Background Information

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         An ecosystem is a system of a group of interconnected elements, formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment. The number of ecosystems in Colorado Springs is four.  The biome that Colorado Springs is mostly in is the plains biome. This is because the majority of the land is flat with grass. There are also the forest ecosystems. Some examples are the Pinyon Juniper Woodlands and the Montane Conifer Forest. In these areas live the Mule Deer, Ponderosa Pine, and the Pinyon Pine.

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         A food chain shows how plant’s and animals get energy. The primary consumer has more plant/animals. If you don’t have plants you don’t have animals that eat plants. Then, you can’t have animals that eat animal’s. it is like a chain reaction. The plant gives the first animal gives the second animal. The second animal gives the third animal energy.

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          An invasive species can be a living organism, non-native harmful to the environment or people, and human action’s are the primary mean’s of an invasive species. Zebra mussel are in example of an invasive species. If they get into our lakes they will take O2 and ruin the resources for the fish. This will have an effect on the ecosystem food chain. The EAB will have a similar effect.

 

          The Emerald Ash Borer is a green beetle and has a red coloration on it’s underbelly. The first sighting in Colorado was in the city of boulder in 2013. It originated in Asia and migrated to the U.S. This ½ inch long beetle’s place on the food chain is the primary consumers. It eats Ash trees and it is targeted by woodpeckers and some wasps that aren’t native species.

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Impact of EAB

                                                                 

            Had the Emerald Ash Borer initially been in our community, our population of Ash trees would be lower or they would’ve adapted to have a toxin that would kill the Emerald Ash Borer’s larvae. The long-term effect would be that these trees would be dying at an alarming rate. 99% of infected trees die. They would keep dying at this rate until something stopped it. It is very good that the E.A.B. is not yet in Colorado Springs.

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            An invasive animal can cause bad things to happen to a food chain. We need to take care of the environment. The EAB will kill the ash tree. The beetle boom in black forest good example of What could happen. This many beetles would affect the whole food chain. If they kill the trees, there will be no more ash trees for the animals who need them, like the Emerald Ash Borer.

 

 

Action plan

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          Your fist step to helping solve this issue is to decide if you want to save your Ash trees form the Emerald Ash Borer. If you choose yes then you need to decide which are worth saving. Are they worth any value to you? If you decide yes then you need to determine what the diameter of the tree is. If it is less than 15 inches, then the homeowner can treat the tree themselves. If it is taller than 15 inches, ask a tree care professional to help you. The EAB can adapt to the last step, not moving wood. If you stop moving wood they can’t spread as easily. This adaptation can show natural selection because the beetles that can fly farther will be able to spread and move away from predators.