BIO 468 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Niche Differentiation, Controlled Burn, Wildfire Suppression
Document Summary
Invasive species may fill an unused niche: using different resources, acquiring resources in a different way, an example is when all the species need nitrogen fixation to occur. However, if a species invades in that fixes its own nitrogen it will start to out-compete other native species: a form of natural advantage, most likely in species-poor communities, supported by island biogeography theory. Species always being able to find a niche due to species going extinct. Anthropogenic disturbance hypothesis: distrubance removes competitors and predators (reduce biotic resistance, fewer competitors means unused resources. Invasive species may exploit new niche: widespread human disturbance creates many invasion opportunities, addition of resources (fertilizer, co2, n2) creates even more invasion opportunities. What to do about invasive species: prevention, keep the invasive organism out. If it does get in, prevent or slow its spread: eradication, remove populations that are already established. Risk of invasion depends on plants and ecosystems.
