In the last 50 years, the number of invasive species in the Ottawa River watershed has increased significantly. The ways that invasive species can affect an environment, as well as the severity of those effects can be very different depending on the species and the habitat. While some may be able to fill a role in the ecosystem that native species don\u2019t already fill, resulting in minimal impacts, others have been known to outcompete native species so much that they deplete resources and completely reshape entire ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most invasive species are introduced because of human activity. Releasing pets, planting non-native plants in home gardens, and transporting boats between water bodies without proper washing in between are common ways that invasive species are introduced and spread. Climate change can also play a role, because it may change habitats in such a way that certain species have an advantage and can expand their ranges into areas that they used to not be able to get to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Explore the resources below to learn more about invasive species in the Ottawa River watershed, and ways you can help monitor and stop the spread!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawariverkeeper.ca\/discovery-portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/answer\/152"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawariverkeeper.ca\/discovery-portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/answer"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawariverkeeper.ca\/discovery-portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/answer"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawariverkeeper.ca\/discovery-portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}