Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History: Ocean Planet: Biological Roulette: Alien Species
Click on the roulette wheel and see how some alien species were introduced into the United States and the effect they have had on our country. This is part of an archived Smithsonian exhibit.
University of Florida
Florida Museum: South Florida Aquatic Environments: Introduced Species
The transport of living plants and animals to areas beyond their native range has been practiced by human beings for thousands of years. While some introductions are intentional, others occur by accident or happenstance. Regardless of...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas
A virtual who's who of invasive plants, herbs, vines, shrubs, and trees. This comprehensive site provides easy-to-read fact sheets that contain native ranges, plant descriptions, ecological threats, U.S. distributions & habitats,...
Lumen Learning
Lumen: Boundless Biology: Threats to Biodiversity
Looks at the impact of overharvesting, such as overfishing, on biodiversity. It talks of the 'tragedy of the commons,' where harvesters do not feel responsible for protecting a species because they fish in shared areas. It also touches...
Untamed Science
Untamed Science: Competition
This well-written article explains what competition in an ecosystem is and the different ways it can manifest itself. It also looks at how organisms avoid competition, some disadvantages and outcomes of competition, the impact of a...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Scientific American: Alien Invasion: Unwanted Travel Partners
Perform an experiment to observe inadvertent transfer of organisms when new fish are transplanted into tropical aquariums. Apply this knowledge to explain how alien species can rapidly destroy the established ecological balance in an...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Alien Invasion: Estimating a Snake Population [Pdf]
Learn about the effects of alien species on native environments and explore biologists' use of capture/recapture statistics and analysis of sampling techniques by estimating the population size of a tagged species.
Other
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: How Do They Get Here?
An article that explains the pathways by which non-native fish and wildlife find their way into Florida's ecosystem.
Environmental Education for Kids
Eek!: Alien Invaders
The aliens have landed in Wisconsin! You may see them and not even know they are aliens. These invaders are actually exotic plants and animals that have been introduced to our state from other countries or habitats on purpose or by...