Florida is no stranger to its ecosystem and biodiversity being threatened, but a new arrival in the Sunshine state threatens to disrupt the ecosystem for the entire United States. New Guinea Flatworms have come ashore in the U.S. and have the potential to cause insurmountable destruction if not dealt with immediately. These worms are so aggressively invasive that they have been added to the list of the 100 worst invasive alien species from a global invasive species database.
So much trouble for such small organisms
Their tiny slimy bodies may not cause them to look like a formidable foe, but these worms have a history of wreaking havoc wherever they’re found. New Guinea Flatworms have been introduced into ecosystems in the past on purpose, and by accident. Often they ride in cargos of ships unbeknown to the passengers and crew aboard the vessels, or in other cases they have been introduced into a population of other species because of their destructive nature. On several Pacific Islands the snail was introduced to kill off all of the Giant East African Snails in the region, because one of its main food sources is shelled or other mollusk like creatures.
Troubles with the snails landing in Florida of all states.
It can’t be taken lightly that of anywhere that the worms have made their appearance, they have been spotted in Florida. Florida has a long history of trouble controlling invasive species due to the lack of resources necessary to control a species population in the everglades. There is just too much space where species can populate in the swampy regions where worms will thrive. Florida is already experiencing problems with invasive species in the form of large pythons being released into the wild.
Owners in the state had been releasing the massive snakes into the everglades once they were too big to manage, and the reptiles created an overbearing presence which still threatens the ecosystem there. If they have trouble managing the population control of massive snakes, surely these New Guinea Flatworms will slip by under the radar. While it is still early to tell the effect that these worms will have on the mainland U.S., if measures aren’t taken immediately to ensure the balance of the ecosystem remains stable, the ramifications could prove to disastrous.
