Download Invasive.Species.Notes NEW

Name: ____________________________________________
Period: _____ Date_________________
Invasive Species
OBJECTIVES:
SWBAT describe characteristics that are common among many invasive species
SWBAT explain how invasive species affect biodiversity
Checklist (Check off each item as we complete it)
DO NOW
Class Notes
Activity #1 (guided practice)
Activity #2 (independent Practice)
Exit Ticket
DO NOW: Use the information below to answer questions A through C.
Overstaying Their Welcome:
Cane Toads in Australia
Everyone in Australia is in agreement that the cane toads have got to go. The problem is
getting rid of them. Cane toads, properly known as Bufo marinus, are the most notorious of what is
called invasive species in Australia and beyond. But unlike other species of the same classification,
cane toads were intentionally introduced into Australia. The country simply got much more and much
worse than it bargained for.
Before 1935, Australia did not have any toad species of its own. What the country did have,
however, was a major beetle problem. Two species of beetles in particular, French’s Cane Beetle and
the Greyback Cane Beetle, were in the process of decimating [destroying] the northeastern state of
Queensland’s sugar cane crops. The beetle’s larvae were eating the roots of the sugar cane and
stunting, if not killing, the plants. The anticipated solution to this quickly escalating problem came in
the form of the cane toad. After first hearing about the amphibians in 1933 at a conference in the
Caribbean, growers successfully lobbied to have the cane toads imported to battle and hopefully
destroy the beetles and save the crops…
The plan backfired completely and absolutely. As it turns out, cane toads do not jump very
high, only about two feet actually, so they did not eat the beetles that for the most part lived in the
upper stalks of cane plants. Instead of going after the beetles, as the growers had planned, the cane
toads began going after everything else in sight – insects, bird’s eggs, and even native frogs. And
because the toads are poisonous, they began to kill would-be predators. The toll on native species has
been immense…
Source: Tina Butler, mongabay.com, April 17, 2005
A. State one reason why the cane toads were imported into Australia.
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B. Identify one adaptation of cane toads that made them successful in their new environment.
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C. State one specific example of how the introduction of cane toads threatened biodiversity in Australia.
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CLASS NOTES
Stop and Jot
Pythons in the Everglades!!
Watch the video again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjaM7wBWWoc
When a species does not belong in an ecosystem and it begins to overpopulate for various reasons, it is often referred to as….
o An invasive species because it’s like an unwanted invader that has damaging effects.
o A non-native species because it doesn’t normally live there.
o An imported/introduced species because it was brought in from somewhere else.
 Brainstorm: why do you think invasive species overpopulate so easily?
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GUIDED PRACTICE-You may work with a partner!
Base your answers to questions 1-3 on the reading passage below and on your knowledge of biology.
1. Describe one condition that might cause the gypsy population to increase rapidly. [1]
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2. State one reason that a rapid increase in gypsy moth population may cause some species of herbivores to vanish
or be reduced in number. [1]_______________________________________________________________________
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3. State one way producers protect themselves from gypsy moths. [1]
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Rabbits in Australia!!
Rabbits are herbivores that are not native to Australia. They were introduced by European
settlers over 100 years ago and have become serious pests to farmers. Their population has
increased so drastically that they have displaced many native species of herbivores. One likely
reason the rabbit population was able to grow so large is that the rabbits
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Were able to prey on native herbivores
Reproduced more slowly than the native animals
Successfully competed with native herbivores for food
Could interbreed with the native animals
Explain/support your answer:
In 1960, an invasive species of fish was introduced into the stable ecosystem of a river. Since then, the population
of native fish species has declined. This situation is an example of an
(1) Ecosystem that has recovered
Explain/support your answer:
(2) Ecosystem altered through the activities of an
organism
(3) Environmental impact caused by physical factors
(4) Ecological niche without competition
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
The importation of organisms such as the Japanese beetle and gypsy moth to areas where they have no natural
enemies best illustrates
(1) the use of abiotic factors to reduce pest species
Explain/support your answer:
(2) the selection of species to mate with each other to
produce a new variety
(3) attempts by humans to protect extinct species
(4) a human activity that disrupts existing ecosystems
Which animal has modified ecosystems more than another animal and has had the greatest negative impact on
world ecosystems?
(1) pythons
Explain/support your answer:
(2) zebra mussels
(3) humans
(4) sharks
Use the information below to answer questions 1.
Explain how the introduction of foreign species can often cause environmental problems. In your answer be sure to:
 Explain why a zebra mussel is considered an invasive species in the Great Lakes [1]
 State how the zebra mussels and gobies were introduced into the United States [1]
 State one way the zebra mussels and the gobies have become a problem in their new environment [2]
 Describe how both zebra mussels and gobies contribute to increasing the concentration of PCB’s in sport fish
[2]
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Exit Ticket
Identify one introduced organisms and write its name in the space below. Describe one way in which the organism
has altered an ecosystem in the new location.
Organism: ___________________________________________
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