APES Unit 9.9/8 Endangered Species & Invasive Species

______ species: A species whose numbers are so small they are at risk of extinction

______ species: species that can live and sometimes thrive outside of their normal habitat. They can be beneficial but usually aren't and harm natives making them ________

Organize these options into the right categories

Groups:

(a) Invasive Species

,

(b) Endangered Species

• Generalists

• Permeable Skin (vulnerable to climate Change)

• Species population easily declines

• Outcompeted easily

• Adaptable

• Highly competetive for resources and outcompetes

• Biphasic life

• Specialists

• No natural predators

Endangered Species often have biphasic lives. Based on the prefix "bi" what does this word mean

• To have two distinct phases within a life cycle

• To have two distinct predators within a lifestyle

• To have two legs/arms

• To live two lives (they die but come back to life once)

Answer explanation

Monarch butterflies and Frogs are prime examples of biphasic animals. Monarch Butterflies go from larva to butterflies and Frogs from tadpoles to frogs. Human, dogs, and cows on the other hand have no distinctive period in which they are changed drastically (puberty doesn't count).

Kudzu Vine, Asian Carp, and Zebra Mussel are all examples of what

• Invasive Species

• Endangered Species

• Keystone Species

• Indicator Species

Samantha loves to camp over the summer. One summer, she decides to camp somewhere further out than she's ever been. The environment is a lot different than what she's used to but suitable enough to enjoy the experience. She decides to bring the firewood from the place she usually camps to this campsite and when she's finished she leaves the small parts that are leftover at the new campsite. What has she likely done?

• Spread an invasive species to the environment via the firewood

• Increased the biodiversity in the environment

• Nothing, its just firewood...?

• Saved an endangered species by putting it in a more suitable environment

Answer explanation

It's not likely an individual can save an endangered species like that. Firewood is where a lot of pests like to burrow and when people transport it and leave it in different areas, they leave the wood and begin to outcompete the natives for resources which actually would decrease the biodiversity.

Which of the following is a way to mitigate the invasive species ?

• Introduce a natural predator

• Poach prevention

• Legislature that will closely monitor its resources

• We can't they will always find a way.

Answer explanation

Invasive species mainly thrive because there's nothing actively going after them. If a natural predator is introduced to them, their numbers (and therefore impact on the community), will decrease.

Invasive species are usually generalists, however, which of these generalists would not be an example of an invasive species?

• Virginia opossum found at Occoquan

• Kudzu vine found South U.S

• Pythons found in Florida

• Zebra Mussels on a ship found in the Chesapeake bay.

Answer explanation

Virginia Opossums are native to Virginia. So though they are generalists and will likely outcompete other animals, they don't tend to actively harm other natives' accessibility to resources here unless introduced outside of the state where they aren't native. (I actually can't tell if they are native from what I looked up but say in this case they are).