Annotated Sources

Invasive Red Foxes in California:

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/publications/bm_research/docs/92_04.pdf

-I’m not sure if I will specifically focus on the Red Fox, but this article was one of the best I’ve seen, in the sense that it clearly addressed the species’ negative effects on our environment. It outlined where the fox came from originally, how it got here, how it has continued to grow in population, and many other very in depth facts that are really difficult to track down for other animals and plants.

Arundo in San Diego:

http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr110/psw_gtr110_e_rieger.pdf

-As recommended by John, I took the liberty of checking out San Diego’s huge problem with Arundo, a dominating, non-native marine plant. Because it is pretty unanimously considered to be the most prevalent invasive species in San Diego, it is definitely something that I will need to look into a bit more. “The aggressiveness of this exotic has enabled it to invade disturbed areas along many water-courses of Southern California. Giant Reed is also capable of invading mature woodlands, interrupting the cycle of regeneration normally experienced in river systems. Giant Reed stands can become climax communities, replacing natural riparian habitats. to include riparian vegetation of different known ages and habitat quality.”

Reduced Genetic Variation:

http://www.pnas.org/content/97/11/5948.long

-Really focuses in on the large-scale effects that invasive species can cause. There was a large focus on non-native ant species, and how they tend to create “supercolonies” that can completely take over other creatures’ habitats. It is interesting how the introduction of non-native species is just as unnatural as the monocropping that I am researching in my Special Assignment group, and thus, has similar genetic results.

The Evolutionary Impact of Invasive Species:

http://www.barrierecheck.net/nocolor.php?url=http://www.pnas.org/content/98/10/5446.full

-Among many other things, this article mentions how, technically, the number of invasive species is ridiculously low. The writer states that only 1% of introduced species actually become established enough to be considered pests. I will definitely make sure to consider both sides of the story, in my Senior Project video.

Ecological Effects of Invasive Insects:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/m5m518r262r23g61/fulltext.pdf

-I had originally planned on primarily focusing on invasive insects for my topic, so this article holds a lot of value for me. I wish that it had given more specific detail, but the information provided illustrates how the number of publications written about the concerns of insect invasions has grown in an incredible manner in just a few years. “

“Nearly 60% of the papers were published in the last 8 years, even though many of the alien insects were introduced several decades earlier...”