Endangered, Invasive, and Reintroduced Species of PA Katie Bozzo

Endangered Species  Endangered Species- plant or animal species existing in such small numbers that it’s in danger of becoming extinct  5 most common reasons of endangerment:  Habitat destruction  Introduction of exotic species  Overexploitation  Disease  Pollution  How we can prevent endangerment:  Make your home wildlife friendly  Plant vegetation  Recycle  Limit use of pesticides

Endangered Animals in PA  Club shell: The club shell is endangered because of all the pollution from agricultural run-off and industrial wastes.  Bog Turtle: The main reason for the bog turtles endangerment is the fact that they are losing their habitats quickly.  Dwarf Wedge Mussel: One of the biggest reasons for their endangerment is polluted storm run-off

Endangered Plants in PA  Northeastern Bulrush: This plant species has become endangered because it depends on the water levels for survival, currently the water levels have low, therefore this species is endangered.  Small Whorled Pogonia: The small whorled pogonia is endangered because of the fact that it’s losing its habitat and degradation.

Endangered Species Pictures Club ShellBog Turtle Dwarf Wedge Mussel Northeastern Bulrush Small Whorled Pogonia

Invasive Species  Invasive Species: is non-native to that ecosystem and their introduction is likely to cause harm to the environment or human health  Native Species: are species that are used to that particular environment  Introduced Species: are species that are non- native to a certain environment and are put into one for a particular cause

Invasive Species (cont.)  5 of the most common ways invasive species get here:  Human induced pathways- created by humans.  Pathways- most general way of getting here  Natural Pathways- created by nature and allow movement of the species  Intentional Introductions- species brought on for food, pets, or to combat other species  Unintentional Introductions- species accidentally introduced to a new environment  4 ways invasive species negatively affect our environments:  Move into a certain area and force the native species to either adapt to a new place or die off  Taking over niches of organisms and dominating  Simply thriving more than the native species  Killing the young of the native species, dying them off

Invasive Species in PA  Rusty Crayfish: Orconectes rusticus, is native to the Ohio River Basin. They eat snails, leeches, and clams, and get eaten by bigger fish in both environments. The most serious problem they cause is the destruction of plant beds.  Quagga Mussel: Dreussena bugensis, is native to the Dneiper River drainage of Ukraine. They eat phytoplankton, zooplankton, and algae, and get eaten by redear sunfish. Their problem is that they cover everything with their eggs.  Round Goby- Neogobius melanostomus, is native to central Eurasia (Black Sea and Caspian Sea). They eat mollusks, crustaceans, worms, fish eggs, small fish, and insect larvae, and are eaten by bigger aquatic animals. The main problem they cause is how aggressive they are with their eating habits.

Invasive Plants in PA  Kudzu- Pueraria lubata, is native to Asia. The niche kudzu has in both environments is the fact that it just creates more kudzu vines. The main problem with kudzu is that it overgrows anything it gets its vines on.  Five-leaf Akebia- Akebia quinta, is native to central Canada, Korea, and Japan. Kudzu and five-leaf akebia are similar in the way that they both create more of itself as the niche. The main problem with five-leaf akebia is that it creates too much of itself and gets in the way.

Invasive Species Pictures Rusty Crayfish Quagga Mussel Round Goby Kudzu Five-leaf Akebia

Reintroduced/Extirpated Species  Reintroduced- the release of a species into the wild in zones formerly inhabited by said species  Extirpated- the use of a species to totally destroy something else  An example of a reintroduced species is the wolf. There reintroduction is only considered where big tracts of suitable wilderness is available for them.

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