Background information

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            An ecosystem is a group of interconnected plants, elements, and animals in a biome. We have pinyon juniper woodland, montane conifer forest, and a lot more in cos. The pinyon juniper ecosystem has ash trees. In the pinyon juniper there are trees, mule deer, cagier, and coyote.

           A food chain is a chain of species eating one after another. A food chain is also how energy flows through an ecosystem. In a food chain there are decomposers, primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers. Decomposers help break down dead plants (decomposers include earth worms and mushrooms). Next, there are primary producers which herbivores feed on. Some primary producers include grass, bushes, and trees, and primary consumers are the herbivores. Some of the primary consumers include deer, rabbits, and ELK. Secondary consumers are omnivores some are snakes, frogs, and foxes. Then there are tertiary consumers which are wolves and bears. Energy flows from the sun to the primary producers, all the way to the tertiary consumers.      

          An invasive species is an organism that is not native to an area and was moved there, usually by humans. They can cause harm to the native species and environment. They can damage certain organism to the point of extinction. An example of a species that could go extinct is the Branded Ash Clearwing Moth. An invasive species is the emerald ash borer beetle. The emerald ash borer is an emerald green color and about one in a half inch long. It is originally from Eastern Russia, Northern China, Japan, and Korea. Parasitoid wasps are the emerald ash borers natural predators. In the USA the only native animal that eats them are woodpeckers. It is a primary consumer. Its larva eats the phloem and cambium of ash trees.

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Impact of EAB

 

       The food chain can change in many different ways. One way it can change is the introduction of invasive species. The Emerald Ash Borer beetle is one example of an invasive species. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) eats ash trees, and that threatens forty-three species to extinction because they rely solely on ash trees. The EAB could also lower property values by thousands of dollars. It could even raise your electric bill if you have ash trees around because they provide shade. It could potentially be similar to the beetle boom of black forest.

 

        If the Emerald Ash Borer came to our ecosystem it would be detrimental. The EAB larva would eat and kill all the ash trees. The effect could include animals that rely on ash trees like the Branded Ash Clearwing Moth going extinct. That proves that invasive species can make animals we like, love, or need go extinct. This changes the ecosystem, for example this is like you getting zero to one meal a day. So in other word, preserve the balance of the ecosystem. If you want to save the ecosystem familiarize yourself with them so you don’t spread invasive species.

 

Action Plan

 

         The first step is to figure out if the EAB has infected your tree. If you want to know if it is near you go to a reliable source, but if you want to tell if they are in your tree look for D shaped holes, S shaped marks under the bark, and active woodpecker activity. The second step is to measure the circumference of the tree four and a half feet up. Next divide that by three. The third step is to determine what the answer is. If it is fifteen inches or less you can buy insecticide and treat the ash trees yourself. If it is more then fifteen inches you have to hire a professional. Then the forth step is to find a professional or source insecticide then apply it. However, it could adapt to the insecticide. 

 

        The EAB can adapt to the insecticide. It can overcome insecticide that is on ash trees by finding another food source. This shows natural selection because only the EAB with these adaptations would end up being left after generations.