ntific estimates for the economic and ecological costs imposed by introduced and invasive species in the United States. They found that, as of 2005, approximately 50,000 species had been introduced in the United States and that these accounted for over $120 billion in economic costs each year. These costs include direct losses and damage, as well as costs required to control the species. (The researchers did not quantify monetary estimates for losses of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and aesthetics, which they said would drive total costs several times higher.) Calculate values missing from the table to determine the number of introduced species of each type of organism and the annual cost that each imposes on our economy.
Environmental scientists David Pimentel, Rodolfo Zuniga, and Doug Morrison of Cornell University reviewed scientific estimates for the economic and ecological costs imposed by introduced and invasive species in the United States. They found that, as of 2005, approximately 50,000 species had been introduced in the United States and that these accounted
for over $120 billion in economic costs each year. These costs include direct losses and damage, as well as costs required to control the species. (The researchers did not quantify monetary estimates for losses of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and aesthetics, which they said would drive total costs several times higher.) Calculate values missing from the table to determine the number of introduced species of each type of organism and the annual cost that each imposes on our economy.
Organisms that damage crop plants are the most costly
of introduced species. Weeds, pathogenic microbes, and
arthropods that attack crops together account for half of
the costs documented by Pimentel’s team. What steps can
we—farmers, policymakers, and all of us as a society—
take to minimize the impacts of invasive species on crops?
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