Home > Subjects > Biology > Level 1 > 1.5 Introduced species > Subject content
- Subject: Biology
- AS: AS90165
- Level: 1
- Credits: 2
- Internal
Biology 1.5 Describe the control of an introduced species that affects native species
Subject content
Your teacher will guide you.
Remember to clearly identify both the introduced and native (animal and plant) species using common or scientific names, for example say 'kiwi', not just 'birds'. It is OK to name a community where the effect of the introduced species is non-selective. See 'tall trees' and 'forest floor' in the following two examples, 'old man's beard grows over the tall trees in a bush community' and 'wild ginger replaces the forest floor layer'.
Information about how an introduced species affects native species could come from direct observations, collection of field data, interviews, guest speaker, tables, graphs, resource sheets, photos, videos, websites, reference texts.
You will be expected to produce information relating to:
- how the introduced species affects native species. This may include:
- change in population numbers
- change in reproduction rate
- changes in age structure
- inability to carry out part of a life cycle
- habitat reduction or increase
- reduced or increased availability of resources (for example shading)
- increased competition.
- methods used to control the introduced species. These may include:
- biological (for example introducing seed-eating insects)
- mechanical (for example digging out roots, trapping)
- chemical (for example spraying with weed killer)
- cultural (for example removal of a habitat requirement through manipulation of the environment).
- effectiveness of the control methods. This may include:
- short- or long-term consequences for introduced and native species
- biological limitations of the method (fitting with life cycle, time of year, effect on non-target species, effect on the food chain, accumulation in environment etc)
- other limitations (lack of resources, cost, time taken etc)
- advantages of the methods (species enrichment, acts on specific organisms, etc).
