Invasive Species: Mnemiopsis leidyi Sea walnut

Due: Monday, 12/7/20, 11:10am

Assignment

In the chart below, you have been assigned an invasive species. For your assigned species, research and answer the questions below to produce a 3-4 page report. Your written report is due Dec. 7th at the start of class. Please submit it on Blackboard. Come to class that day prepared to discuss your species.

Formatting

Your report should be:

• 3 to 4 pages in length, not including literature cited or figures
• double spaced
• 1 inch margins
• 11 pt font in Arial or 12 pt font in Times New Roman

Citations

You are encouraged to include citations and figures copied from sources, and figures and the reference list does not count towards your page limit. Use in-text citations as (Author Year), e.g. (Altieri and Gedan 2011). The format of full length references listed at the end of the paper in a Literature Cited section can be in any standard format. If in doubt, please copy the reference style in the textbook.

You may begin your search using the invasive species databases, but please consult the primary literature and include at least two citations that are published journal papers. If information cannot be found on one of these topics, simply state this in your paper (in a way that does not disrupt from the flow of your report).

Resources:

• National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Invasive Species database: https://invasions.si.edu/nemesis/
• World Register of Introduced Marine Species: http://www.marinespecies.org/introduced/online_sources.php
• Web of Science
• Google Scholar

Try to answer the following questions about your species:

Taxonomy and biology (4 pts)

1. To what phylum and family does your species belong?
2. How does it reproduce?
3. Does it have a pelagic larval stage, and, if so, how long is the duration?

Native habits (4 pts)

1. native range distribution
2. environmental limits, if known, in its native range
3. native habitat
4. important interactions (+ or -) with other species in its native habitat

Invasive habits (4 pts)

1. invasive range distribution
2. environmental limits, if known, in its native range
3. invasive habitat
4. important interactions (+ or -) with other species in its invasive habitat

Introduction history and Impacts (4 pts)

1. How and when was it first introduced?
2. How has it spread?
3. Are there any known impacts of introduction of your species?
4. Are there control efforts? How much and how effective are these?

Quality of Research and Writing (4 pts)