How Introduced Species Affect Ecosystems

Purple loosestrife, originally brought to North America accidentally on cargo ships, reproduces very quickly and aggressively, often crowding out species like the cattail that have been growing in British Columbia for thousands of years.

Which of the following terms best describes the cattails in British Columbia?

Native species
Non-native species
Introduced species
Invasive species

Purple loosestrife, originally brought to North America accidentally on cargo ships, reproduces very quickly and aggressively, often crowding out species like the cattail that have been growing in British Columbia for thousands of years. Recently, ecologists have introduced a European leaf-feeding beetle to eat the purple loosestrife.

Which of the following terms applies just the purple loosestrife, and not both the loosestrife and the European beetle?

Invasive species
Introduced species
Foreign species
Non-native species

In many cases, climate change has made many parts of Canada much more hospitable for foreign species to live in. What else has changed in the past 30 years that has made the threat of invasive species in Canada greater than it may have been in the past?

International travel allows species to be more easily introduced to our ecosystems
Fewer insect species currently live in Canada, allowing invasive species to thrive
Habitats in Canada have changed to resemble habitats in other parts of the world
Zoos and public parks introduce many new species, some of which become invasive

Which of the following characteristics would be found in an introduced species that was not classified as being invasive?

The introduced species feeds on another introduced species
The introduced species competes aggressively with native species for resources
The introduced species preys on native species that do not have adaptations to avoid the introduced species
The introduced species weakens many native species, allowing otherwise weaker species to thrive

The American bullfrog, brought to British Columbia to supply restaurants with a supply of frog’s legs, were released into the wild when people did not buy the exotic food.

What is the primary affect of this invasive species in British Columbia?

The bullfrogs prey upon many native species of frogs
The bullfrogs compete with other large amphibians for food
The bullfrogs have introduced disease to the native frog population
The bullfrogs have torn apart normal wetland ecosystems as they feed on underwater plants

What is the greatest impact of the introduced and invasive European starlings?

They out-compete native birds for food and nesting sites
They destroy the habitat of many mammals species when they feed
They feed on native amphibians, which have not developed defenses to adapt
They carry a bacteria that infects native species, affecting their ability to reproduce properly

Eurasian milfoil, an invasive water plant introduced over 100 years ago to British Columbia waterways, can be controlled by a native species of weevil that feeds on the milfoil.

Even though the milfoil may be controlled by the weevil, what could be a likely result from using this insect to control the invasive plant?

The weevil might be so successful that it has an unknown impact on the ecosystem
Bringing the weevil to British Columbia from another country might create another invasive species
The milfoil might attract other species that outcompete the native weevil
The weevil might make the milfoil react by becoming even more aggressive and invasive to survive

The Garry Oak ecosystem is an important ecosystem in the province of British Columbia. Not only is it rich in biodiversity, but it may become the main ecosystem in the province as climate change occurs.

Scotch broom is an invasive species in the Gary Oak ecosystem. Which of the following is an impact of the Scotch broom?

It introduces so much nitrogen into the soil that many native species cannot survive
It provides food for other invasive species like the grey squirrel
It is a pretty wildflower that people pick, take home and end up spreading seeds even more
It is designed to survive high water, and becomes a dominant species in the secondary succession after a flood

The Garry Oak ecosystem is an important ecosystem in the province of British Columbia. Not only is it rich in biodiversity, but it may become the main ecosystem in the province as climate change occurs.

Which of the following invasive species is not causing problems in the Garry Oak ecosystem?

Wild boars
The grey squirrel
Scotch broom
The gypsy moth

How does an invasive fungus species like blister rust affect a bird species such as the Clark’s nutcracker?

The fungus weakens whitebark pines, whose seeds provide food for the nutcracker
The nutcracker can also become infected by the fungus
The nutcracker nests in the whitebark pines that the fungus attacks
The fungus is food for the hawks that eat the nutcrackers, making the hawks stronger and faster

How Introduced Species Affect Ecosystems - Section 3.3 Quiz