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Background Information

          Some ways to tell a plant or animal is an invasive species are: they are imported in large quantities, destroy native plants/animals, overpopulate themselves, and change environments in a bad way. The E.A.B. eats more Ash trees than healthy for the environment. They follow the trees in any direction they go. Leading themselves to a new area with more Ash trees. With the E.A.B. eating all the Ash trees, they are threatening 43 different species. If the ash tree goes so do so important animals in certain environments. These species only have one thing they eat, Ash trees. They would most logically not adapt quickly enough to survive.

          The food chain is something that shows the way animals and plants use each other to survive in a habitat. The top animals can be herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. Its very important because they use what’s available and they all need each other. Plants use photosynthesis and then give oxygen to living creatures. The herbivores, omnivores, and bugs eat the plants. Woodpeckers and Wasp eat the Emerald Ash Borer. Other bugs get eaten by birds or larger species. The E.A.B eats ash trees while woodpeckers and wasp eat the borer. Then large predators eat the wasp and woodpeckers. The most abundant is the primary producers because they provide energy for rest of the food chain.

           The Emerald Ash Borer is a beetle called a borer that looks like it has an Emerald skin. The borer is pretty common in Colorado. The Emerald Ash Borer can be found in woodlands and urban areas where there are ash trees. It originated in Asia (china), then it moved into The United States of America, where it became an invasive species. The Emerald Ash Borer’s place in the food chain is primary consumer because it eats ash trees. Some animals that eat The Emerald Ash Borer are birds like woodpeckers and bug like wasp.

            An ecosystem is multiple groups/communities of different animals, plants, and elements in the same small region. There are 6+ different ecosystems in COS (Colorado Springs). COS is mostly made of forests, plains and prairies. There are many different forest animals; dear, birds, squirrels, bears, etc. Black forest, Elbert forest, and Peyton forest are just a few of the many forest in COS.  We have many different ecosystems where we live some being Riparian, Montane Shrubland, Montane Forest, Subalpine Forest, and Alpine Forest.

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Impacts of Emerald Ash Borer

         If we had many E.A.B in Colorado, the urban Ash Trees would be killed. People with asthma would have higher risks. Money spent on Ash Trees would be wasted. We would lose money on removing dead Ash Trees, treating Ash Trees before they are killed, replacing the ones that were killed, and paying professionals for help. Our environments would be very different. We would adapt to not having the 43 species that eat Ash trees and we would adapt to not have Ash trees. The Banded Ash Clear Winged moth, eats only Ash trees. It may not have a huge part in the environment but its still important. We would lose all The Banded Ash Clear Winged moths along with the Ash Trees.

         The Emerald Ash Borer came, and it messed with the USA’s ash trees. This could make more animals to come eat the E.A.B.(s). The E.A.B came and started to eat and infect the ash trees. This could lead a lack of food for the animals that rely on ash trees. the trees in Black Forest are an example of what happens when The Emerald Ash Borer eats our ash trees.

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Action Plan Natural Selections and Adaptation

 

          The Emerald Ash Borer might adapt by looking for resources it can use to still live in/ adapt to. The EAB would probably find a way to adapt to the people trying to stop it by finding new way to stay inside the ash tree or try to find another way to eat the tree if the tree is being saved. This shows natural selection because the borer doing that will flow through the borer’s family and soon they will end up living like that.