They Are Here!: How Invasive Species Are Spoiling Our Ecosystems

 

They Are Here!: How Invasive Species Are Spoiling Our Ecosystems

by Roland Smith

Published May, 2023

Henry Holt and Co. 

Nonfiction

Hardcover

160 Pages

Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary

From the New York Times -bestselling author, Roland Smith, comes a fascinating, fact-filled resource that explores how humans have introduced―on purpose and by accident―plants and animals to parts of the world where they were previously unknown. . .sometimes with disastrous results.

Did you know that brown rats were brought to the United States in the eighteenth century on a ship from England? Or that thousands of exotic pets were released into the Florida Everglades after a hurricane in 1992, leading to today’s booming Burmese python population? All over the country, non-native species from around the world have been introduced to our lands, irrevocably changing the natural balances of their new habitats.

This is the story of some of those newcomers, but also of human error and nature gone wild. By looking at thirty different intrusive plants and animals, They Are Here! explores invasive species, their impact on our environment, and the steps we can take to support local ecosystems under threat.

My Thoughts

I found this book really interesting. It includes definitions and describes ways that invasive species enter ecosystems. I was very surprised by how many animals are categorized as invasive species, the damage they do and the money it costs to try to control them. I do wish there was a table of contents, but the chapters are organized by type of animal. I found the chapter about how Burmese Pythons became an invasive species in Florida because of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. 

While there are very few illustrations and no photographs, the short sections with interesting information will appeal to many students.