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Submodule 1: Introduction
Introduction
Globalization has opened the floodgates for the introduction of non-native, invasive species into countries all over the world. Whether they are plants, animals, insects, or microbes, invasive species can wreck havoc on native ecosystems. After habitat destruction, invasive species are considered to be the greatest threat to biodiversity. Biological invasions are “blurring” the distinctions of nature created by “evolution in isolation,” the phenomenon of different organisms evolving in different environments around the world.
Most non-native species are not invasive and do not cause problems to their new environment. The problems arise when a new species inflicts ecological or environmental damage to the new environment. These organisms are able to establish in part because they are free of their co-evolved natural predators.
(photo courtresy NOAA)
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