Justin Weiner, Niko Furlan, Diego Lopez, Deven
Osborne,
(9th Graders)
Invasive Species Hi, our names are Justin, Niko, Diego, and Deven. We are all working together on a Biology project about invasive species. The purpose of this project is to inform everyone about the harm of invasive species. It affects a lot of organisms here in Los Angeles and all over the country. We are trying to control the growth of this situation and spread the importance of it. It is becoming a big issue. Our inquiry question is:
What are the effects on other species from invasive species in Los Angeles and the rest of the U.S? We chose this topic because of our interest in learning why foreign species enter an ecosystem where they do not belong and attack and eat other species’ offspring. Our inquiry question is important because it will state the effects and see what we need to do to help this situation from growing into a larger problem. Invasive species threaten native plants, animals and ecosystems, as well as impacting agricultural ecosystems and other human activity. Invasive species can cause great damage to other organisms’ ecosystem. This problem has spread rapidly throughout the
United States, mostly in the wetlands. This situation should be addressed as soon
as possible to avoid further damage to many plants and animals in their own ecosystem. Invasive species can be a huge problem for the ecosystem of the mostly isolated North American continent. Non native species can have certain negative effects on the species already living on the continent. Do not be mistaken, along with the many negatives, there can be a few positives of invasive species. For example, in California native butterflies feed on nonnative plants. These nonnative plants give enough energy for the butterflies to go about their lives without dealing with the cold grips of malnutrition. Another interesting fact that may be important to know about invasive species is that here in the United States, and especially our home of Los Angeles, California is home for several nonnative species. For a few examples, the icon of Los Angeles, the palm tree, is actually a foreign tree and cannot live in the dry Los Angeles heat without the help of humans. Another example is a famous mountain bird among hunters found in central California, it is called the Chukar. This beautifully striped partridge can be found dwelling on hot rocky mountain tops. Although, strangely enough, its original home is Afghanistan and the Hindu Kush region of Pakistan.
The main problem in Los Angeles is the ridiculous overpopulation of crows.
These crows can invade areas all over California. Over the past 20 years, crows have been moving to Los Angeles. These crows are notorious for killing weaker birds like native blue jays and robins. They also attack the eggs of large raptor
type birds like hawks. These hawks are native Los Angeles predators and are
often gang attacked by groups of crows. Crows are a big concern due to the fact that they eat other organisms’ offspring and the eggs so they can’t hatch. The
California Department of Fish and Game is usually looking after the species of
California, but unfortunately they cannot simply move into the urban jungle of
L.A. and start killing off crows. Although there is a neverending hunting season on crows in Southern California, it also has an unlimited bag limit (kill as many crows as one chooses). Although the mostly antihunting crowd of Southern
California has caused this law to have virtually no effect on the crow population. Some possible solutions to our topic are having the government make changes in an existing policy or make a new policy. Another solution would be to have workshops and activities to inform the public about this problem. The advantages are no competition with native
