By Emily DiGiuseppe / Full360 Correspondent
Spotted Lanternflies were popular a couple of years ago as known invaders.
They earned a reputation for their damage on vineyards, particularly in Pennsylvania where they came with a great cost to the Pennsylvania agricultural industry. Their presence allows for the further spreading of the tree of heaven, an invasive tree uprooting native flora. Their spread was able to be slowed when the public heard of the damages they were inflicting within the state, but it was only through public outreach and education that this could be accomplished.
Lanternflies are one example of thousands of invasive species that pose a danger to the environment. The effects of invasive species can be traced by to the Ice Age.
Nearly 14,000 years ago as the end of the Ice Age approached, massive sheets of ice retreated from most of North America, revealing the basins gouged out by the weight of massive glaciers alone. What these glaciers left behind were thousands of glacial lakes, the largest of them being known as the Great Lakes, Lake Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario. As history has progressed, these lakes have shifted and changed, but in recent history they have largely become constrained by human settlement, creating a massive threat to the grand geographic features.
But located just south of Lake Erie in Pennsylvania lies Lake Pleasant, a quiet, peaceful spring-fed glacial lake. This undisturbed domain acts as a time capsule, giving modern nature enthusiasts a glimpse into what these glacial lakes looked like before human impact on the environment. It brings many people together every spring and summer for hiking and kayaking, giving many a chance to enjoy the outdoors.
But in recent years it has come under threat. An invader lurking along the shores of this lake threatens to damage this pristine lake. It is known as the narrow-leaf cattail, and despite what it may seem, it has the possibility to wipe out the diverse ecosystem around Lake Pleasant if it is unchecked.
This is just one example of the threat of invasive species living within Pennsylvania. This particular example comes from a documentary shot by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) called Seeing the Unseen: Aquatic Invaders and What’s at Stake. It features three different conservation areas within North Western Pennsylvania that are currently undergoing habitat restoration efforts to conserve the natural environment of different wetlands.
Invasive species are an introduced species that are not naturally occurring within an ecosystem. This means that they did not arrive there due to migration, naturally shifting habitat ranges or otherwise usual instances of species movement. Invasive species can be animals, plants, fungi and any other living organism. In order to be considered an invasive species a species must damage the environment they inhabit, whether those are ecological or environmental.
They primarily spread through human activities, by accident or on purpose. This can be through transportation or through accidental or intentional releasing. Most invasive species are introduced as stow-aways on trucks, ships, trains and any other means of transportation. For example, the zebra mussel is a species of mussel introduced to the Great Lakes after a cargo ship was not properly cleaned. In other cases, such as the burmese python, invasive species are released as pets or relating to the exotic pet trade.
The damage from invasive species can come in the form of outcompeting native species(species that are originally from the ecosystem), negatively altering habitats, predation on native species and reducing biodiversity.
The impact of invasive species on environments is devastating. Through shaping the area around them, their presence has shown to increase flooding and reduce environmental resilience to climate change. They predate on native species and compete with them for natural resources. Because they did not evolve within this environment, they often have no predators and therefore nothing to prevent them naturally from causing this damage. They often displace native species, such as flora- the previously mentioned Narrow-leaf cattails displace native flora around Lake Pleasant. This could be dangerous, as Narrow-leaf cattails are not suited to provide for the rest of the environment in the way native flora are. Invasive species spread disease that native species are not adapted to overcome.
All of these have the potential to bring harm to local economies. Zebra mussels, as mentioned previously, cost the great lakes $1 billion in damages and associated control costs per year, according to a study done by College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University. This is because Zebra mussels invade and clog water intake pipes, water filtration, and electric generating plants. According to Fish and Wildlife, this number jumps to more than $120 billion spent by the U.S. on invasive species as an entirety each year.
So what can people do to help protect our environments and economies from these invaders? Brian Daggs, who works with the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program as an Invasive Plant Ecologist has some insight. He says that,
“Some of the best places to start are to go outside, get out of what urban space you’re in and learn about what’s living around you. There are tools like Inaturalist you can use to start learning about what other organisms you’re sharing a general living space with. Fostering a sense of curiosity and interest in the natural world will lead you down a rabbit hole of learning about what the invasive species are around you and how they are impacting you.
“From there, that will prompt you to look for volunteer opportunities with state or local parks- lots of those places organize stewardship events… just getting involved at a local level and being curious about your local ecology and what you can do to benefit it is the best starting point for anyone.”
Learning more about invasive species and getting more involved locally is among the most beneficial methods of defending our environments from the threat and spread of invasive species.
Brian Daggs also works on a project called IMap Invasives, particularly within the Pennsylvania branch of the program. The Pennsylvania iMapInvasives Program is a partnership of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, and NatureServe. IMapInvasives is a data management system that is used for tracking and managing invasive species. It is available for use by anyone. It is easily accessible on the computer or by mobile and it is a great resource for learning more about local species in any area, even outside of Pennsylvania. Users can submit findings of invasive species and see what others have located. This system is used by local environmental protection agencies and organizations to narrow down the most important invasive species initiatives.