Introduced species

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/introduced-species

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary vector?Global trade and travel, facilitating rapid intercontinental dispersal
2. What is the economic impact?Significant costs associated with damage, control, and loss of ecosystem services
3. Why can introduced species be a problem?If the new species can grow fast and has no natural enemies, it can outcompete local plants or animals. This can hurt the native species and change the whole ecosystem.
4. How do people accidentally bring new species to other places?They can travel on ships, in cargo boxes, or in the water that ships use. Even toys or plants in a backyard can carry tiny bugs that jump to new lands.

Neobiota: Species that are new to an environment in terms of established biological network relationships.
Neozoa/Neophyta: Introduced animals (neozoa) and plants (neophyta), respectively.
Biocontrol: The use of one species to control the population of another, often an introduced pest.