Biodiversity of Alabama:
Invasive Species
Invasive Species
Definition: non-native species that are
brought into an area and then displace
native species
Also called exotics, alien species or
introduced species
Do not have natural predators or
competitors
68. Privet
 Introduced as a
hedgerow
 Spread by birds that
eat the fruits
 Outcompetes native
shrubs and trees
69. Kudzu
 Fast-growing climbing
vine from Asia
 Introduced to control
erosion
 Smothers native
plants
70. Cogongrass


1.
2.
3.
Introduced from Japan, accidentally and intentionally
Reasons it is a problem:
Fire hazard
Destroys native habitats
Livestock can’t eat it
71. Mosquito Fish
 Small fish with bulbous body
 An invasive species that was brought here to eat
mosquito larvae that live in water
72. European Starling
 Released into New York
City in the late1800s by a
man who wanted to
introduce to the U.S. all of
the birds mentioned in
Shakespeare
 Now widespread across
North America
 Outcompetes many
native birds for nest holes
73. House Sparrow
 European species,
now found worldwide
 Aggressively
outcompetes native
cavity-nesting birds
 “French fry birds” –
thrive near humans
74. Asiatic Clam
 Introduced from Asia
 Very common in Cahaba
River where they take
over native clam species
Sandbar covered with clam
shells
75. Japanese Honeysuckle
 Grows as a vine and
chokes out native plants
 Can survive year-round
giving it an advantage
over some plants
 Few natural enemies
76. Hydrilla
 Clogs waterways,
restricting recreation
 kills other aquatic life
by blocking sunlight
and using oxygen
 promotes mosquito
breeding
77. Chestnut Blight
 Chestnut once comprised
one-fourth to one-half of
eastern U.S. forests, and
was prized for its durable
wood, and as a food for
humans, livestock and
wildlife. Today, only
stump sprouts from killed
trees remain.
 Chestnut blight is a
disease caused by a
fungus that infects the
tree
78. Wild Boar
 Sus scrofa
 Probably introduced by European
settlers originally, although
subsequent releases of European
“feral swine" and illegal trap and
transplant operations by hunting
enthusiasts have encouraged
their hybridization and spread.
 Considered a direct and
aggressive competitor with native
wildlife and destroyer of natural
plant communities of the state.
 “Every opportunity for eradication
should be undertaken.”
79. Fire Ants
 The RIFA was
accidentally introduced
into the United States
aboard a South American
cargo ship that docked at
the port of Mobile,
Alabama, in the 1930s,
and came to infest the
majority of the Southern
and Southwestern United
States.