Invading Animals
TWIG. (n.d.). Invading animals: the cane toad [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www-twig-world-com.db.plcscotch.wa.edu.au/film/invading-animals-the-cane-toad-1235/
Invading Plants
TWIG. (n.d.). Invading plants [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www-twig-world-com.db.plcscotch.wa.edu.au/film/invading-plant-species-1185/
Why is there a Crisis?
Barrington, R. (Producer).(2000). Why is there a crisis? [Television Series]. BBC
NB: Video requires Google Chrome or Safari to view.
Introduced Species
"Invasive species, also called introduced species, alien species, or exotic species, any nonnative species that significantly modifies or disrupts the ecosystems it colonizes. Such species may arrive in new areas through natural migration, but they are often introduced by the activities of other species. Human activities, such as those involved in global commerce and the pet trade, are considered to be the most common ways invasive plants, animals, microbes, and other organisms are transported to new habitats." (Britannica, 2016)
Overview
- Department of Environment and Energy. (2016). Introduced. Retrieved from https://www.environment.gov.au/search/site/introduced
This Department of Environment and Energy site contains a list of reports on introduced animals in Australia. - Department of Environment and Energy. (2016). Native vegetation in Australia. Retrieved from https://www.environment.gov.au/topics/land/native-vegetationAustralia's native vegetation is one of the richest and most fundamental elements of our natural heritage. Native vegetation binds and nourishes our ancient soils; shelters and sustains wildlife; protects streams, wetlands, estuaries, and coastlines; absorbs carbon dioxide and emits oxygen.
- Conservation. (2016). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://school.eb.com.au.db.plcscotch.wa.edu.au/levels/high/article/109631#272684.toc
The case histories previously discussed often implicate introduced species as a cause of species extinctions. Humans have spread species deliberately as they colonized new areas, just one example being the Polynesians as they settled the eastern Pacific Islands. New Yorkers in the 1890s wanted all the birds in Shakespeare’s works to inhabit the city’s Central Park, and they introduced the starling (Sturnus vulgaris) to North America as a consequence. Through the centuries hunters have demanded exotic birds and mammals to shoot, fishermen have wanted challenging fish, and gardeners have wanted beautiful flowers. Nonetheless, the consequences in some cases have been devastating. Cacti and the shrub Lantana camara, for example, which were introduced as ornamental plants, have destroyed huge areas of grazing land worldwide. - Dornan, (2016, May 26). Exotic species. Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/users/346769/textbooks/mr-dornan-s-biology-textbook/conservation-biology-and-biodiversity-47/threats-to-biodiversity-261/exotic-species-972-12232/Exotic species are those that have been intentionally or unintentionally introduced by humans into an ecosystem in which they did not evolve. Such introductions probably occur frequently as natural phenomena. For example, Kudzu (Pueraria lobata), which is native to Japan, was introduced in the United States in 1876. It was later planted for soil conservation. Problematically, it grows too well in the southeastern United States: up to one foot each day. It is now a pest species, covering over seven million acres in the southeastern United States.
