Veeky Forums, what's the point of protecting local ecosystems from invasive species?
Why don't we just let, say, Australia be overrun by whatever? Sure all of the native species would be driven to extinction (frankly, improving Australia). And sure, there will be periods of suck as certain invaders have population explosions. But it would stabilize over time, right? Explosion of foreign rabbits is followed by an explosion of foreign foxes is followed by equilibrium. Right?
If we stopped trying to preserve exotic or endangered species and just let natural selection do its thing, could we, ultimately, "standardize" the global ecosystem?
Colton Bennett
it's really only a problem when it's a problem, like when a local crop or resource is threatened. But by their definition, invasive species do threaten other species, so they overall reduce local diversity, which is in general a net negative (high localized ecological diversity is the best indicator of a healthy environmental area, as ecosystems go).
Benjamin Anderson
you are fucking retarded.
Jaxson Lewis
Humans are part of the ecosystem too. What happens when the species driven to extinction is cows or corn?
Alexander James
>Ain't nuffin matter, do whatever Excellent point. Well stated.
Charles Wilson
made me kek
Levi Harris
Well, we stop extracting food from them. Corn would probably be a lot more destructive if it went extinct than cows, though. Probably.
Dylan Adams
Because livestock you faggit
Jose Cruz
As a farmer im fucking offended by this!!!
Juan Taylor
I'm Australian, and I agree.
Isaac Lopez
*steals your vegemite crops and women*
Kevin Lopez
You could take the let-nature-be-nature approach
Why not let your computer get infected by any and all invasive viruses? Equilibrium = useless computer
Why not let your body just get infected by any and all invasive parasites, bacteria, viruses? Equilibrium = dead body
If it is a system you depend on, maintain it.
Owen Richardson
Fuck off we're full.
Carson Jenkins
So what I'm hearing is a lot of "I don't know".
Thomas Sanders
America and all of Europe should open the doors to all the Syrian, and middle eastern refugees. They should also grant anyone that steps on their land rights and citizenship. Also, Europeans should industrialize the rest of Africa. Even if it means enslaving every native.
Also something something they don't fit in the niches of what they're replacing correctly or at all. The "global ecosystem" can't be "standardized." Blah blah blah. Ecosystems would collapse, you should kill yourself.
Julian Green
OP, just try to think, you are human you should be capable of that. Invasive species are called invasive, as they are not native to the land. Let's take your example - Australia. Since it's an island, animals have a hard fucking time migrating to it, especially in quantities to overthrow native population. However humans build fucking ships and other equipments for travel, which these animals can (and do) use to travel large distances. How are you considering animals traveling on the back of humans natural? Humans have been the catalysators for invasive animals to overthrow natives.
Nathaniel Bell
>Explosion of foreign rabbits is followed by an explosion of foreign foxes is followed by equilibrium. Right? no thats wrong and has been known to be wrong for atleast 50 years, jesus ecological literacy is shit. i have read about people living traditional lifes that cant even read and are way more knowledgeable than you are, because they arent detached from the world they live in it ends in a barren hellscape you mongoloid >If we stopped trying to preserve exotic or endangered species and just let natural selection do its thing, could we, ultimately, "standardize" the global ecosystem? if by standardize you mean reduce to a highly entropic, uninhabitable hell hole t post doc focused on eco-evolutionary dynamics
Hudson Gray
>stabilize over time, right? No. >what's the point All species aren't equally desirable, weeds grow better than edible crops and pretty flowers, pigeons are more annoying than sparrows. In a global cage match lots of desirable species would lose to undesirable ones. >endangered species This is where I part ways with environmental conservationists. It's obviously good to wipe some things out like mosquitoes and polar bears, or destroy 'natural' environments like sahara and siberia by turning them into farmland. If a species is so irrelevant as to be endangered in the first place I don't see a point to trying to preserve it.
Adrian Nguyen
this. Picture this nightmare scenario >introduce rabbits to australia >they rapidly reproduce starving out all other prey animals. >spider population fucking explodes as they devour ridiculously over populated rabbits >spiders completely obliterate rabbits >humans next It's just a matter of time. Protect Australia's ecosystem for the safety of all mankind.
Hunter Foster
>f a species is so irrelevant as to be endangered in the first place I don't see a point to trying to preserve it. what kind of reasoning is this? >there are few of them >so they are irrelevant both polar bears and mosquitoes are crucial for the functioning of their ecosystems by their tropic interactions alone. epsacially mosquitos as the t1 basis of the food chain and key pollinators. get hip to biodiversity and complexity in ecosystems brainlet. i pull ticks out of my ass pubes that are better people than you
Lincoln Clark
>food chain forgive me food web, trophic network, the correct abstraction
Asher Davis
Sounds like you've studied this so much you've lost all perspective and understand the big picture less now.
"Life will find a way." -Dr Ian Malcolm.
Joseph Stewart
he doesnt seem like he has studied it much at all >"Life will find a way." according to the geological record it usually takes the world atleast 8 million years to start to function properly again after global extinction events like this one