Question

In North America, a toxic weed called leafy spurge was accidentally introduced and has grown and spread rapidly, covering millions of acres in north central United States and south central Canada. Leafy spurge is generally avoided by cattle and horses and may be toxic to them. Thus, rangeland where leafy spurge has spread has been damaged by the invasion of this plant. Many strategies have been used to control leafy spurge, including the deliberate introduction of different species of flea beetles that feed on leafy spurge. Each flea beetle female may lay about 200 eggs in her one-year life span. If the flea beetle population doesn't actually eat the leafy spurge, and reproduces enough to become a nuissance, what might happen?

Select one:
a. The flea bettle stays within its tolerance zone in the local environment
b. The flea beetle becomes an economic success and eliminated leafy spurge
c. The flea beetle can become an invasive species
d. Local insects keep the flea beetle in check

Answer 1

c. The flea beetle can become an invasive species

Step-by-step explanation:

An invasive species is a non-native species that is introduced to the population (for example by humans). Because they are non-native, they can disrupt the 'natural order' of things. I.e., they can change the function of the ecosystem, which develops naturally to result in a harmony.

In this example, the leafy surge is a good example of an invasive species, it was accidentally introduced and has grown out of control, damaging the range land. In an attempt to control this, we deliberately introduced another non-native species.

This is in an attempt to fix the original mistake. If it works, then great! But if the flea beetles don't actually eat the leafy spurge, and they reproduce so quickly... it means we have introduced an additional species that could also disrupt the ecosystems. This could then mean that the flea beetle becomes an invasive species.