Invasive, Endangered and Reintroduced

Species of Pennsylvania

Katie Gannon

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

5 Top Reasons For Endangerment

1. Destruction of Habitat – humans destroy precious land where many animals build their homes to make housing plans, malls, and other civilizations

2. Pollution – factories, mills, and power plants all send terrible fumes and smog into the air that affects the plants and animals that live

close by3. Over Hunting — many animals are overhunted and

overfished and poached for their furs, pelts, and meat

4. 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

5. 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

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 building on those areas.

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

Indiana Bat(Myotis sodalis)

The reason Indiana Bats are an endangered species is because of the disturbance of hibernation habitats

by humans and because of an unknown disease that the bats are developing called White-Nose Syndrome

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

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.

Invasive SpeciesNative: 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

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 ride on others that come into the country• Intentionally—some species

are brought purposefully into the country to trade or keep as pets

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

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

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

Mute Swan

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)

Red Fox(Vulpes vulpes)

Native to Eurasia, the red fox now is seen widely all across North America, to North Africa and AsiaThis 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

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 extinctionThe 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

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

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

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.

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