Native and Invasive SpeciesINCREASING NUMBERS OF SPECIES ARE COLONIZING REGIONS OF THE WORLD WHERE THEY DO NOT NATURALLY OCCUR. SOME ARE TRANSPORTED ACCIDENTLY, OTHERS ARE INTRODUCED DELIBERATELY TO CONTROL A PEST.

Native species A native species is an organism that is living in an area for entirely natural reasons; no human intervention is involved.

For example: the Utah Juniper or the Maguire Daisy

Non-native species Non-native species are animals and plants which have been brought to an new area by man, for the use of man kind.

The horse was introduced by Europeans (Spanish) to the Americans. This species helped to shape the west-including Utah.

Invasive species An invasive species is a non-native species whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic harm, environmental harm, or harm to human health.

The Murtle or Donkey Tail Spurge is an invasive species that is

affecting the environment in Southern Utah.

A volunteer carefully

removing plants

Who Cares?We should…..

As emigrants flooded west from Europe on ships…so did “pests” now the Norway rat calls the New York Subway home.

It’s not always bad…Do you like pizza and pasta? The Italians could not have perfected their cuisine without the tomato-brought to them by explorers returning from the Americas!

Invaders in Utah! The Zebra Mussel

What can we do? 1-Prevention: including; laws, management planes, codes of conduct and education. 2-Detection and Response: early detection and rapid response. Hire people to track down any invasive species, identify them, act quickly to prevent its spread. 3-Control and Management: if it is too wide spread, it must be managed to reduce harm. Then work to restore, or repair the damage done by an invasive species.

Vocabulary Add the following words to your vocabulary chart: 1. native species 2. non-native species 3. invasive species