Invasive, Endangered and Reintroduced Species of Pennsylvania

1. Invasive, Endangered and Reintroduced Species of Pennsylvania Katie Gannon

2. Endangered Species What is an endangered species??? An endangered species is a species of plants or animals that are in danger of becoming extinct because of a low population number

3. 5 Top Reasons For Endangerment Pollution – factories, mills, and power plants all send terrible fumes and smog into the air that affects the plants and animals that live close by Over Hunting — many animals are overhunted and overfished and poached for their furs, pelts, and meat Exotic/Invasive Species — species that are not native to a certain area and are brought into that area can cause damage by possibly spreading unknown foreign diseases and by destroying the natural habitat Climate Change — the change in climate that has been happening recently has affected different species differently, and some species just cannot adapt to the change Destruction of Habitat – humans destroy precious land where many animals build their homes to make housingplans, malls,and other civilizations

4. Short Eared Owl (Asio flammeus) The Short Eared Owl is endangered mainly because of the loss of its natural habitat. Humans have gotten rid of their habitats—grasslands, marshes and infrequently used pastures—and used them to their own advantages, such as buildingon those areas.

5. Delmarva Fox Squirrel(Sciurus niger cinereus) The Delmarva For Squirrel is endangered because of the destruction of habitat, which was caused by human agricultural development, and over-hunting was possibly a factor also

6. Indiana Bat(Myotis sodalis) by humans and because of an unknown disease thatthe bats are developing called White-Nose Syndrome The reason Indiana Bats are an endangered species is because of the disturbance of hibernation habitats

7. White monkshood(Aconitum reclinatum) In Pennsylvania, the White Monkshood has a hard time producing fruit because it has been found that a fungus is attacking them before any can be produced, and also over-grazing and habitat destruction contribute to it’s endangered status

8. Glade spurge(Euphorbia purpurea) The main reason for the Glade Spurge being endangered is it’s habitat has been invaded by humans for their own use, such as agriculture.

9. Invasive Species Native: Species that is local to a particular area Introduced: Species that was brought into a particular area Invasive: Species which is alien to a particular area

10. How are invasive species transported into the United States? • Ships—some species are carried in ships’ ballast waters • Wood—some species can hide in wood products that are shipped worldwide • Nursery Trade—some species can be imported hidden among other vegetation • Hitchhiking—some species hitch a rideon others that come into the country • Intentionally—some species are brought purposefully into the country to trade or keep as pets

11. How do invasive species negatively affect our environment? • Preying on native species • Competing for food with native species • Carrying foreign diseases that native species are not immune to • Change the ecosystem slightly so the food web is affected and the ecosystem if thrown off balance

12. Tree-of-heaven(Ailanthus altissima) Native to China, it is as old as China itself, and was first brought to America by the Chinese who came to California in the gold rush of the 1800s In China, the trees were used in herbs and teas to heal medical illnesses, and grew aggressively wherever there was space In the United States, these aggressive trees grow in many rural and urban places in 42 states—from sidewalk cracks to alleyways, and also in fields and along roads Tree-of-heaven grows extremely fast and it can take over a whole area of vegetation and create a thicket barrier that is hard to penetrate and its roots are strong enough to damage sewers and foundations

13. Multiflora rose(Rosa multiflora) This species originally comes from eastern China, Korea, and Japan, and was brought to the United States as an ornamental rose in the 1860s In its original home, it was used as an ornamental rose and mainly for decoration In the United States, the Multiflora rose was used previously to confine livestock to a certain area because its thick foliage made a kind of barrier. More recently its been used as a crash barrier on the sides of highways. It grows almost anywhere there is a sufficient amount of sunlight and soil It is an ecological threat in the United States because this plant can grow with rapid speed and will choke out any other vegetation in its way to make room for itself and it uses the space of native plants for itself while depriving them of necessities such as sunlight, water and soil

14. MuteSwan Originally found in Eurasia, the mute swan was introduced to the United States in the 1800s, to show in zoos and large estates In Europe and Asia, the mute swan lived in wetlands and is protected, but is still a target of poaching and illegal hunting In the United States, this species thrives because of a lack of predators and a large amount a wetlands where the mute swans like to live, and they eat mainly aquatic vegetation The mute swan causes problems in the United States because they tend to disrupt communities’ food chains, and in some areas native aquatic plants have gone extinct because of over grazing by the mute swan. Also, they are extremely aggressive and territorial so a lot of the time they scare off any competition and then they have to seek refuge in other more unnatural places (Cygnus olor)

15. Red foxes today live in much the same environments and prey on the same animals, also. They are hunted for their furs but their fast reproduction rates keep them out of danger of even being close to extinction The threats they pose are many: they are a nuisance to civilization, because they often scavenge on roadsides, at dumps, and in garbage cans, and also they have been know to decrease native species populations greatly, and also to transmit some foreign diseases Red Fox(Vulpes vulpes) Native to Eurasia, the red fox now is seen widely all across North America, to North Africa and Asia This species came from smaller descendants dating back millions of years ago, who lived in all kinds of environments such as forests, grasslands, and other urban areas, and preyed on animals such as rabbits, mice, other small mammals, as well as ground-nesting birds

16. Asian Tiger Mosquito(Aedes albopictus) Native to Asia, where it is know to be a transmitter of Dengue Fever disease, and possibly Yellow Fever and La Crosse encephalitis They lay their eggs on stagnant water, such as slow moving creeks, large puddles, unused swimming pools, and any place water is collected and undisturbed Accidentally brought into the United States by imported tires from Asia, and is now found in 25 states. This species is know to carry West Nile Virus and is more dangerous to human health than native mosquitoes

17. Reintroduced/Extirpated Species Reintroduced Species: a species that is placed back into an area where it no longer exists but was from originally Extirpated Species: a species that does not exist in a certain area anymore but may be found in other areas

18. American elk(Cervus elaphus) The American elk was reintroduced into Pennsylvania in the mid 1900s after they became extinct in the area and surrounding areas because over over- hunting and deforestation. Slowly but surely the herd grew until now when we now have a large amount of American elk back in Pennsylvania.

19. WORKS CITED • Tropical Rainforest Animals http://www.tropical-rainforest-animals.com/Animal-Extinction.html • About.com http://about.com • Pennsylvania Game Commission http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=621014&mode=2 • Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/Species.aspx • United States Department of Agriculture http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/whatis.shtml • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/invasives/faq.html#q3 • Ecological Society of America http://www.esa.org/education/edupdfs/invasion.pdf • National Wildlife Federation http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Conservation/Threats-to-Wildlife/Invasive-Species.aspx • Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Recourses http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/plants/invasiveplants/index.htm • Global Invasive Species Database http://www.invasivespecies.net/database/species/ecology.asp?si=66&fr=1&sts=sss&lang=EN • Environmental Global Issues http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/es_map/articles/article_66.mhtml