Invasive Alien Species free essay sample

The White Goby (Glossogobius giuris) This specie has a depressed head while the body takes on a compressed appearance towards to caudal fin. This fish usually has brown or light brown spots on the side. It ranges from 40 – 50cm. Place of Origin: This was first introduced in the Philippines by the Philippine Fisheries Commission in 1960. It was believed that the goby was unconsciously part of the Mozambique Tilapia also an IAS. Distribution: The goby is distributed from tropical and subtropical countries. It can be found on the East Coast of Africa, Southern Asia (e. g. India) and South East Asian countries such as the Philippines. In the Philippines the first recorded white goby to be found is in Lake Mainit, Agusan Del Sur. It can also be found in Lake Lanao in Lanao Del Sur. Feeding Ecology: The white goby is said to be a carnivorous fish; it will feed on any smaller fish that comes across with it. We will write a custom essay sample on Invasive Alien Species or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In Lake Lanao, the white goby is said to have an impact on one of the cyprinid species. Positive Impact: Although the white goby eat the cyprinids it does not have a large impact on the cyprinids compared to eleotrid which feeds on three endemic cyprinid species. Negative Impact: The white goby swims in fresh water. In Lake Mainit the fish was found in their fresh water container and this was the farm’s main water stock. The white goby threatens the cyprinids and paleomonid shrimps. This affects the fish production. It is said that cyprinids are able to help total fish production by 9. 1% and the goby only helps by 0. 9% (Guerrero, 2002). 2. Rice Black Bug (Scotinophara coarctata) The specie is a sap feeding insect that causes a lot of damage to our rice industry. These bugs prefer marshy and wet land environments. Locally known as the â€Å"itim na atangya†. The adult bug is oval-shaped of about 8-9mm long. Place of Origin: In the Philippines, the first records introduction of the specie was in Palawan in 1972, Bicol and Sorsogon in 2004. (International Rice Research Institute, 2010). Distribution: The Rice Black Bug can be found in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, and Thailand. Feeding Ecology: The rice black bugs’ main host plants are rice and corn. At daytime the specie is in base of the plant and moves up to the fruit of the plant at night time. Positive Impact: More extensive research can be done on the specie especially in our agricultural country. One of our country’s main crops is rice and if the specie continues to disrupt research can be done to mitigate the problem. This can also help countries that are infested with the same species. Negative Impact: The rice black bug infests rice at almost all stages of growth. When the rice field is infested by the specie, the center of the leaves turn brown and die. During the booting stage, rice panicles become empty. Both adult and young rice black bug suck the sap of the rice panicles causing the crop to decay and die (Phil Rice Los Banos OPAPA Team, 2008). 3. What are Invasive Alien Species (IAS)? Invasive Alien Species include exotic, non-native, micro and macro-species that are introduced to our country. These may be accidentally or deliberately to a place where it is not their natural habitat. Most exotic species that are introduced to areas where they have no predators or competitors tend to flourish and increase their population rapidly. IAS may become aggressive and dangerous. Studies show that Invasive Alien Species can affect native species by being its competitor, predator, and niche displacer that can result for native species to be totally extinct. Also, few reported cases that Invasive Alien Species can transfer diseases to other animals and humans. Invasive Alien Species are similar to Global Warming that threaten our environment, food security, human health and economic development especially on the agricultural sector (Joshi, 2007). 4. How are IAS introduced to the Philippines? The Philippines is described to have a high degree of biodiversity. With rapid increase in population, poverty and unlimited wants and needs have resulted to environmental destruction; increase of global trade, import and export have served as an impact to increase invasive alien species in our country. The Philippines have a few data on IAS, most of the time misunderstood due to lack of knowledge about taxonomic identity of IAS. The country also lacks on more extensive information. Most information are modes of introduction to our country. These may be one or a combination of: †¢Transport of organisms to a new habitat between islands and countries. †¢Establishment and propagation of IAS in the new habitat. It may be natural or man-made. †¢Uncontrolled population that may be from deliberate release or accidental escape (Joshi, 2007). The Global Invasive Species Database lists that there are 47 alien species have been introduced in our country. 6 have uncertain biological status and 23 are Philippine native and invasive in other areas. 5. Read articles about the â€Å"janitor fish† in the Philippines. Present solutions to minimize, if not eradicate, these invasive alien species in our freshwater ecosystem. The most recent IAS that is causing an alarm is the â€Å"janitor fish†. The janitor fish has become in Marikina River, Lake Paitan, Nueva Ecija and Laguna de Bay. It was introduced by the aquarium trade industry and has escaped into natural waters. Many solutions to this problem have been implemented by Local Government Units, NGOs, and other organizations that fund different projects. In Marikina, the janitor fish have been sold to about P5. 00 per kilo then deliberately kills the fish afterwards. A World Bank has funded a project where the â€Å"janitor fish† is converted to pig meals in Laguna (Guerrero, 2005). Articles show that the â€Å"janitor fish† does not invade our ecosystem similar to a rice black bug that destroys our rice crops. Some studies show that direct consuming of the janitor fish can have side effects due to different elements found in it such as mercury and lead. Increasing awareness about this problem can help open up ideas to other people that can provide better ways of eradicating the â€Å"janitor fish†. Continued research on the â€Å"janitor fish† skins to be used as handy craft materials is one way of addressing the problem. Research on elements that are inside the â€Å"janitor fish† that can be used in producing bio-fuels. With the studies and researches of people have done in the past years we should insert the idea of an â€Å"economic demand†. With extensive information in the future the â€Å"janitor fish† may help is both economic and environmental concerns in our country. Images of the Species: Rice Black Bug Photo Courtesy of IRR White Goby by Raphael Guerrero References: Sinohin, V. O. Cuatermo, W. R. (2002) Special Reports: Country Reports on Invasive Alien Species. ASEAN BIODIVERSITY Retrieved on November 26, 2011 from http://www.arcbc.org.ph/ https://www.yumpu.com/en/www.bolinfonet.org http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Glossogobius_giuris http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/1238522/invasive-species http://www.stii.dost.gov.ph/