1 / 12

Foreign Invaders in the Louisiana Wetlands

Foreign Invaders in the Louisiana Wetlands. Nutria's History. 1930s - Nutria was released, imported from fur farms to Louisiana 1940s - Population grew and reports of damage were reported, nutria started to control aquatic plants 1950s

clare
Download Presentation

Foreign Invaders in the Louisiana Wetlands

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Foreign Invaders in the Louisiana Wetlands

  2. Nutria's History 1930s - Nutria was released, imported from fur farms to Louisiana 1940s - Population grew and reports of damage were reported, nutria started to control aquatic plants 1950s - Nutria started destroying everything, taken off the list of protected wildlife 1960s to 1980s - Fur industry grew and was returned to the protected wildlife list and promoted as a natural resource

  3. Description of Nutria • Smaller than a beaver but larger than a muskrat • Forelegs are small compared to the body • Males are larger than females • Small black eyes • curved orange teeth • long rat looking tails

  4. Nutria • Nutria denudes natural levees • Damages sugarcane fields • Nutria gnawed through 800,000 acres of marshes in the past 70 years in Louisiana • Nutria has cost money, we pay a lot of money to rebuild our marshes but then the nutria destroys it again • Nutria eats the base of marsh plants and it permanently destroys the plant • Solution to stop Nutria, fishers get $5 for every Nutria tail

  5. Hydrilla Images

  6. Hydrilla History • Brought to the United States from Eurasia • Native to Asia, southern Europe, and Africa • Brought here as an aquarium plant • Spreads underground by the roots • Spreads also when stems break off of the plant • Hydrilla was introduced to the US in the 1950s – 1960s

  7. Hydrilla • Places where Hydrilla is found- Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, and many other states • Hydrilla is a very hard plant to control • Hydrilla impacts aquatic ecosystems because making thick canopies that shade out vegetation • States pay million of dollars to control Hydrilla • Forms dense mats in different freshwater habitats

  8. Eurasian Watermilfoil History • The Eurasian Watermilfoil plant originates from Europe and Asia • It was introduced to North America through the aquarium industry • Eurasian Watermilfoil may have arrived in the 1800s • Was documented in North America in the 1940s

  9. Eurasian Watermilfoil • Grows in Aquatic plant beds • Rooted at the bottom of the lake and grows fast creating canopies • affects wildlife and fish population • The Eurasian Watermilfoil plant canopy at the water surface, blocks sunlight and reduces light penetration • This plant forms very thick at the waters surface, interferes with fishing and boating • Once it has established it growth it is almost impossible to remove • Slows water flow in canals

  10. Importance of Wetlands • The wetlands sustain more life than any other ecosystem • Wetlands help animals because it helps them to develop new adaption's and they can cope with life where the water is critical • Provides habitats for animals and plants • Performs natural cleansing functions • Removes pollutants from the surface by retaining • Protects us from Hurricanes

  11. By: Mohamed, Desmond, and Tiffany

  12. Sources http://nas.er.usgs.gov/taxgroup/plants/docs/hy_verti.html http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080306094624.htm http://www.nutria.com/site4.php http://www.qc.ec.gc.ca/csl/inf/inf037_e.html http://www.invasive.org/eastern/biocontrol/6EurasianMilfoil.html http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/weeds/milfoil.html http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/02/nutria_nation_marsheating_crit.html http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-12-22-nutria_N.htm http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/hydrilla.shtml http://www.ecy.wa.gov/PROGRAMS/WQ/plants/weeds/hydrilla.html http://www.nutria.com/site2.php http://www.mciap.org/herbarium/Hydrilla.php http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/lakes/plants/weed-identification/eurasian-watermilfoil.aspx http://www.naturalsciences.org/education/treks/birds%20of%20winter/images/Napping%20Nutria.jpg http://www.ncwater.org/Education_and_Technical_Assistance/Aquatic_Weed_Control/hydrilla.jpg http://www.aqua-fish.net/imgs/plants/eurasian-watermilfoil.jpg http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/img/mysp1.jpg http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/datastore/detailreport.cfm?usernumber=57&surveynumber=182

More Related