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Pollution by Invasive Species
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Water:Science and Issues
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Copyright informationCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Pollution by Invasive Species
Plants and animals sometimes disperse naturally into new
habitats
, either by natural migrations or via floods, storms, and other events. Species also can be transported by humans, either deliberately or accidentally. When species are introduced into areas outside their natural ranges, they become known as nonindigenous (i.e., not originating from that geographic area), alien, or exotic.
Once introduced, exotic or nonindigenous species are separated from the predators,
parasites
, and diseases that kept them in balance in their native environments. With such controls lost or diminished, the species often become pests, some to the extent that they ...