Science Common Sense

1644 - How do invasive alien species affect biodiversity.

Imagine you have a neighborhood with different houses for different families. Each house has its own garden with special plants and animals that live together in harmony.

Invasive alien species are like people who move into the neighborhood without asking, and they take over someone else's house and garden. They can:

1. Push out the original family: They can chase away the original animals and plants that lived there, making them homeless.
2. Eat their food: They can eat the food that the original animals need to survive, leaving them starving.
3. Make new rules: They can change the way the ecosystem works, making it harder for other animals and plants to live there.
4. Bring new diseases: They can bring new diseases that the original animals haven't seen before, making them sick.

This can lead to a loss of biodiversity, which means there are fewer different types of animals and plants living in the neighborhood. This can make the whole ecosystem weaker and less healthy.