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variety of fish species, to an algae and water hyacinth responsible for killing all these endemic species of fish

via oxygen depletion. Much can be learned from past failures such as this, but potentially dangerous

introductions of non-native species still continue today, largely due to financial motives. “Today, alien

invasion is second only to habitat loss as a cause of species endangerment and extinction” (Lowe et al., 2000).

Certain invasive alien species (IAS) are so dangerous that they can completely alter an entire habitat causing it

to be unsuitable for the original ecosystem (Lowe et al., 2000). Remote island ecosystems are at a higher risk

because they contain less diversity of plants and animals hearty enough to kill off any potentially harmful

invasive species (Lowe et al., 2000).

Moreover, IAS are not limited to one specific taxonomic group but instead can exist as animals, plants,

fungi and even microorganisms (“What are Invasive Alien Species?”, n.d.). They also have the ability to

invade all varieties of ecosystems. Despite the fact that very few of the non-native species that arrive to non-

native environments actually manifest as invasive, the few that do create massive disruption of the ecosystem

that can last for years to come. Furthermore, the longer an invasive species is present in its non-native

environment the more it begins to destroy the habitat of all living organisms surrounding it. All known

invasive alien species have become as such due to human assistance, either direct or indirectly via tourism or

infrastructure respectively (“What are Invasive Alien Species?”, n.d.). Non-native species only become IAS if

they are formidable enough to survive in the new environment in which they were forcibly placed in (“What

are Invasive Alien Species?”, n.d.). This feat often involves consumption or destruction of all other living

organisms necessary for the IAS’s survival. Invasive species often become as such very easily because they

are often placed into ecosystems in which they are the strongest predator. For example, large predators

intentionally or accidentally placed on remote islands often thrive as invasive species because the

geographical location of the island prevents more formidable predators from arriving and becoming invasive

as well. This information serves to prove why humans and often times tourists are the primary cause of

depletion of biodiversity due to introduction of invasive alien species (“What are Invasive Alien Species?”,

n.d.).

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