The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), or Agrilus Planipennis, is widely considered as one of the most deleterious invasive species ever to be introduced in the United States. It is a small beetle that was brought over from Asia through ash and ash by-products, and is extremely difficult to detect; efforts to eradicate it have been unsuccessful thus far. The main threat that the EAB poses is its negative effects on the native Ash Tree; it seems to attack all North American Ash species and kills them over a span of two to five years by “laying eggs in the conductive tissue of Ash Trees” (Jones). Over the past decade, tens of millions of ash trees across the Northeast and Midwest United States have died because of the introduction of the Emerald Ash Borer. …show more content…
Its destruction of Ash trees with which it comes into contact could “trigger a cascade of ecological effects on habitat quality and the biological communities associated with it” (Nisbet). This means that its negative effects may extend beyond just the loss of Ash trees; this loss may cause even more damage in the long run. For example, Riparian forests, which are the transition space between aquatic ecosystems and terrestrial ecosystems, play a vital and distinct role in the ecosystem. A rapid loss of Ash trees from Riparian forest habitats as a result of infestation of Emerald Ash Borers could put these habitats’ important functions at risk (Nisbet). Separately, other native species that have important interactions with the host that is being targeted by the invasive species are in danger. In the case of the Emerald Ash Borer, any species that interacts with the Ash Tree, such as terrestrial arthropod species are in danger (Nisbet). The Emerald Ash Borer’s negative effects on its environment by way of Ash tree consumption include the destruction of crucial Riparian forest habitats, as well as threatening any native species that interact closely with Ash …show more content…
In urban areas in which Ash trees suddenly reduce in quantity, the amount that humans spend outside may be reduced for a number of reasons. Some of which may be a reduced quantity of shade cover, higher temperatures, or even differing perceptions of “greenness.” According to a study, people who lived in ‘greener’ regions were significantly more likely (three times) to engage in physical activity than those living in regions with less greenery. Another study that yielded consistent findings stated: “A 1% increase in park area was associated with a 1.4% increase in average physical activity among children in New York.” Therefore, it is very likely that the Emerald Ash Borer will affect the amount of time that people spend