Invasives and Biodiversity

Biodiversity refers to

• extinct species
• the variety of species on Earth
• nonrenewable resources
• the rate of species decline

When taken to a new habitat, non-native plants often threaten native plants of the new habitat.  Why do they do this?

• Non-native plants are able to mutate rapidly
• Non-native  plants cause native animals to relocate
• Non-native plants are able to be used for medicine
• Non-native plants compete with native plants for resources

Kudzu has overgrown many parts of southern Missouri and native ground plants have disappeared from the area. This is an example of:

• Parasitism between kudzu and the native plants
• A predator prey relationship between ground plants and kudzu
• Competition occurring between the native and invasive species
• Commesalism occurring between the kudzo and native plants

If a blue catfish is introduced and eats the large fish who eat the smaller fish, what will happen to the population of the smaller fish?

• Increase
• Decrease
• Stay the same
• No affect on smaller fish

Which of the following is a key characteristic of most invasive species?

• Ability to breathe in the air & in the water
• Large, sharp teeth
• Produce many offspring
• Is a top predator

What is a native specie?

• A specie that is local and has lived in the same place
• A specie who has come from another state or country
• A specie that has no "home" and travels for its whole life
• None of the above

The lack of natural predators makes populations of invasive species unmanageable?

• True
• False

Invasive species [more than 1 answer]

• take over the habitat of other organisms

• increases the populations of native organisms

• destroy/decrease biodiversity

• improves/increases biodiversity

• cause the populations of native organisms to decrease

When an ecosystem has a greater biodiversity, what does that allow the ecosystem to do?

• recover more easily from stresses on the ecosystem

• make the area more inviting to non-native predators

• support more populations of organisms

• attract more species to live there

Exotic or invasive species leads to all of these problems except

• increased biodiversity
• loss of biodiversity
• disease
• loss of native species