Cuban Treefrog Research Paper

Invasive species are organisms that infiltrate ecosystems that are unable to support their alien lifestyle and diet. Their initial invasion may seem inconsequential and, frankly, insignificant at first, but their numbers will quickly grow and multiply, so much that the future outcome takes a drastic turn for the worst. Florida, in particular, has been attacked by numerous invasive species because of its accessibility to foreign cargo and material. The Burmese python, Cuban treefrog, and lionfish are just a few of the infamous invasive species growing in prominence throughout Florida. Even though these species seem incredibly different, they have one thing in common - an ability to tear down entire ecosystems by just being alive! It is important
Introduced by accident in the 1920’s, this invasive species now resides in Southern and Northeast Florida through the means of shipment transportation (Nonnatives - Cuban Treefrog). Its toxic skin and voracious appetite contributes to the Cuban treefrogs’ growing numbers and the native frogs’ decreasing numbers (Nonnatives - Cuban Treefrog). The Cuban treefrog also causes problems for humans directly, as its preferred habitat is cultured, urban locations, such as gardens and citrus groves (The Cuban Treefrog in Florida) . There have been multiple accounts of Cuban treefrogs being found in people’s homes - in their flower pots, yards, and even in their toilets (Cuban Tree Frog: Invasive Species Takes over Resident's Yard). For these reasons efforts have been made by conservation scientists at the University of Florida to warn and inform the general public of the threat Cuban treefrogs pose (The Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus Septentrionalis) in Florida1). Articles have been placed on the internet explaining how to euthanize the local treefrogs in your yard using easily-accessible supplies (The Cuban Treefrog in Florida). It is through their efforts that they hope to contain the treefrogs’ growing
Supposedly, their invasion began during hurricane Andrew in 1992 when 6 lionfish escaped into the wild (The Lionfish Invasion). In only 24 years, Lionfish have successfully established populations all along the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean (Lionfish - Point Map). With their ability to reproduce 2 million eggs a year per female and absence of natural predators (The Lionfish Invasion), it is only expected for their numbers to have overtaken in such short a time. This leads to a number of damaging effects on Florida’s ecosystem, such as the severe population declination of native species. In just 30 minutes, a lionfish can eat up to 20 small fish, some of them ⅔ of their own length (The Lionfish Invasion)! This affects not only the species preyed upon, but also the competing native predators, decreasing their numbers too (The Lionfish Invasion). Because of their exponential growth in numbers, complete eradication is, unfortunately, an unrealistic goal (The Lionfish Invasion). Containment, as has been taken up by many sympathizers, is now the only solution. Options such as preserving the population of the lionfishes’ few predators and capturing/eating the lionfish ourselves have proven slightly effective (The Lionfish Invasion); eating it as a delicacy has also