A nonnative species is a plant or animal from a foreign region of the world that has established a population in a new area. These alien species may be introduced into an ecosystem through various means. For example, foreign species are most often released into the wild by individuals that have kept them as domestic pets. In addition, they may be transported through ship ballast water or other forms of accidental release. Whereas many species may not be able to survive in foreign conditions, others are able to adapt to new environments (National Ocean Service.
Although, nonnative species can be harmless to new environments, harmoniously integrating themselves into the ecosystem, exotic species often cause severe environmental harm becoming “invasive”. An invasive species is an organism that has unbalanced the dynamic of their new habitat. Invasive organisms often exhibit advantageous traits that allow them to over take native populations by depleting food sources and creating unfair competition for mating grounds, habitats, nests, etc (National Ocean Service). …show more content…
Native to the Indio-Pacific Ocean, lionfish have completely invaded the East Coast of the United States. According to a study conducted by the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), from 1985 to 2016, lionfish have been located from the coast of Florida, as far north as Massachusetts, in the Gulf of Mexico, and throughout the Caribbean Ocean. This massive population growth has not only puzzled scientist but as unbalanced the dynamic of many ecosystems in the Atlantic Oceans