Invasive Species

Learning Module

In this module, we will explore many different invasive species and the effects they are having on different environments. Below you will find articles, questions, and activities explaining different invasive research. They are separated into two sections, invasive plants and invasive animals. Lastly, you will see scientist cards featuring scientists from many different fields who have studied invasive organisms and the impacts they've had on ecosystems around the country. 

Invasive Plants

Albizia Trees 

• Read "Don't Litter the Stream: An invasive Tree Species and a Hawaiian Stream Food Web" from our Hawaii Pacific Islands NI and learn about rising nitrogen levels in a Hawaiian food web
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read 
• Review your answers here
• Complete the FACTivity from Don't Litter the Stream by completing provided food web circles 
• Continue the FACTivity by comparing and contrasting the food webs you created 

Knapweed 

• Read "Goll-ly! Don't Take a Knapweed!" from our Invasive Species NI and learn how scientists studied the impact of non-native knapweed on deer mice
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read
• Review your answers here 
• Complete the FACTivity from Goll-ly! Don't Take the Knapweed! by exploring different ways to display research findings 

Oriental Bittersweet

• Read "Hurry Up and Wait" from our Invasive Species NI and learn about the study on Oriental Bittersweet scientists performed to learn more about its germination and growth rates
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read
• Review your answers here 
• Complete the FACTivity from Hurry Up and Wait by completing a germination experiment using lima beans

Sudden Oak Death

• Read "Moving Spore-adically" from our Invasive Species NI and discover how organisms are causing sudden oak death in California forests
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read
• Review your answers here 
• Complete the FACTivity from Moving Spore-adically by comparing what happened to the American chestnut tree and the threat of sudden oak death 

Invasive Animals

Zebra Mussels

• Read "Think Outside the Box: Predicting the Spread of Invasive Species" from our Ecosystem Services NI and learn about how globalization has lead to the spread of zebra mussels 
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read
• Review your answers here 
• Complete the FACTivity from Think Outside The Box and explore the different species in your yard or schoolyard

Insects

• Read "Biodiversity and the World's Forest" from the World's Forest 2 edition to learn about how insects are affecting biodiversity
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read 
• Review your answers here
• Complete the FACTivity from Biodiversity and the World's Forest by looking into the diversity in your classroom or school 

Lion Fish

• Read "Lion in Wait: How Citizens Helped Scientists Identify a Rapid Invasion of Lionfish" from our Citizen Science NI and learn about how scientists are collecting information on lionfish in the Gulf of Mexico
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read
• Review your answers here 
• Complete the FACTivity from Lion in Wait by completing your own observational study and filling in the provided graphic organizers 

Spotted Knapweed

• Read "Invasion of the Song Snathcher!" from our citizen science NI and learn about how an invasive species is affecting Chipping Sparrows songs
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read
• Review your answers here
• Complete the FACTivity from Invasion of the Song Snatcher! and observe the birds you can find outside your home or school 
• Complete the technology FACTivity and analyze different bird songs while comparing different spectrograms 

Earthworms 

• Read "Worming Their Way In" from our NI monograph series and discover how many of the forests' earthworms are native to the ecosystem
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read
• Review your answers here
• Complete the FACTivity from Worming Their Way In and set up an experiment to gather organisms and collect data on the organisms outside your school or home 
• Complete the FACTivity extension and create posters to warn anglers about the invasive earthworms

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

• Read "Woolly Bully" from our NI monograph series and learn about the effects an insect from East Asia is having on the trees in the Appalachian Mountains
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read
• Listen to this Forest Service podcast on the invasion of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Nun Moth

• Read "And Then There Were Nun" from our Invasive Species NI and learn about the threat Nun moths are putting on certain trees around the country
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read 
• Review your answers here 
• Complete the FACTivity from And Then There Were Nun by drawing your own conclusions on the possible danger of nun moths on trees in your area 

Trout

• Read "Knocked Out by Trout" from our Invasive Species NI and discover how non-native trout species are affecting Pacific tree frog populations
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read
• Review your answer here 
• Complete the FACTivity for Knocked Out by Trout by grouping up and exploring society's opinions on stocking Sierra Nevada lakes with fish

Pine Shoot Beetle

• Read "Shoot! Foiled Again!" from our Invasive Species NI and see how scientists tested whether or not these invasive pine beetles could be deterred from attacking pine trees by the use of pheromones 
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read
• Review your answer here 
• Complete the FACTivity from Shoot! Foiled Again! by completing the provided scent chart and discussing the importance of smell in humans and beetles 

Asian Long-horned Beetle

• Read "Tag, You're It!" from our Invasive Species NI and learn how scientists were able to study the beetles' flight patterns and distances
• Answer the reflection section questions as you read
• Review your answers here 
• Complete the FACTivity from Tag, You're It! by pairing up and researching to make your own plan for destroying Long-horned beetles 

Scientist Cards

Dr. Wayne J. Arendt, Research Ornithologist

Click here to download the front of this card.

Click here to download the back of this card. Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison USDA Forest Service Scientist I study disturbance ecology, climate change, conservation and management of Neotropical resident and migratory bird communities and invasive species.

Amy Hill, Forest Entomologist

Click here to download the front of this card.

Click here to download the back of this card. M.S., West Virginia University USDA Forest Service Scientist As a forest entomologist, I study how native trees interact with feeding from invasive insects from other countries.

Dr. Frank Koch, Invasion Ecologist

Click here to download the front of this card.

Click here to download the back of this card. Ph.D., NC State University  USDA Forest Service Scientist An invasion ecologist studies the ways in which species move out of their native environments and into new ones, where they sometimes have negative impacts.

Dr. Rima Lucardi, Plant, Molecular, and Invasion Ecologist

Click here to download the front of this card.

Click here to download the back of this card. Ph.D., Mississippi State University  USDA Forest Service Scientist An ecologist studies low organisms interact with each other and the environment.  I use genetic tools to answer ecological questions related to plants and invasive species.

Dr. Rich MacKenzie, Aquatic Ecologist

Click here to download the front of this card.

Click here to download the back of this card. University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee USDA Forest Service Scientist An aquatic ecologist studies plants and animals that live in streams, lakes, and wetlands.  We try to understand the roles these organisms play in aquatic ecosystems and how stressors such as land use change, climate change, and exotic species influence those roles.

Ms. Yvette Ortega, Ecologist

Click here to download the front of this card.

Click here to download the back of this card. University of California, Berkeley USDA Forest Service Scientist An ecologist studies how plants, animals, and nature's forces interact.

Dr. Kevin McKelvey, Ecologist

Click here to download the front of this card.

Click here to download the back of this card. University of Florida USDA Forest Service Scientist Ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and their environment.  I primarily study animals.

Dr. Ariel Lugo, Ecologist

Click here to download the front of this card.

Click here to download the back of this card. Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill USDA Forest Service Scientist I am a tropical ecologist, and I study forests, wetlands, and cities in the tropics.

Ms. Yvette Ortega, Ecologist

Click here to download the front of this card.

Click here to download the back of this card. University of California, Berkeley USDA Forest Service Scientist An ecologist studies how plants, animals, and nature's forces interact.

Dr. Haiganoush Preisler, Statistical Scientist

Click here to download the front of this card.

Click here to download the back of this card. University of California, Berkeley  USDA Forest Service Scientist As a statistical scientist I translate scientists' hypothesis and word problems into a few (essential) equations that help further our understanding of the world we live in.

Dr. Ken Cordell, Social Scientist

Click here to download the front of this card.

Click here to download the back of this card. Ph.D., North Carolina State University USDA Forest Service Scientist A social scientist studies people's values, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes (VOBAs).  The social sciences include economics, anthropology, and a number of other disciplines, each of which has its own background and approaches to studying VOBAs.

Dr. Melody Keena, Entomologist

Click here to download the front of this card.

Click here to download the back of this card. Ph.D., University of California at Davis USDA Forest Service Scientist An entomologist studies insects and their interactions with other organisms and the environment.

Dr. Therese M. Poland, Research Entomologist

Click here to download the front of this card.

Click here to download the back of this card. Ph.D., Simon Fraser University USDA Forest Service Scientist An entomologist studies insects including their biology, ecology, behavior, population dynamics, host interactions, communication, and impacts on the environment.