Background Information and Impact of Emerald Ash Borer

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        The emerald ash borer is a type of beetle that is infecting trees. The EAB is from Asia, and it has traveled to America by shipping crates on boats. It has a green body with big eyes. It is a little smaller than a penny. Its place in the food chain is primary consumer. The larva eats the phloem and cambium of ash trees. It is eaten by wood peckers and wasps.

An invasive species is a non-native living organism that is harmful that is usually brought by humans. An invasive species can affect an ecosystem just by moving into it. If all animals came to one ecosystem there would be no plants. The EAB effects ecosystems because it harms ash trees.

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        The food chain is what everything eats, produces and consumes. The food chain starts at the bottom with primary producers. These are plant like grass. Then it moves to primary consumers. These are often smaller animals like plankton. In the middle we have secondary consumers. These are animals that feed off primary consumers. Finally, there are the tertiary consumers. These are animals like bears, lions, and tigers. They feed off anything below them in the food chain. The most are primary producers. These are important because primary consumers rely on them. Secondary consumers rely on primary consumers which rely on primary producers. Tertiary consumers rely on secondary consumers which rely on primary consumers which rely on primary producers. If all the primary producers died everything else would die.

 

        Invasive species are bad to the environment because it can kill all of the surrounding environment. Like fish trees and fungus. That's why we need to be careful what we bring into this country. Usually these creatures are brought by humans, these are usually non-native.

 

               There are 60 ecosystems in Colorado and here are a few one is the forest, another is grassland, and desert. There are a lot more in Colorado but these ones are important to Colorado. Ecosystems help animals live but if the EAB keeps spreading these ecosystems will die.

 

The environmental changes because of invasive species because. It can kill the animals that live in the environment. Plants and animals can die because of invasive species by eating the consumers food.

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Action plan

1. Be careful transporting fire wood.

2. If you see an ash tree be careful because it could be infected.

3. If you live near ash trees don’t destroy them ask a professional what to do.

4. If you own ash trees make sure that they are not infected.

The EAB could grow and change colors. If the EAB does this than wasps and wood peckers could not eat it. This would let their population grow. This is an example of natural selection because they learn how to adapt to a trait they don’t have.