write 1-2 pages about the negative ecological impact of predation of invasive species in lakes and ponds of Massachusetts.
use google scholar, and do not include the human as source of this impact. Also, follow the ecology citation guidlines that I attached below. Do not use direct quote from articles please. I’m working on my research and this will be the third impact.
Here’s the research that I’m working on to have an idea:
Natural migration, storms, floods, and other events lead to the natural dispersion of plants and animals into new habitats. Other times, humans accidentally or deliberately transport non-native species into new environments. These are also called invasive (Beaury et al, 2020). The migration of these plants and animals leads to their separation from the diseases, parasites, and predators in their natural environment, forcing them to adapt to their new habitats. As a result, this change injures ecosystems due to the species’ loss of control. Ponds and lakes are some of the most common aquatic systems that are gullible to invasive species. The introduction of invasive species in lakes and ponds, whether accidentally, deliberately, or naturally, results in a drastic change in the characteristics of their complex systems (Beaury et al, 2020). Furthermore, according to a U.S Geological Survey, over 150 invasive species have affected over 50% of Massachusetts’ freshwater ponds and lakes (McDonald, 2018). As a result, Massachusetts is currently experiencing immense economic and ecological impacts because of the infestation of the invasive species to its ponds and lakes. For instance, the United States was experiencing an invasion of over 50,000 alien animal and plant species by the 1800s and every one out of seven has so far become invasive (McDonald, 2018). However, unlike the 1800s, invasive species are becoming increasingly problematic today due to the influence of various contemporary human activity as well as natural disasters. Continual development of wilderness and rural areas, the increasing popularity of boating as a recreational activity, and general human modification of the environment are some of the leading human activities that contribute to the quick spread of invasive species (Richard, 2017). This is because the increased effect of human activities on ponds, lakes and other water bodies decreases the habitats of plants and animals, thereby threatening their existence or helping their migration in many instances (Beaury et al, 2020). Increased invasive species, in turn, negatively affect the pond or lake rendering it unusable. When this occurs, humans shift their activities to the next lake or pond leading to similar results. As is apparent, human activities largely contribute to the quick spread of invasive species and pose a threat to the survival of lakes and ponds. Consequently, the introduction of invasive aquatic plant species to a lake can lead to a serious problem and make it entirely unusable. This paper will focus on the ecological impacts that invasive species in ponds and lakes in Massachusetts .
First, The vast and rapid spread of exotic invasive species across lakes and ponds in Massachusetts has resulted in a competition for nutrients, light, and space as well as diseases. Due to their aggressiveness, the invasive species often out-compete other aquatic plants and animals. As a result, native plants die since the exotic invasive species do not provide ideal sources of shelter and food. Further, most of the animals that depend on the dying native plants and animals are forced to migrate for their survival. Other times, invasive species choke out native species by damaging water bodies (McDonald, 2018). For example, an invasive species known as the Bottom-feeding carp uproots native plants, consumes native invertebrates and excretes large amounts of waste that in turn, facilitate the growth of algae. In other words, the encroachment of invasive species on ponds or lakes reduces biodiversity by introducing unhealthy competition for food and space with the native species, importing new diseases to the new surroundings, and restructuring established food webs. Also, biodiversity reduces when interbreeding occurs between native species and invasive species, causing an altered gene pool and resulting in homogeneity as well as hybridization (McDonald, 2018). When this altering of the aquatic gene pool occurs, the ecosystem’s ability to human induced or natural changes becomes compromised. Thus, the rapid and wide spread of invasive species in the lakes and ponds of Massachusetts threatens the ecological systems of these aquatic bodies. Many species are already on the federal list of threatened and endangered species because of the impact of invasive species on their habitats. The additional problem arising with increasing invasive species in lakes and ponds is the spread of infectious diseases. These invasive species, plant or fish, and even insects, can bring with them infectious diseases that spread into the ecosystem of the lakes and ponds in destructive ways, especially when involving novel pathogens (Crowl et al, 2008). These pathogens can wreak havoc on numerous diverse species, driving some to extinction, and significantly damaging others, which can result in an array of negative consequences in both the short term and long term (Crowl et al, 2008). These pathogens introduced by invasive species can cut through different native species, and upset the ecological balance, disrupt the food webs, and bring about adverse imbalances in numerous ways. The lakes and ponds of Massachusetts can be susceptible to such infectious disease impacts from these invasive species introducing novel pathogens with unforeseen destructive consequences.
Second, the negative impacts of invasive species on food webs and food chains in the ponds and lakes of Massachusetts is also a major concern. Studies conducted on these negative impacts have demonstrated that invasive species alter the bottom-top and top-bottom arrangements in the often-sensitive food webs and food chains of ponds and lakes (Carey & Wahl, 2010). Yet, in ecosystems with rich, diverse native species, the invasive species have reduced negative impacts on the food webs and food chains (Carey & Wahl, 2010). In the context of the ponds and lakes in Massachusetts, the invasive species may have dramatic negative impacts on those ecosystems with fewer, less diverse numbers of native species, while far less significant negative impacts on those ecosystems with rich, diverse numbers of native species. It is noteworthy to emphasize that the negative impacts are significantly reduced when rich, diverse numbers of native species are present at the micro level compared to the macro level (Carey & Wahl, 2010). For instance, when the plankton community was rich and diverse in the ponds and lakes these invasive species that graze on this food source had less of a negative impact (Carey & Wahl, 2010). This indicates that biodiversity at both micro levels and macro levels are important for ponds and lakes to maintain ecological health when an invasive species is introduced. Another problematic impact caused by invasive species in the lakes and ponds of Massachusetts concern nutrient cycles. These nutrient cycles are precise, specific systems that rely on ecological balance in the ecosystem to perform optimally for specific ponds and lakes (Brönmark & Hansson, 2017). For example, biologists often focus on the cycling of certain nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, and measuring the chemical relations with ecological stoichiometry, which can distinctively distinguish both nitrification or denitrification of a lake or pond’s ecosystem (Brönmark & Hansson, 2017). One of the most observed negative impacts in many freshwater ponds and lakes from invasive species is the alteration of the mobilization of ions and changes in phosphorus (Moss, 2012). These changes result in interference with the nutrient cycle of these lakes and ponds, which in turn impact the ecological balance and health of their ecosystems.
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