The Invaders

THE INVADERS

Of WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

Brainiac Publishing is proud to bring you...
THE INVADERS a series of magazines designed to inform kids
on the invasive species of the world. The target age for the

magazine is ages 8 to 14. Don’t forget to tune in next
month for THE INVADERS of the Midwest. Written by Reagan

and Holland.

Brainiac Publishing

Written by Holland & Reagan
September 2016

Invaders

What is an invasive species? It is an Did You Know...
animal not native to an area that takes over.
Invasive species invade other animals land The lionfish is an invasive specie in
and take their prey, shelter, or become their the Atlantic Ocean. These fish are
predator. Now not all nonnative species are a poisonous and have very few
problem, but the ones that are cause lots of predators. Some places pay for
problems. Invasive species do not have to them to be hunted to eliminate
come from a different country or continent, population.
they can even be invasive by being located
on the other side of a state. These new animal can be such a
problem to the ecosystem they invade. They
You're probably wondering how an break food webs, decrease biodiversity, and
invasive species gets from one side of the change the environment of the ecosystem
world to the other. Most of the invasive they invade. They break food webs by trying
species being moved out of their original to replace a native species. Also affects
habitat is caused by humans unintentionally. biodiversity the same way by replacing native
Since we are moving up in our travel, bugs species. Global warming has caused some
and little animals will stow away on goods and invasive species to flourish.
boats.When wood is shiped around the world
;little bugs can harvest in the wood and There are ways that you can help slow
become invasive. All so when plants and down the spread of invasive species. By not
animals are traded they are sometimes having invasive plants in your garden. Also
brought over on the goods.let loose into the report sighting of invasive species that your
water and complete take over.Aquatic life can see in your local area so they can be
be let loose into new waters and become a contained. Keeping your outdoor equipment
complete take over. clean and buying firewood local will contain
the spread of invasive bacterias.

The Monstrous Vine

There is a culprit on trial for Although kudzu was helping
suffocating and starving out all other the country then, it is a huge
native species. He takes over problem now. The vine takes over
EVERYTHING, and his name is roadsides, forest, and abandoned
KUDZU. buildings.

Kudzu originated from Japan When it takes over in the forest it
and China. The vine was first blocks the light from the trees they
welcomed to the united states in 1876. suffocate. The trees cannot complete
The Japanese government gave the photosynthesis and then die. This
plant to the United States to be causes a decrease in the biodiversity
planted in our country. .Forty years because all of the native plants are
later, it was used to help promote dying due to suffocation. This
animal travel by nursery workers in increases the kudzu percentage and
Florida. The found that the animals decreases the native plant percentage.
native to Florida would consume the Kudzu also has no predators.
vine. During the Great Depression and
Dust Bowl the government promoted
the planting of kudzu to slow down
soil erosion.

Kudzu has a negative impacts on all of
the ecosystems in the green shaded
area above.

THE ANTS OF FIRE

Although they are a tiny creature, they The ant was first found in North
bring terror upon their enemies. Attacking Carolina ina in 1952 in the oriental nursery
humans and ruining other plants and animals plants. This population of ants has
food chains and ecosystems. This invasive continued to grow to over half the states in
species causes many problems to Western North North Carolina. These ants are super
Carolina. aggressive and affect biodiversity in a
negative way. They scavenge for food take
The Fire Ant , also known as the Red away food from other ants that might need
Imported Fire Ant, is from South America. The it. To attack on prey and enemies they
ant was first exposed to the United States in sting, which can be very painful. The prey
Alabama in the 1940’s. The ant has continually is mainly invertebrates. Although they are
spread from North Carolina all the way down to not attack native ants, they are taking
Florida. These little bugs were thought to have away their prey. This causes the ant
gotten here by moving nursery plants and turf. population to increase and the prey
Unlike kudzu, the ants were brought here population to decrease. Because of the
unintentionally. Down below is a map of the area introduction of the fire ant many
where the ants are located. invertebrates that they feed on has
become endangered.

Be cautious when being out and about
because these ants will sting humans too.
They are very painful and usually when
attacked by one you are attracted by the
whole army. Some cases my need a
doctor's recommendation.

Life is Fun

AMBROSIA HEMLOCK
BEETLE INVASIVE
BIODIVERSITY KUDZU
ECOSYSTEM PREDATOR
FIREANT PREY
HABIT SPECIES

Connect the Kudzu

What Invasive
Species is This?

& Games! Can you find your way through the crazy
kudzu below?\
Why did the
Hemlock
cross the
road?

To get away
from the
Woolly
Adelgid!

TREE HUGGERS (NOT!)

The hemlock woolly adelgid is an The hemlock woolly adelgid effects
aphid -like creature that loves hemlock trees heplock pines from Maine all the way
But these insects are not trying to save the to Western North Carolina. This incext
trees they are KILLING them. The aphid was not brought to the United States
causes many problems in the affected intentonally. The bug is native to
areas. Japan. The first case of this problem
was discovered in the 1950;s on the
This insect lays eggs in a sack along East coast. Though scientists are not
the back edge of branches. In the cotton like sure, they think it was brought by boat.
sack the incest can lay up to two-hundred It has continued to spread in the US. it
eggs. After the eggs hatch the baby bugs can increase its range up to ten miles
come out and suck nutrients straight from a year. You can help stop this outbreak
the tree. This disturbs the flow of nutrients by buying firewood local. The bug has
and cause the needles to die. Then the tree affected biodiversity drastically. They
cannot complete photosynthesis so the tree are starting to eliminate all hemlock
turns a grey color and dies. Although these pines in the area. That will wipe out the
bugs are so small, they cause a ton of whole population.
problems. These bugs reproduce so fast.
Each year the female lays 200 eggs then
her female offspring lays 200 eggs. That’s a
lot of bugs!

The image above is the egg sacks laid by the bug.

WARNING: Beware Of
Ambrosia Beetle

Do you own a cherry tree or The beetle was accidentally
Japanese maple in your brought to the United States
backyard? If so, look out! by imported peach trees
There is a small dark bug from China in 1974.
just waiting to take down
the biggest tree it can find. The beetle has spread
This bug is called the throughout the country but it
ambrosia beetle. is dominant in the
southeastern part of the
The ambrosia beetle is a U.S.
non-native, wood-boring,
beetle that carries a fungus
it's back from its last home.
The fungus that it carries is
what kills the tree it is
hosting on.

Thanks To...

https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Invasive-Species.aspx
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/11/10/361155911/why-divers-in-bonaire-are-so-eager-to-kill-the-beautif
ul-lionfish
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lionfish.html
http://maxshores.com/the-amazing-story-of-kudzu/
http://www.nyis.info/index.php?action=invasive_detail&id=24
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/hwa.shtml
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Adelges_tsugae.html
http://www.thetreegeek.com/problems/ambrosia-beetle/
https://ugaurbanag.com/asian-ambrosia-beetle/?doing_wp_cron=1473645741.3562610149383544921875
http://symbioticworld.weebly.com/ambrosia-beetles-and-fungi.html
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/forest-grasslandhealth/invasivespecies/?cid=fsbdev2_027216
http://entoplp.okstate.edu/ddd/insects/rifa.htm
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/rifa.shtml
http://articles.extension.org/pages/28956/fire-ants-in-north-carolina
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=ncfwrustaff