After briefly describing the concept of invasive species and their introduction to North America, Trace Dominguez of DNews, explains how specific invasives have had negative impacts on ecosystems. These include Emerald Ash Borers, Asian Carp, Nile Perch, and Zebra Mussels. Students are then asked to decide if the decision to release Pakistani Parasitic Wasps to help control a bacterial infection threatening California citrus crops is good science or another example of "meddling humans" importing another potentially harmful foreign species to native ecosystems.
This video could be used in science classes to reinforce the importance of protecting habitat from the degradation related to the accidental or purposeful arrival of invasive species. It could also be used to generate discussion about the use of biological controls in agriculture and how human decisions regarding environmental meddling may have unforeseen consequences for the sustainability of ecosystems in the future.
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