composition,
allows other species to move into undergrowth
Burrows into bark of Emerald Ash trees,
causing mortality
Ecosystem Effects
Community Effects
Harm to Lake Trout populations, which is a top
predator, causes trophic cascade in Great Lakes
Can kill 40 lbs. of fish during its lifetime
Particularly detrimental to Lake Trout, a top
predator in Lake Superior
Emerald Ash Borer
Sea lamprey