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