Lab 10, 11, 12, 13

Lab 12: Follow the instructions and complete the assignment below. Submit your answers through the Lab 12 Assignment on Blackboard.

Lab 12 1

Lab 12 In this homework, you will learn about invasive species in the geographic area that you currently live in and identify invasive species in a greenspace around you. You may even pull invasive plants out if you’d like A. Before anything else, we have to learn what invasive species are and why they are so bad. To do this, explore the following resources (make sure to take some notes!):

- https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Threats-to- Wildlife/Invasive-Species Check out this website; it’s very informative. Keep close tab on the vocab used (especially the words invasive, introduced, native, exotic).

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasive_species_in_the_United_States This Wikipedia entry is particularly useful in showing with pictures and links the top invasive species in the US.

- The Global Invasive Species Database: http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/ Search for “garlic mustard”; you can read the General page, but check out the other tabs as well Search for “quagga mussel”; same thing, read the General page, check out the others.

B. Now that we know a little more about invasive species, do some internet searching to figure out some invasive species local to your current geographic area. They can be animals or plants. Take notes of what you find, you’ll need them to answer the questions at the end. C. For the reminder of the lab, we are going to zoom onto plants invasive to your specific local area. Based on your research for part B, make a list of the common plant species that are invasive to your local area. There are many databases and websites available online; use search terms as “invasive plant” followed by your county, for instance. For each invasive plant species, make sure to copy-paste a picture of it, along with a few distinguishing features that would allow you to recognize it outside. You need at least 3 plant species. D. Now it’s time to go outside! For this last section of the lab, you need to find a green space (it can be your yard, the local public playground, a county park, whatever is easiest for you). The goal is to find in that green space at least one of the invasive plant species you researched for Part C. Once you identify one such plant species, take a selfie of you with the plant as evidence that you completed this section of the lab. Take some notes about where you found the species. Now that you completed the lab, answer the following questions:

Lab 12: Follow the instructions and complete the assignment below. Submit your answers through the Lab 12 Assignment on Blackboard.

Lab 12 2

1. What is the difference between the terms “invasive species”, “introduced species”, and “exotic species”? Explain your answer. Cite sources you may be using 2. What is a native species? Why is it vulnerable to invasive species? Explain your answer, and cite sources you are using. 3. What are some common invasive animals to your local area? Present at least 3. Include the date that each species was first found in your local area, and cite your sources. 4. What are some common invasive plants to your local area? Present at least 3. Include the date that each species was first found in your local area, and cite your sources. 5. For the invasive species (plants or animals) that you found for your local area, why are these specific species invasive? Explain your answer to the best of your knowledge 6. What are the impacts of invasive species in either (1) your local area; (2) the United States? 7. What are some of the traits of invasive species, in general, that make them so successful? Explain your answer. 8. Present the work you did for Part C: What are the 3 local plant species that you identified on your internet search? Present each briefly, including why they are invasive. 9. For each of the 3 local plant species you identified as invasive in your local area, present what is being done to control this invasive plant species. Cite your sources! 10. What species did you identify in your local green space for part D? Submit the picture you took as part of your answer. Present a summary of your experience for Part D: was it easy to locate one of the invasive plant species in your local green space? Did you find a high density of the species that you identified? Describe the environment in which you found it briefly.