How do non-native and invasive species affect biodiversity and why is biodiversity important?
Well let me give you an example from the plant world. There are many weeds out there people know of — everything from dandelions to trees that have become “weedy.” A specific example is a species called Smooth Brome which became really common around Colorado and out in Western U.S. Well, they found that any area that Smooth Brome happened in, that forest fires came much more frequently on that landscape. And because the fires came more often on the landscape, Smooth Brome was able to regenerate much faster than other species, and there are areas of the state where you can drive for miles and miles and see no other species but Smooth Brome. So that’s how it affects biodiversity in the plant world. In the amphibian world, many introduced species are far more aggressive, better predators, very good at finding food. That’s why they become problem species, and are common species, because they are very good at what they do. They can out-compete the other species that are on the landscape to
