Environmental changes like increased temperature can stress an ecosystem. Why is this an issue with regard to invasive species?
Ecosystems are destroyed by environmental changes, and then invasive species establish a new ecosystem, so the original organisms can never reintegrate.
Invasive species are more easy to introduce to a stressed ecosystem.
Invasive species thrive in stressed ecosystems like those with warmer temperatures.
Ecosystems are unable to recover as quickly from damage due to invasive species and environmental changes.
1 answer
This is an issue because invasive species can take advantage of the stressed ecosystem and outcompete native species for resources, leading to further imbalance and potentially irreversible damage to the ecosystem. Additionally, invasive species often lack natural predators or competitors in their new environment, allowing them to quickly establish and spread, further exacerbating the already stressed ecosystem. This can result in a loss of biodiversity, disruption of ecological processes, and potentially irreversible changes to the ecosystem. Invasive species can also introduce new diseases or parasites to the ecosystem, further impacting native species and potentially causing cascading effects throughout the food web. Overall, the combination of environmental changes and invasive species can have significant negative impacts on ecosystems, making it critical to address both issues in order to maintain ecosystem health and functioning.