Quiz 1

Question 1

Invasion Biology

Answer 1

The study of human-assisted spread and increases in species abundance

Question 2

Charles Elton

Answer 2

Father of Invasion Biology
* British Population Biologist
* ‘Trophic Pyramid’ concept of food chains
* Conservationist (involved in establishment of The Nature Conservancy
in 1949)
* Author of “The Ecology of Invasion by
Animals & Plants” (1958)

Question 3

Why we should care about invasion biology

Answer 3

Why should we care?
* Ecological impacts
– Natural community disruption
– Diversity
– Human health
* Economic impacts
– Agriculture
– Timber products
– Aesthetics

Question 4

Human Health Impacts

Answer 4

Non-native introductions into North America.
Vectors for yellow fever, dengue fever, Zika.
(Yellow fever mosquito, asian tiger mosquito)

Question 5

Are “invasion” and “alien” weighted term?

Answer 5

“Invasion” has inherent negative connotations related to war and
aggressive behavior.
“Alien” isn’t an inherently negative term, but has become one through
science fiction writing and movies.

Question 6

Xenophobia and
Exotic Species Control?

Answer 6

Critics argue that efforts to control non-native species can sometimes reflect biases like nativism (favoring native species as inherently better) or xenophobia (fear of the unfamiliar). They suggest these attitudes might influence conservation decisions more than science, similar to how society sometimes views immigrants or cultural outsiders.

Question 7

Davis et al. 2001 criticism of biology

Answer 7

• We lack reliable generalizations about
  – Mechanisms of invasion
  – Predictability of invasion
• Invasion ecology separated from succession ecology.
  – Started with Elton (1958)?

Scientists don’t fully understand why some species invade successfully or how to predict invasions. Invasion ecology, which studies non-native species, became its own field separate from succession ecology (how ecosystems recover naturally). This split started with Elton’s 1958 book, which highlighted the impacts of invasive species.

Question 8

Williamson 1996 stages of invasion and the Tens rule

Answer 8

TESI- transport, establishment, spread, impact.

1/10 imported species “escape” to the wild.
1/10 of the escapees become established.
1/10 of the established species become pests (invasive).
These are generalizations. Deviations from these generalizations can
tell us about the process of invasion.

Question 9

Terminology is inconsistently used

Answer 9

Native species – A species living in an area for entirely natural reasons, with no human intervention involved.

Antonyms (often used interchangeably):
Non-Native, Non-indigenous, Alien, Exotic, Foreign, Introduced

Question 10

Multiple definitions of naturalized.

Answer 10

– Non-native species reproducing outside of human cultivation.
– Non-native species reproducing in natural or semi-natural settings.
– Species found outside their native range (may or may not be reproducing).
– Non-native species that have expanded their geographic ranges.

Question 11

Invasive species (multiple definitions)

Answer 11

– Species (including native species) that has a demonstrable ecological or
economic impact (Lockwood et al. 2006).

– Non-native species that have become abundant and expanded their geographic range (Richardson et al. 2000, Daehler 2001, Colautti & MacIsaac 2004).

Question 12

Cattails (Typha spp.)

Answer 12

Invasive? Depends on the
definition you use.

• Native to North America
• Strong growth responses to nutrients
• Abundances greatly increased by fertilizers

Question 13

The Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis) (native
to New Guinea)

Answer 13

• Native to New Guinea and E. Australia
• Hitchhiked to Guam after WW2.
• No natural enemies on Guam
• Generalist feeder

Question 14

Impacts of brown tree snake on Naive Fauna

Answer 14

• No native snakes on Guam
• Prey had not evolved with snake
  predators, thus, were easy prey.
• The generalist feeder decimated
  populations of native species (birds,
  mammals, and herpetofauna)
• Guam’s Wildlife Department stopped
  counting in the 1970s because there was
  nothing to count.
• Negative impacts on vegetative
  diversity
• Declining populations of vital pollinators (birds, fruit bats)
• Snakes in unwanted places
• Occasional snake bite
• Disrupting power supplies

Question 15

Brown Tree Snake Management

Answer 15

• Manual collection
• Traps (funnels)
• Poisoned-Mouse Drops!!!
• Inspection of exports

Question 16

Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolia) is a South American plant that was introduced into South
Florida and has spread over large areas, crowding out native plant species and altering habitat for native
animals. Which of the following words would describe Brazilian pepper in South Florida? Circle all that apply and circle below

native, non-native, exotic, alien, weed, invasive

Answer 16

non-native, exotic, alien, weed, invasive

Non-native, exotic, and alien are synonyms for an expanded range due to human activities. Because
Brazilian pepper spreads over large areas in high densities, it has negative impacts on native habitats
and, thus, is a weedy and invasive species.

Question 17

You learned a bit about cattails in today’s assigned lectures. Which of the following words apply to Cattails (Typha spp.) in North America? Circle all that apply and explain below.

native, non-native, exotic, alien, weed, invasive

Answer 17

Native, weed, invasive

Cattails are native to North America, but due to human-induced influxes of nutrients in the plant’s
habitat, cattails grow in more dense patches that take over ponds and alter native habitat; thus, this
native species has become a weedy invasive

Question 18

Cultivated peonies are valued for their beautiful flowers. Cultivated peonies in North America are from Eurasia, but have escaped cultivation in some areas. These plants have not detectable negative impacts on native communities. Which of the following terms apply to these plants? Circle all that apply and
explain.

native, non-native, exotic, alien, weed, invasive

Answer 18

non-native, exotic, alien

Eurasian peonies are non-native, which is a synonym for exotic and alien. However, the plant does not have detectable impacts on native communities, thus, is NOT considered weedy nor invasive

Question 19

The species range of coyotes (Canis latrans) were historically restricted to the western United States until eastward expansion in around 100 years ago. Similarly, the red fox (Vulpes Vulpes) was absent from lowland regions of the US east coast until around the mid-1800s. The range expansion of the two
species seems to be associated with extirpation of the Grey Wolf in the eastern United States and/or human-caused habitat alteration. Discuss whether you would consider these two species to be native,
non-native, and/or invasive in their expanded range.

native, non-native, exotic, alien, weed, invasive

Answer 19

Non-native (eastward expansion), exotic, ailen

There is no certain answer. These species have expanded through natural dispersal, but that expansion
was likely facilitated due to human activities in habitat alteration and extermination of the native grey
wolf. I would lean toward non-native. Are they invasive? They don’t seem to have negative impacts on native communities and coyotes may even replace ecological role of grey wolf. Coyotes do threaten pets
and agricultural animals, but those are not typically qualifications for ‘invasive’ status.

Question 20

Hypothetical example: A few individuals of a parrot species were released in a South Florida
neighborhood 30 years ago. Those parrots are reproducing, but remain at a low population size and only
in the area of that same neighborhood. What stage of invasion has that parrot population reached in the
neighborhood. Explain your answer.

Answer 20

These parrots have certainly ‘escaped’, and persistence for 30 years qualifies as ‘established’, however,
they have not ‘spread’ nor had perceivable ‘impacts’. So the parrots are at the ‘established’ stage.

Question 21

Define the Tens Rule.

Answer 21

The general pattern of non-native species becoming invasive requires that they transition across the four stages of invasion. In general, approximately 1/10 of species pass from one stage to the next.

Question 22

Who proposed the Tens Rule?

Answer 22

WIlliamson

Question 23

According to the Tens Rule, what percentage of species that escape into non-native habitat will become invasive?

Answer 23

1/10 of species in the species spread and 1/10 of those that spread become invasive (i.e., have impacts).
Thus, 1/10 x 1/10 = 1/100 = 1%

Question 24

What characteristics of Guam do you think allowed for the brown tree snake to have such great impacts on the
island?

Answer 24

• No top predators
• Naïve prey
• These two are more common in islands than continents

Question 25

Transport Vector

Answer 25

The manner in
which species are carried to a new location

Question 26

Pathway

Answer 26

The route between the source region and location of release.

Question 27

Dispersal

Answer 27

Movement from one site, sometimes natal site, to a
breeding site.

Question 28

Extra-Range Dispersal

Answer 28

Dispersal beyond the natural range of
the species.

Question 29

Human Mediated Dispersal

Answer 29

Dispersal that is in some way facilitated by human activity.

deposits species outside native range…
1) Farther than natural dispersal
2) Faster than natural dispersal
* Examples:
– Guam
– Gough Islands
– Hawaiian Islands

1) Deposit individuals into new areas multiple times
2) Introduced individuals usually come from multiple sources
Consequences: Greater amount of genetic variation (thought to
increase chance of Establishment)

Question 30

Natural Extra-Range Dispersal

Answer 30

Rare
- Typically relatively short
distances
- Prevailing winds
- Ocean currents

Question 31

Leading edge dispersal

Answer 31

Gradual, individuals colonize new areas at edge of range

Question 32

Corridor

Answer 32

Physical connection of suitable habitat forms links original range to new area

Question 33

Jump dispersal

Answer 33

long distance transport + establishment

Question 34

Extreme long distance dispersal

Answer 34

Small number travel long distances RARE

Question 35

Mass dispersal

Answer 35

large # indiv over shorter distances usually (hurricane relocation)

Question 36

Cultivation

Answer 36

Intentional plant new species in new area

Question 37

For a native species to colonize an island, for example,
it must possess one or a combination of characteristics

Answer 37

Wind-dispersed seeds
Flight capable
Floats
Salt tolerance
Involves very low survival
AND nearby locations

Question 38

Human-Mediated Dispersal May select for traits uncoupled from
those that facilitate natural dispersal.

Answer 38

Birds with bright plumage
Plants with beautiful fruits or flowers
Agricultural plants
Domesticated animals

Question 39

Human mediated transport two types

Answer 39

• Intentional transport
  – Generally commerce-related movement
  – Crop plants, ornamental plants, pets, biocontrol, etc.
  – Better records
• Unintentional transport
  – Transportation-related movement

Question 40

Intentional transport examples:

1- Crops plymouth bay sorrel and yarrow

2- Medicinal St johns wort

3- Forage Kudzu

4- Crop pollinators honey bee

5- Game species Mallard duck and rainbow trout

6- Baitfish minnow

Answer 40

• Crops
  – In 1634, William Wood noticed the
  crops sorrel & yarrow escaped
  cultivation in Plymouth Bay,
  Massachusetts
• Medicinal
  – In 1800s, St. Johns wort was introduced
  In New England & Mid-Atlantic states
  for medicinal purposed
• Forage crop
  – In 1800s, Kudzu promoted for forage for
  farm animals and ornamental
• Crop Pollinators
  – Honey bee is native to Europe and
  Africa, outcompetes native bees in US
• Game Species
  – Mallard ducks introduced to Hawaii for
  hunting (hybridizing with Hawaiian duck).
  – Rainbow trout (Native to N. America,
  Introduced to non-native water bodies)
  hybridizing with five listed species
• Baitfish
  – US native fat-head minnow introduced to
  non-native water bodies across US.

Question 41

Non-food related intentional transport:

Answer 41

Many plants
‘Ornamental’
Ardesia sp. – Neotropical
native. Invasive in S.
Florida & Hawaii.

• European Starling
  Acclimatization
  Society in NY “Birds
  of Shakespeare”

Question 42

Intentional Introductions - Biocontrol

Asian lady bug

Mosquito fish

Cactoblastis cactorum

Answer 42

• Predators of Agricultural Pests
  – Asian Ladybug
  – Parasitoids
• Gambusia affinis (Mosquito fish) – Native to
  SE U.S. region.
  – For control of mosquitoes.
  – Out-competes native fish and doesn’t control
  mosquitoes.
• Cactoblastis cactorum – Native to S. America
  – Introduced into Australia, S. Africa, Caribbean to
  control Opuntia cacti with natural dispersal to Florida

Question 43

Intentional Introductions – Conservation
Devils hole pupfish

Answer 43

• Devil’s Hole Pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis)
  – Native to Devil’s Hole, Nevada.
  – Introduced to new location because only population was
  threatened by groundwater pumping.
  – Current populations ~100 individuals.
  – Unlikely to become invasive.
  Devil’s Hole:
  Nearly entire
  native range of
  devil’s hole
  pupfish

Question 44

Unintentional Introductions
Ballast

Answer 44

– Water or soil used to balance cargo ships.
Ship releasing ballast water in port
81 non-native plants in Pennsylvania
arrived in ballast heaps.
Mid-1800s – Most non-native insects in
U.S. arrived through ballast soil.
An estimated 10,000 species are
transported in ballast water on a given
day.
Ships now required to release ballast out
of port.

Question 45

Unintentional Introductions
Contaminants in Commercial Products

Answer 45

Parasites on domestic animals
Ticks, mites, fleas, disease
Other plant species in potted plants
51% of pots contain unintended species
Seeds mixed in with other seeds or hay
70,000 seeds per bale of hay
Fungus - On fruits, plants, wood products, etc

Question 46

Unintentional Introductions
Stowaways
Ash borer

Answer 46

In cargo holds of ships or airplanes
e.g. brown tree snake in Guam
post WW2.
In packaging material
e.g. Emerald ash borer arrived in Michigan
before 2002, probably on shipping crate from
China. Killing ash trees of North America. Emerald ash borer and
damage to ash

Question 47

Hub and Spokes Model

Answer 47

Hubs – Major ports of entry (air or water)
Spoke locations – Nearby connections to the hubs

Question 48

Gough Island winged insects

Answer 48

Winged-insect colonizations
Pre-1675: Estimated 1 new species every
95,000 years.
Post-1675: 218 new species every 1,000
years.
This is a 22,000 times increase in the rate of
colonization.

Question 49

Hawaiian Plants

Answer 49

Most isolated islands in the world
~ 260 natural plant species colonizations in history of
islands.
One new species every 50 years after Polynesians
arrived.
One new species every 22 years after Europeans arrived.
Number of species nearly double since human arrival.

Question 50

How does natural dispersal differ from human-mediated (i.e., anthropogenic) dispersal?

Answer 50

Natural dispersal typically occurs over relatively short distances. Human-mediated dispersal often occurs over
long geographic distances, e.g., intercontinentally and to remote islands, and at speeds and rates much more
rapid than natural dispersal

Question 51

Compare and contrast species’ biological traits that may be associated with greater natural dispersal vs.
anthropogenic dispersal.

Answer 51

Biological traits that facilitate natural dispersal are typically different from those that increase the likelihood of
human-mediated dispersal, but may benefit both dispersal modes.

Natural dispersal traits: Flight, wind-dispersed seeds, floats in water, salt tolerance, long
dormancy/development period

Human-mediated dispersal traits: agricultural plants, domesticated animals, aesthetically-pleasing
plants/animals, cute animals, long dormancy/development period, associations with humans

Question 52

Describe the transport mechanism of the following species to their invasive ranges and include whether it was
unintentional or intentional, and if intentional what was the purpose.
a. Cactoblastis moth (Cactoblastis cactorum)
Intentional introduction for pest control of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia spp.) in Australia and Caribbean.
Maybe natural dispersal to US.
b. Asian ladybug (Harmonia axyridis)
c. Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis)
d. Honey bee (Apis mellifera)
e. Devil’s hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis)
f. Various fruit fungi

Answer 52

a. Cactoblastis moth (Cactoblastis cactorum)
Intentional introduction for pest control of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia spp.) in Australia and Caribbean.
Maybe natural dispersal to US.
b. Asian ladybug (Harmonia axyridis)
Intentional introduction for pest control in crops.
c. Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis)
Unintentional introduction most likely through wooden crates carrying auto parts from China to
Michigan.
d. Honey bee (Apis mellifera)
Intentional introduction from Europe for crop pollination.
e. Devil’s hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis)
Intentional introduction to nearby desert pools for conservation.
f. Various fruit fungi
Unintentional introductions worldwide through transport of infected fruits.

Question 53

The spongy moth (Lymantria dispar), native to Eurasia, was brought to Boston in the late 1800s for silk research but escaped and spread across the U.S. It now ranges from North Carolina to Minnesota. The moth’s population surges every 5-10 years, often defoliating entire forests during outbreaks, which harms ecosystems and the economy.

Female moths can’t fly, so they spread by:

Larval ballooning – Tiny larvae float on silk threads for short distances.
Egg transport – Eggs hitch rides on firewood, camping gear, and vehicles, spreading farther.
Human transport of eggs is the main way they expand their range.

Describe the mechanisms of extra-range movement by the spongy moth in the i) transport phase and ii)
spread phase of this species’ invasion of the US.

How would you classify these two mechanisms of human-mediated dispersal based on slide 9 from
Lecture 2a?

What is/are the biological trait(s) that increases the natural range expansion of the spongy moth?

What is/are the biological trait(s) that increases/increased the anthropogenic range expansion of the
spongy moth?

Answer 53

a.
i) Intentional introduction to research silk production
ii) A combination of natural dispersal (short distance dispersal) and unintentional human-
mediated transport of eggs laid on fire wood, camping equipment, automobiles, etc. (long
distance dispersal)

b.
i) Transport to the US: Extreme long-distance dispersal
ii) Range expansion in the US: a combination of leading-edge dispersal (natural dispersal)
and mass dispersal (human-mediated dispersal) wherein there is a constant ‘pressure’ as
human travel carries eggs beyond the range edge.

c.
i) Range expansion in the US: Ballooning by larvae soon after hatching.

d.
i) Transport to US: Potential for silk production (but was poor silk producer)
ii) Laying eggs on products that humans use.
iii) Egg masses with long development times

Question 54

Humans have mediated the transport of biotic organisms for thousands of years, but the pattern and scale of
this movement has changed over that time. Briefly describe what that movement of organisms looked…
a. 10,000 years ago

b. 1600 – 1900

c. Today

Answer 54

a. 10,000 years ago
Short distance movements, typically via nomadic bipedal movement that could cover longer distances
over long periods of time, and rare intercontinental movements that could potentially result in long
distance dispersal of a non-native plant on rare occasions.

b. 1600 – 1900
More mobility over longer and intercontinental distances, but still with travel times that could be
months if not years.

c. Today
High intercontinental connectivity with travel times measured in hours (air travel) to weeks (cargo ships)
with pathways through trade and, to a lesser extent, individual human movements.

Question 55

Which of the following impacts does the invasive brown tree snake have on Guam? (select all that apply)

Answer 55

Decline in native animals
Occasionally give humans mildly venomous bites
Decline in plant diversity
Disrupt power supplies

Question 56

Which of the following is a species trait that is most likely to increase anthropogenic dispersal?

options: Lays eggs in ocean currents
Small seeds that blow in the wind
Flight capability
Cultivation by humans

Answer 56

Cultivation by humans

Question 57

The arrival of Cactoblastis cactorum in the United States from Australia was most likely facilitated by…

Answer 57

Anthropogenic dispersal followed by natural dispersal, intentionally introduced to Australia as a biological control agent to manage invasive prickly pear cactus (Opuntia spp.)

Question 58

What do the ‘spokes’ in the Hub and Spokes model best explain?

Answer 58

How non-native species arrive in more rural and inland areas

Question 59

kleunan et al:

What is the overarching question of this paper?

How do the authors address the question?

Answer 59

The overarching question of this paper is “What are the patterns of naturalized (i.e. non-native)
species accumulation around the world, including comparisons of differences among donor regions,
recipient regions, and what are possible explanations for the observed patterns.

The authors analyze a global data set of occurrences of 13,168 plant species across over 800 regions
(mainland and island) across major continental regions around the world

Question 60

kleunan et al:

3. Which two regions of the world have the highest accumulation of non-native species? What
   explanation for this pattern is offered by the authors?
4. Which continent seems to have the greatest resistance to non-native species accumulation (i.e.,
   lower than predicted) compared to other continents and what explanation do the authors
   provide for this finding?
5. What did the authors find regarding tropical regions?
6. Why do the authors suggest that temperate Asia has low rates of non-native species
   accumulation?

Answer 60

3. Europe and North America have the highest accumulation of non-native species. The authors
   attribute this pattern to these two continents engaging in high rates of international trade for
   centuries.
4. Europe has had a longer history of human alteration of natural habitat (thousands of years) over
   larger areas than the other continents. This is hypothesized to result in native plants evolving to the human landscape and, thus, occupying more of the niches provided by habitat alteration. This, in
   turn, leaves fewer ecological opportunities for non-native species from other regions to naturalize.
5. The authors found fewer naturalized species than expected in tropical regions compared to the
   temperate regions.
6. Temperate Asia has been relative isolated from the rest of the world, particularly with relatively
   little European colonization; thus, there has likely been less transport of plants (called ‘propagule
   pressure’) into temperature Asia than other continents.

Question 61

Which of the following statements is supported through visualization of Figure 3 Kleunan et al?
a. South America has donated more than the predicted number of non-native species to
other regions of the world.
b. Tropical Asia has donated more than the predicted number of non-native species to
other regions of the world.
c. Temperate Asia has donated more non-native species to Europe than vice versa.
d. North America has received more non-native species from Tropical Asia than South
America.

Answer 61

c. Temperate Asia has donated more non-native species to Europe than vice versa.

Question 62

quiz q: brown tree snake on guam..

a) highly venomous
b) likely invaded the island after WW2
c) endangered due to crab predation
d) b and c

Answer 62

B

Question 63

qq: tens rule what proportion of non-nat species will become invasive in a new region?

Answer 63

1/10x1/10x1/10x1/10= 1/1000

Question 64

qq: why does temperate asia have fewer non-nat species than would be expected?

Choices: cold climate, low human/trade connectivity, high native species diversity, low disturbance

Answer 64

low human/trade connectivity

Question 65

qq: What is charles elton known for besides father of invasion bio

Answer 65

trophic pyramid: most energy found at the base and the least at the top

Question 66

qq: which region has most rapid accumulation of naturalized non-nat species per land area according to kleunan?

a- europe
b- US
c- Pacific islands
d- northern hemisphere

Answer 66

c- pacific islands

Question 67

qq: Kleunan- which region donated more non-natives that expected to other regions and why?

Answer 67

Europe because the continent has had extensive anthropogenic habit alteration for many centuries the native plants have been selected for living in human altered haitat

Question 68

qq: what is distinction between non native species and invasive species

Answer 68

non native is just species outside its natural environment, invasive has potential negative impacts

Question 69

qq: transport vector

Answer 69

manner in which a spceies is transported to new location

Question 70

qq: where has rate of non nat species increased overe 20,000 times from pre to post human colonization

Answer 70

Isolated islands