Invasive Alien Species
- March 19, 2022
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Invasive Alien Species
Subject: Environment
Section: Biodiversity
Context- Invasive alien forest insects will kill 1.4 million urban trees in US by 2050: Study.
Concept-
- Invasive alien forest insects will kill 2.1-2.5 per cent of all street trees (1.4 million) in the United States in 30 years (2020-2050). This loss would cost $30 million annually to manage, a recent study has said.
- Ninety per cent of all mortality would be due to the emerald ash borer (Agrilusplanipennis).
What Are Alien Invasive Species:
- An alien species is a species introduced outside its normal distribution.
- An alien species become ‘invasive’ when they are introduced deliberately or accidentally outside their natural areas, where they out-compete the native species and upset the ecological balance.
- Invasive alien species (IAS) are animals, plants or other organisms that are introduced into places outside their natural range, negatively impacting native biodiversity, ecosystem services or human well-being.
- The most common characteristics of invasive species are
- rapid reproduction and growth,
- high dispersal ability,
- ability to survive on various food types, and in a wide range of environmental conditions and
- the ability to adapt physiologically to new conditions, called phenotypic plasticity.
- The alien invasive species are non-native to an ecosystem. They may cause economic or environmental harm or even adversely affect human health.
Invasive Alien Species & Climate Change:
- IAS are one of the biggest causes of biodiversity loss and species extinctions, and are also a global threat to food security and livelihoods.
- IAS are compounded by climate change. Climate change facilitates the spread and establishment of many alien species and creates new opportunities for them to become invasive.
- IAS can reduce the resilience of natural habitats, agricultural systems and urban areas to climate change. Conversely, climate change reduces the resilience of habitats to biological invasions.