Invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
are introduced organisms that cause damage to the environment, human economy, or human health in Florida.
Native plant
In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equ ...
s and animals can become threatened by from the spread of invasive species.
Animals
Mammals
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Brown rat
The brown rat (''Rattus norvegicus''), also known as the common rat, street rat, sewer rat, wharf rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Norwegian rat and Parisian rat, is a widespread species of common rat. One of the largest muroids, it is a brown o ...
(''Rattus norvegicus'')
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Black rat
The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is n ...
(''R. rattus'')
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Chital
The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also known as the spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Po ...
(''Axis axis'')
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Coypu
The nutria (''Myocastor coypus''), also known as the coypu, is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent.
Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, ''Myocastor'' is now included within Echimyidae, the family of t ...
or nutria (''Myocastor coypus'')
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House mouse
The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the order Rodentia, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus '' Mus''. Althoug ...
(''Mus musculus'')
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Wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
(''Sus scrofa'')
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Feral cat
A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...
(''Felis catus'')
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Red fox
The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...
(''Vulpes vulpes'')
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Mexican gray squirrel
The Mexican gray squirrel (or red-bellied squirrel) (''Sciurus aureogaster'') is a tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' native to Guatemala and eastern and southern Mexico. It has been introduced to the Florida Keys.
The alternate name should ...
(''Sciurus aureogaster'')
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Rhesus macaque
The rhesus macaque (''Macaca mulatta''), colloquially rhesus monkey, is a species of Old World monkey. There are between six and nine recognised subspecies that are split between two groups, the Chinese-derived and the Indian-derived. Generally b ...
(''Macaca mulatta'')
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Nine-banded armadillo
The nine-banded armadillo (''Dasypus novemcinctus''), also known as the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a mammal found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos. It ...
(''Dasypus novemcinctus'')
Birds
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House sparrow
The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, a ...
(''Passer domesticus'')
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Muscovy duck
The Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'') is a large duck native to the Americas, from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico south to Argentina and Uruguay. Small wild and feral breeding populations have established themselves in the United Sta ...
(''Cairina moschata'')
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Feral pigeon
Feral pigeons (''Columba livia domestica'' or ''Columba livia forma urbana''), also called city doves, city pigeons, or street pigeons,Nagy, Kelsi, and Johnson, Phillip David. ''Trash animals: how we live with natures filthy, feral, invasive, an ...
(''Columba livia domestica'')
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Red-whiskered bulbul
The red-whiskered bulbul (''Pycnonotus jocosus''), or crested bulbul, is a passerine bird native to Asia. It is a member of the bulbul family. It is a resident frugivore found mainly in tropical Asia. It has been introduced in many tropical are ...
(''Pycnonotus jocosus'')
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Indian peacock
The Indian peafowl (''Pavo cristatus''), also known as the common peafowl, and blue peafowl, is a peafowl species native to the Indian subcontinent. It has been introduced to many other countries. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and ...
(''Pavo cristatus'')
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European starling
The common starling or European starling (''Sturnus vulgaris''), also known simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about long and has glossy black plumage ...
(''Sturnus vulgaris'')
Reptiles
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Argentine black and white tegu
The Argentine black and white tegu (''Salvator merianae''), also known as the Argentine giant tegu, the black and white tegu, the huge tegu, is a species of lizard in the Family (biology), family Teiidae. The species is the largest of the "tegu l ...
Brown anole
The brown anole (''Anolis sagrei''), also known commonly as the Cuban brown anole, or De la Sagra's anole, is a species of lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is native to Cuba and the Bahamas. It has been widely introduced elsewhere, ...
(''Anolis sagrei'')
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Burmese python
The Burmese python (''Python bivittatus'') is one of the largest species of snakes. It is native to a large area of Southeast Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of the Indian python ...
(''Python bivittatus'') see main article:
Burmese pythons in Florida
Burmese pythons (''Python bivittatus'') are native to Southeast Asia. However, since the end of the 20th century, they have become an established breeding population in South Florida. The earliest python sightings in Florida date back to the 193 ...
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Common house gecko
The common house gecko (''Hemidactylus frenatus'') is a gecko native to South and Southeast Asia. It is also known as the Asian house gecko, Pacific house gecko, wall gecko, house lizard, tayoto, chipkali or moon lizard.
Most geckos are nocturn ...
(''Hemidactylus frenatus'')
* Green iguana (''Iguana iguana'')
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Mediterranean gecko
The Mediterranean house gecko (''Hemidactylus turcicus'') is a species of house gecko common to the Mediterranean area which has spread to many parts of the world. It is commonly referred to as the Turkish gecko as represented in its Latin name ...
(''Hemidactylus turcicus'')
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Nile monitor
The Nile monitor (''Varanus niloticus'') is a large member of the monitor family (Varanidae) found throughout most of Sub-Saharan Africa and along the Nile, with invasive populations in North America. The population in West African forests and sa ...
(''Varanus niloticus'')
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Red-eared slider
The red-eared slider or red-eared terrapin (''Trachemys scripta elegans'') is a subspecies of the pond slider (''Trachemys scripta''), a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States, ...
(''Trachemys scripta elegans'')
* Common boa (''Boa constrictor'')
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African rock python
The Central African rock python (''Python sebae'') is a species of large constrictor snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of 11 living species in the genus ''Python''.
Africa's largest snake and ...
(''Python sebae'')
Amphibians
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Cane toad
The cane toad (''Rhinella marina''), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad native to South and mainland Central America, but which has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania ...
(''Rhinella marina'')
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Common coquí
The common coquí or coquí (''Eleutherodactylus coqui'') is a species of frog endemic to Puerto Rico belonging to the family Eleutherodactylidae. The species is named for the loud call the males make at night. This sound serves two purposes. "CO ...
(''Eleutherodactylus coqui'')
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Cuban tree frog
The Cuban tree frog (''Osteopilus septentrionalis'') is a large species of tree frog that is native to Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands; but has become invasive in several other places around the Americas. Its wide diet and ability to ...
African jewelfish
The African jewelfish (''Hemichromis bimaculatus''), also known as jewel cichlid or jewelfish, is from the family Cichlidae.
Description
''Hemichromis bimaculatus'' can grow up to long.SeriouslyFish: Hemichromis bimaculatus.' . ''H. bimaculatus' ...
(''Hemichromis letourneuxi'')
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Asian swamp eel
The Asian swamp eel (''Monopterus albus''), also known as rice eel, ricefield eel, or rice paddy eel, is a commercially important, air-breathing species of fish in the family Synbranchidae. It occurs in East and Southeast Asia, where it is a ver ...
(''Monopterus albus'')
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Blue tilapia
The blue tilapia (''Oreochromis aureus'') is a species of tilapia, a fish in the family Cichlidae. Native to Northern Africa, Northern and Western Africa, and the Middle East, through Introduced species, introductions it is now also established e ...
Clown featherback
The clown featherback, clown knifefish, or spotted knifefish, ''Chitala ornata'', is a nocturnal tropical fish with a long, knife-like body. This knifefish is native to freshwater habitats in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, but it has ...
(''Chitala ornata'')
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Lionfish
''Pterois'' is a genus of venomous marine fish, commonly known as lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific. Also called firefish, turkeyfish, tastyfish, or butterfly-cod, it is characterized by conspicuous warning coloration with red, white, crea ...
Mayan cichlid
''Mayaheros urophthalmus'', also known as the Mayan cichlid or Mexican mojarra is a species of cichlid.
Taxonomy
Previously, this species was a member of the genus ''Cichlasoma'' and the subgeneric section ''Nandopsis''. However, the genus ''Cic ...
(''Cichlasoma urophthalmum'')
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Northern snakehead
The northern snakehead (''Channa argus'') is a species of snakehead fish native to China, Russia, North Korea, and South Korea, ranging from the Amur River to Hainan. It has been introduced to other regions, where it is considered invasive. In ...
(''Channa argus'')
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Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
Spotted tilapia
The spotted tilapia (''Pelmatolapia mariae''Dunz, A.R. & Schliewen, U.K. (2013): Molecular phylogeny and revised classification of the haplotilapiine cichlid fishes formerly referred to as ''“Tilapia”''. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolutio ...
(''Pelmatolapia mariae'')
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Walking catfish
The walking catfish (''Clarias batrachus'') is a species of freshwater airbreathing catfish native to Southeast Asia. It is named for its ability to "walk" and wiggle across dry land, to find food or suitable environments. While it does not trul ...
(''Clarias batrachus'')
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Yellowfin goby
''Acanthogobius flavimanus'' is a species of fish in the goby family known by the common name yellowfin goby. Other common names include mahaze, Japanese river goby, Oriental goby, and spotted goby. It is native to Asia, where its range includes ...
(''Acanthogobius flavimanus'')
* Asian carp (''Cyprinus carpio'')
Invertebrates
* ''
Metamasius callizona
''Metamasius callizona'', or the Mexican bromeliad weevil, is in an invasive species in Florida, USA that targets several species of bromeliad. This species is native to southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Panama, and was first documented in Florid ...
Euglossa dilemma
''Euglossa dilemma'', the green orchid bee or dilemma orchid bee, is a species of solitary euglossine bee native to a broad area of Central America, and recently introduced to Florida in the United States. It was first detected in Broward County ...
Pomacea maculata
''Pomacea maculata'' is a species of large freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails.
Common name of its synonymous name ''Pomacea insularum'' is the island applesnail.
Toge ...
Corbicula fluminea
''Corbicula fluminea'' is a species of freshwater clam native to eastern Asia which has become a successful invasive species throughout North America, South America, and Europe. ''Corbicula fluminea'' is commonly known in the west as the Asian cl ...
Marisa cornuarietis
''Marisa cornuarietis'', common name the Colombian ramshorn apple snail, is a species of large freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snail family.
These snails are popular ...
Melanoides tuberculata
The red-rimmed melania (''Melanoides tuberculata''), also known as Malayan livebearing snails or Malayan/Malaysian trumpet snails (often abbreviated to MTS) by aquarists, is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, a parthenogenetic, a ...
Platydemus manokwari
''Platydemus manokwari'', also known as the New Guinea flatworm, is a species of large predatory land flatworm.
Native to New Guinea, it has been accidentally introduced to the soil of many countries, including the United States. It was als ...
Amynthas agrestis
''Amynthas agrestis'', the Asian jumping worm,The species goes by many common names, including the rustic jumping worm, the Alabama jumper, and the Asian crazy worm. is a species of worm in the family Megascolecidae. They have a smooth, glossy g ...
Aedes albopictus
''Aedes albopictus'' (''Stegomyia albopicta''), from the mosquito (Culicidae) family, also known as the (Asian) tiger mosquito or forest mosquito, is a mosquito native to the tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia. In the past few ce ...
Aphis spiraecola
''Aphis spiraecola'' is a species of aphid described in 1914 by Edith Marion Patch. Its common names include green citrus aphid, Spirea aphid, and apple aphid. It is distributed worldwide, and is most abundant in the United States. It has a dip ...
Apis mellifera scutellata
The East African lowland honey bee (''Apis mellifera scutellata'') is a subspecies of the western honey bee. It is native to central, southern and eastern Africa, though at the southern extreme it is replaced by the Cape honey bee (''Apis mellife ...
Aulacaspis yasumatsui
''Aulacaspis yasumatsui'', or cycad aulacaspis scale (CAS), is a scale insect species in the genus '' Aulacaspis'' that feeds on cycad species such as ''Cycas revoluta''Aulacaspis yasumatsui (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Diaspididae), a Scale Insec ...
Cactoblastis cactorum
''Cactoblastis cactorum'', the cactus moth, South American cactus moth or nopal moth, is native to Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil. It is one of five species in the genus '' Cactoblastis'' that inhabit South America, where many pa ...
Coptotermes gestroi
''Coptotermes gestroi'', the Asian subterranean termite is a small species of termite that lives underground. Both this species and the Formosan subterranean termite, (''Coptotermes formosanus'') are destructive pests native to Asia, but have sp ...
'' (Asian subterranean termite)
* ''
Cryptotermes brevis
''Cryptotermes brevis'' is a species of termite in the family Kalotermitidae, commonly known as the West Indian drywood termite or the powderpost termite. It is able to live completely inside timber structures or articles made of wood such as f ...
Culex quinquefasciatus
''Culex'' is a genus of mosquitoes, several species of which serve as vectors of one or more important diseases of birds, humans, and other animals. The diseases they vector include arbovirus infections such as West Nile virus, Japanese encep ...
Dinoderus minutus
''Dinoderus minutus'', the Bamboo borer, is a species of wood-boring beetle. In tropical regions (and perhaps others), it is one of the main pests of bamboo, attracted by the internal starch
Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consi ...
Harmonia axyridis
''Harmonia axyridis'' is a large lady beetle or ladybug species that is most commonly known as the harlequin, multicoloured Asian, or Asian lady beetle. This is one of the most variable species in the world, with an exceptionally wide range of col ...
Icerya purchasi
''Icerya purchasi'' ( common name: cottony cushion scale) is a scale insect that feeds on more than 80 families of woody plants, most notably on ''Citrus'' and ''Pittosporum''. Originally described in 1878 from specimens collected in New Zealand ...
Leptocybe invasa
''Leptocybe invasa'', the blue gum chalcid wasp or eucalyptus gall wasp, is a chalcid wasp which is the only species in the monotypic genus ''Leptocybe'' in the subfamily Tetrastichinae, of the family Eulophidae. It is a gall wasp which causes t ...
Linepithema humile
The Argentine ant (''Linepithema humile''), formerly ''Iridomyrmex humilis'', is an ant native to northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and southern Brazil. It is an invasive species that has been established in many Mediterranean climat ...
Nasutitermes corniger
''Nasutitermes corniger'' is a species of arboreal termite that is endemic to the neotropics. It is very closely related to '' Nasutitermes ephratae''.
The species has been studied relatively intensively, particularly on Barro Colorado Island, Pa ...
Paratachardina pseudolobata
''Paratachardina pseudolobata'', the lobate lac scale, is a polyphagous and pestiferous lac scale insect, which damages trees and woody shrubs in Cuba, Florida, the Bahamas and the Australian territory of Christmas Island. It was mistakenly iden ...
Pheidole megacephala
''Pheidole megacephala'' is a species of ant in the family Formicidae. It is commonly known as the big-headed ant in the USA and the coastal brown ant in Australia. It is a very successful invasive species and is considered a danger to native ant ...
Phenacoccus solenopsis
''Phenacoccus solenopsis'', the cotton mealybug or solenopsis mealybug, is a species of mealybug in the family Pseudococcidae. Having originated in North America, it has spread to other parts of the world and become a major pest of cotton crops ...
Raoiella indica
''Raoiella indica'', commonly known as the red palm mite, is a species of mite belonging to the family Tenuipalpidae. A pest of several species of palm in the Middle East and South East Asia, it is now becoming established throughout the Caribbe ...
Solenopsis invicta
The red imported fire ant (''Solenopsis invicta''), also known as the fire ant or RIFA, is a species of ant native to South America. A member of the genus '' Solenopsis'' in the subfamily Myrmicinae, it was described by Swiss entomologist Feli ...
Tapinoma melanocephalum
''Tapinoma melanocephalum'' is a species of ant that goes by the common name ghost ant.
They are recognised by their dark head and pale or translucent legs and gaster (abdomen). This colouring makes this tiny ant seem even smaller.
Descript ...
Wasmannia auropunctata
The little fire ant (''Wasmannia auropunctata''), also known as the electric ant, is a small (approx long), light to golden brown (ginger) social ant native to Central and South America, now spread to parts of Africa (including Gabon and Camero ...
Xanthogaleruca luteola
''Xanthogaleruca luteola'', commonly known as the elm-leaf beetle, is a beetle species in the family Chrysomelidae that is native to Europe but invasive in other parts of the world.http://cisr.ucr.edu/elm_leaf_beetle.html - Center for Invasive Sp ...
Bugula neritina
''Bugula neritina'' ( commonly known as brown bryozoan or common bugula) is a cryptic species complex of sessile marine animal in the genus ''Bugula''.Gordon, D. (2015). Bugula neritina (Linnaeus, 1758). In: Bock, P.; Gordon, D. (2015) World Lis ...
According to the non-governmental organisation FLEPPC, the invasive species of plant in 2019 are the following list. Compared to older lists, a number of species have been removed when it became more apparent that they were in fact native to Florida or that their impact was less severe than feared by the organisation, while three or four species have been added in the last decade or so, and two species were originally misidentified. There are many more exotic species in Florida which occur as ornamental garden plants or garden escapes. FLEPPC has no legal authority, this list is merely a recommendation.http://bugwoodcloud.org/CDN/fleppc/plantlists/2019/2019_Plant_List_ABSOLUTE_FINAL.pdf In Florida, a number of plant species are declared invasive species by either state of federal legislature. Most of these are water plants which are not listed below.
See also
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Invasive species in the United States
Invasive species are a significant threat to many native habitats and species of the United States and a significant cost to agriculture, forestry, and recreation. The term "invasive species" can refer to introduced/naturalized species, feral sp ...
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List of invasive species in the Everglades
Invasive species in the Everglades are Introduced species, exotic plants and animals that are not native to the area and have aggressively adapted to conditions in wilderness areas in southern Florida. The Everglades are a massive watershed in th ...
References
{{reflist , refs=
{{cite document , title=List of invasive plant species , publisher=Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council , work=FLEPPC website (fleppc.org) , url=https://www.fleppc.org/list/2013/2013PlantList-WithLinksToUFL-update_05_28_14.pdf , date=2013
Invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
Invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...