Liza's Life Below Water Topic Exploration by Liza Marquez

Goal # 14 Life below Water

s1746659 — 2025-01-16 23:03:32 UTC

The reason why I got interested in this topic is because ever since I was little I always loved the ocean. I would go to the beach all the time when I was little and really grew a major interest in this matter.

Invasive species vs. Exotic marine life

s1746659 — 2025-01-16 23:22:36 UTC

Over the years many invasive species have been arriving to ocean water they don't belong. A reason why this could be is because people are releasing their marine pets to the wild. This is bad because these invasive species start being competition to the Exotic marine life. Since these invasive species may not have natural predators they start to ruin the food chain and become competition.

this information was found on the NOAA fisheries website.

Fun facts

s1746659 — 2025-01-17 04:03:14 UTC

Scientists estimate there are 5,000 to 10,000 species traveling in cargo ships at any given time, floating in the ballast water used to keep the ships stable at sea. When the water is released on arrival, so are those living creatures. Zebra mussels are said to have attached themselves to the sides of ships travelling from Central Asia, then set up home in the Great Lakes of North America. There, they now clog boat engines, damage water pipes – and, most significantly, threaten native species.

What are Invasive species?

s1746659 — 2025-01-17 04:15:24 UTC

Marine invasive species, also known as non-native species, non-indigenous species, or alien species, are organisms that have been introduced into ecosystems where they do not historically or naturally occur.

California Wildlife website

Interactive Map

s1746659 — 2025-01-17 04:38:39 UTC

In this map it shows me different types of invasive species and what they are and from where did they originated from.

What are some times of Invasive species around the world?

s1746659 — 2025-01-17 05:01:16 UTC

These animals are some examples of invasive species around the world.

Red lionfish
Chinese mitten Crab
Zebra mussel
European Green Crab
Rapana venosa
Nile Perch
New Zealand mud snail
Small mouth bass
Grass carp
Rainbow trout

Marine invasive problems in Europe

s1746659 — 2025-01-17 05:22:49 UTC

Around 779 have been reported in Europe's seas, with the rate of new introductions steadily rising since 1970. The average annual rate of new introductions quadrupled compared to the 1970's in the last six-year assessment period of 2012-2017. Half of these introductions occurred via the transport-stowaway/shipping pathway, with 14% through corridors such as manmade waterways that connect adjacent non-EU waters.

Marine Invasive problems in Asia

s1746659 — 2025-01-17 05:25:44 UTC

First observed at Long Beach Harbor in 2003, dense patches of S. horneri now dominates extensive swaths of kelp forest and subtidal habitat at six of the eight Channel Islands. Channel Islands National Park’s long-term Kelp Forest Monitoring Program has been documenting this species continuing spread, as well as the effects it is having on the kelp forest community. Since eradicating S. horneri is virtually impossible in an open ocean environment, the kelp forests will likely be forever changed.

Marine Invasive problems in Africa

s1746659 — 2025-01-17 05:30:24 UTC

Scientists have identified 95 marine alien species along the South African coast. Among these marine aliens, there’s a special group known as fouling agents. These organisms attach to surfaces like a vessel’s hull, jetties, mariculture rafts and rocks. Most fouling organisms are sedentary, such as algae, barnacles and mussels. Some are burrow-dwelling, such as worms, while others cling to surfaces, such as amphipods and isopods. Crabs, starfish and some small fishes are also included in the group.

Marine Invasive problems in Central America

s1746659 — 2025-01-17 05:35:08 UTC

Lionfish continue to expand at astonishing speeds and are harming native coral reef ecosystems in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean. Biologists suspect that lionfish populations have not yet peaked in the Gulf of Mexico, which means that their demand for native prey will continue to increase. Recent research has also revealed that lionfish can tolerate brackish coastal zones. Mangrove and estuarine habitats may also be at risk of invasion. Adult lionfish are primarily fish-eaters and have very few predators outside of their home range. Researchers have discovered that a single lionfish residing on a coral reef can reduce recruitment of native reef fish by 79 percent. Lionfish feed on prey normally consumed by snappers, groupers, and other commercially important native species. This means their presence could negatively affect the well-being of valuable commercial and recreational fisheries.

Marine Invasive problems in South America

s1746659 — 2025-01-17 05:49:56 UTC

Since our data show costs reported in Brazil for only 16 invasive alien species, our estimates are likely a conservative minimum of the actual economic costs of biological invasions in Brazil. Taken together, they indicate that invasive alien species are an important cause of economic losses and that Brazil has mostly opted for paying for the damage incurred by biological invasions rather than investing in preventing them from happening.

ScienceDaily

s1746659 — 2025-01-17 13:21:32 UTC

Non-native species -- including a range of small marine invertebrates -- can reach Antarctica by catching a ride on floating objects like kelp, driftwood, pumice, and plastic. Previously, scientists thought these species only drifted from remote and unpopulated islands in the Southern Ocean. However, this new research suggests they can reach the Antarctic coastline from all southern continents.

Floating dock from Japan carries potential invasive species

s1746659 — 2025-01-17 13:25:25 UTC

Debris from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan began making its way toward the West Coast of the United States, there were fears of possible radiation and chemical contamination as well as costly cleanup. But a floating dock that unexpectedly washed ashore in Newport this week and has been traced back to the Japanese disaster has brought with it a completely different threat -- invasive species.

ScienceDaily

The history of Invasive Species

s1746659 — 2025-01-17 13:26:48 UTC

Species distributions are rapidly changing, facilitated by enhanced human migration and globalization over the past several centuries. Increasingly, species are becoming introduced to and established in novel locations that are often well outside their limits for natural dispersal.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7045714/