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		Invasive Species Invasive Species What's New The Threat of Invasive Species Impacts of Invasive Species What You Can Do   Backyard Invasives   Easy Ways to   Combat Invasives   Test Your   Knowledge What We Do   Science-Based   Solutions   Manage Invasions   Promote Public   Policies   Encourage Better   Business Practices Where We Work Contact Press Releases

Help Stop Invasive Species With your help we can stop the spread of invasive species around the world. Zebra mussels clog pipes and disrupt power plants. Chestnut blight attacks and kills chestnut trees.   Fact Check: Wondering where we got our facts? Look at our list of sources!

How much do you know about invasive species? Take our quiz and find out. Click on the answer which you think is correct.

1. Which of the following invasive species disrupts power plants by the Great Lakes?
   1. Zebra mussel
   2. Burmese python
   3. Brushtail possum
   4. Sudden oak death
2. Invasive species have many harmful effects. Which of the following impacts does buffelgrass have in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona?
   1. It increases how frequently wildfires sweep through lands
   2. It transforms biologically rich savannahs into dense, shaded forests with little biodiversity
   3. It strangles other plants
   4. It produces compounds that poisons other plants
3. Invasive species arrive through different routes. How does water hyacinth most frequently invade?
   1. It arrives in ballast water from ships
   2. It becomes attached to cars, trucks, and heavy machinery
   3. It is shipped by the horticulture trade
   4. Its seeds are eaten and carried by feral pigs
4. What percentage of endangered or threatened species in the United States are at risk from invasive species?
   1. 8 percent
   2. 42 percent
   3. 50 percent
   4. 1 percent
5. Which native American species is invasive in New Zealand and Australia?
   1. Hellbender
   2. American bison
   3. Ivory billed woodpecker
   4. Monterey pine
6. Which of the following is not a management method that is used to fight invasive plants?
   1. Manually pulling them
   2. Prescribed fire
   3. Building fences
   4. Herbicides
7. The American chestnut was once a dominant tree in eastern North America. When did it become essentially extinct in the wild because of the non-native chestnut blight?
   1. 200 BC
   2. 1492 AD
   3. Around the 1930-1950s
   4. 2005
8. Determining the costs from invasive species is notoriously difficult. What is the annual cost to the USA, estimated by scientists in 2004?
   1. $100 million
   2. $100 billion
   3. $120 billion
   4. $500 billion
9. What is most cost effective way to deal with the effects from invasive species?
   1. Prevent invasions before they even occur
   2. Detect invasive species shortly after they have created infestations
   3. Study the problem for a few more years
   4. Try to eradicate the most widespread invaders
10. How can you prevent the spread of invasive species when hiking?
    1. Always carry pesticide
    2. Clean your boots thoroughly before you hike in a new area
    3. Wear soft soled shoes
    4. Avoid hiking alone

How Did You Do?

• 1-3 correct: You can do better - try again!
• 4-6 correct: Not bad, brush up on your invasive species knowledge
• 7-10 correct: Excellent! Find out what else you can do to stop invasive species.

Nature  picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Center for Great Lakes and Aquatic Sciences (close up of zebra mussels); Photo © Andrej Kunca, National Forest Centre - Slovakia, Forestryimages.org. (chestnut blight).