invasive species

invasive species—the zebra and quagga mussel—affects other species in the freshwater lake. Use the animation to help you come up with an answer to the following:<br />
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Why do you see increases and decreases in the invasive species population?<br />
What are the implications associated with these alterations to the ecosystem as a whole?<br />
The Effects of Zebra and Quagga Mussels Introduced into a Freshwater Lake<br />
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As you have learned, population dynamics are caused by the biotic potential of the population and the effects of environmental resistance. When there is minimal environmental resistance impacting a population, it will exhibit a population explosion. One reason for minimal resistance could be factors that no longer regulate a population (e.g., predator decline or resource increases). Another reason for a population explosion is the introduction of an invasive species. Invasive species are species foreign to an ecosystem and are not immediately regulated by the environmental restraints of the particular ecosystem that they invade. This in turn allows their populations to grow seemingly uncontrolled and to displace other indigenous populations. Examples of such an invasive species into North America are dreissenid mussels, commonly known as zebra and quagga mussels. Their introduction into the Great Lakes has caused economic hardship and a reorganization of the ecosystem. This has led, in part, to pollution-causing effects that can be linked to an alga known as Cladophora.<br />
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Ecosystems are webs of intricately balanced interactions, what happens when a new species is introduced that uses a disproportionate share of the ecosystem’s resources?<br />
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Using the M.U.S.E. link, review the background information and animation to complete your report.<br />
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Use the Lab 5 worksheet for assignment instructions and data collection.<br />
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https://class.aiuniv.edu/_layouts/MUSEViewer/MUSE.aspx?mid=MU17322

Objective:
Create a “Wanted” poster for an invasive species

Criteria:

Choose and research an invasive species. This can be a plant, animal or other. Be sure you know the difference between invasive, introduced and indigenous.
Design a poster, complete with a picture(s) of the species, and a map(s) that clearly show the place of origin, the current range of the species, and the possible future extent or direction of invasion. While many of these maps may be available as web resources, it is a requirement for this project that you create your own range map. You may make a digital map of course, and you can mark the range of your species on an existing geographical map. In other words: you can find a generic map of your place of concern, but you’ve got to put all the arrows and range boundaries on it yourself.
Give detailed, narrative descriptions of the nature of the invasive species on the poster and why it’s a problem, i.e. where it’s from, what the habitat it lives in is like, why it is successful in its new habitat, what is the character and extent of ecological damage that it is doing, are there control measures in place, what are potential control measures, etc.
Do not plagiarize. Copying and pasting sentences from websites constitutes academic dishonesty. You must appropriately cite all quotes, data, information, and images. All sources must be listed in a citations section.

Tips:

Minimum word count on this assignment is 500 words. Maximum word count is 750 words.
Choose a species that you are interested in reading a lot about. If you do more research, you’ll have a much better poster.