Gypsy moths are an invasive species, and are commonly called pests. Gypsy moths are only seen during the summer. Females have cream-colored wings, a tan body, and a two-inch wingspan. Female Gypsy moths cannot fly. Males, which are smaller than females, with a 1.5-inch wingspan, are dark-brown and have feathery antennae. The male can fly.
Male Gypsy Moth
Female Gypsy Moth
Characteristics of the Gypsy Moth:
Feeding Habits - Gypsy moths feed on leaves of over 300 types of trees, and during peak years, they can remove all the leaves on a tree. Gypsy moths prefer oak trees however they will eat almost all/any foliage including evergreens and shrubs. Life Cycle - The gypsy moth goes thorugh 4 stages in life; they are the egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult. They lay anywhere between 500 and 1000 eggs. Their eggs are attached to trees, houses, or anything outdoors. The eggs hatch in the spring into caterpillars. Gypsy moth caterpillars are esily identified because they look different than any other caterpillar. They have five pairs of blue dots and six pairs of red dots lining their back. Also, they are dark-colored and covered with hairs. In the early summer, these caterpillars go into a pupa or transitional stage. The pupae are dark brown, shell-like cases, and covered with hairs. They are primarily located in sheltered areas such as tree bark crevices or leaf litter. Adult Gypsy moths emerge from the pupae in 10 to 14 days.
Gypsy Moth Caterpillar
Predators of the Gypsy Moth - The gypsy moths have many predators including common-woodland mammals (white-footed mouse, shrew, racoons), wasps, beetles, ants, many species of spiders, birds (blue jays and robins) Limiting Factors - Certain weather conditions affect the development and survival of the gypsy moth's life stages. Natural predators are also a major limiting factor. Diseases caused by bacteria, and fungi cause the population of gypsy moth's to decrease.
Where Did the Gypsy Moth Come From
The gypsy moth was brought over seas from Europe in 1869, by Etienne Leopold Trouvelet. He brought them over, into North America, with the intention of breeding the gypsy moths with silk worms to develop a silkworm industry. However, there were problems.
How did the Gypsy Moth get Introduced into our Ecosystem
Gypsy moth's were accidently released/escaped into Etienne Leopold Trouvelet's backyard, in Massachusetts. They slowly but surely began to spread around North America, north and south, east and west. They spread through-out many states within the US (including Michigan, Minnesota), and many provinces in Canada (including British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec).
Progressive spread of the gypsy moth across north east US from 1900–2007
What Effect has the Gypsy Moth had on it's new Ecosystem
They effect forestry. Gypsy moths are defoliators - they eat leaves. An outbreak of gypsy moth caterpillars can very quickly and effectively defoliate forests over a wide geographic area. (Defoliate means removing leaves from a tree). This can result in a decrease in the population of trees. It's effecting aquatic ecosystems. Basically as the gypsy moth eats leaves it forms droppings, which fall down into the water and do quite a bit of damage. They're actually increasing the organic load in the water, which can lead to the increase in algae. They thrive because they are not native to Noth America therefore they do not have any natural predators, or deseases. Also because of the warm climate (in certian places and at certain times of the year.) Gypsy moths can only survive in warm climates, if they are in a cold one they will most likely die. Effects of gypsy moth - defoliation
What Strategies Have Been Used to Control the Gypsy Moth
Biocontrol is used. Biocontrol is when a species is introduced to control the growth, amount , and spread of an undesirable species (invasive species). In this case, the parasitoid fly was introduced to control the growth, amount and spread of the gypsy moth. Natural processes such as climate change influences the population numbers of the gypsy moth. Gypsy moths are dependant on warm climates, they cannot survive in harsh, cold climates. By the sounds of these strategies, they seem to be very effective and smart methods of controlling the growth, spread, and number of gypsy moths.
What Lessons have we Learned form this Invasion
We have learned that something may be a lot more dangerous and effective than it seems. A gypsy moth doesn't seem like it could even hurt a fly, however it can have such an enormous impact on the environment in a negative way. An example of this in everyday life are words. As you say them you may not think they're such a big deal where as in reality the people around you are greatly effected.
What can you as an Individual do to help slow its Invasion
Gypsy moths in the United States are here to stay, however we can slow down the spread of them around the country (Slow-the -Spread) by trapping and applying insecticides. By doing this we might protect certain areas from these annoying pests. Also, before moving out of an infested area you can visually check your car/outdoor belongings before moving into a non-infested area, therefore preventing the spread of them into an area where they may not have arrived yet. By watering and fertilizing trees, it helps the tree deal with the impacts of the gypsy moths on their leaves. Healthy trees are able to produce chemicals (poisons) with-in their leaves therefore when eaten by the caterpillars, it can cause them to die, therefore they might cause it's population to decrease. Removing the eggs off of trees and other outdoor items will definitely reduce the number of caterpillars.
What is a Gypsy Moth
Gypsy moths are an invasive species, and are commonly called pests. Gypsy moths are only seen during the summer. Females have cream-colored wings, a tan body, and a two-inch wingspan. Female Gypsy moths cannot fly. Males, which are smaller than females, with a 1.5-inch wingspan, are dark-brown and have feathery antennae. The male can fly.
Male Gypsy Moth
Female Gypsy Moth
Feeding Habits - Gypsy moths feed on leaves of over 300 types of trees, and during peak years, they can remove all the leaves on a tree. Gypsy moths prefer oak trees however they will eat almost all/any foliage including evergreens and shrubs.
Life Cycle - The gypsy moth goes thorugh 4 stages in life; they are the egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult. They lay anywhere between 500 and 1000 eggs. Their eggs are attached to trees, houses, or anything outdoors. The eggs hatch in the spring into caterpillars. Gypsy moth caterpillars are esily identified because they look different than any other caterpillar. They have five pairs of blue dots and six pairs of red dots lining their back. Also, they are dark-colored and covered with hairs. In the early summer, these caterpillars go into a pupa or transitional stage. The pupae are dark brown, shell-like cases, and covered with hairs. They are primarily located in sheltered areas such as tree bark crevices or leaf litter. Adult Gypsy moths emerge from the pupae in 10 to 14 days.
Gypsy Moth Caterpillar
Limiting Factors - Certain weather conditions affect the development and survival of the gypsy moth's life stages. Natural predators are also a major limiting factor. Diseases caused by bacteria, and fungi cause the population of gypsy moth's to decrease.
Where Did the Gypsy Moth Come From
The gypsy moth was brought over seas from Europe in 1869, by Etienne Leopold Trouvelet. He brought them over, into North America, with the intention of breeding the gypsy moths with silk worms to develop a silkworm industry. However, there were problems.
How did the Gypsy Moth get Introduced into our Ecosystem
Gypsy moth's were accidently released/escaped into Etienne Leopold Trouvelet's backyard, in Massachusetts. They slowly but surely began to spread around North America, north and south, east and west. They spread through-out many states within the US (including Michigan, Minnesota), and many provinces in Canada (including British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec).
Progressive spread of the gypsy moth across north east US from 1900–2007
What Effect has the Gypsy Moth had on it's new Ecosystem
They effect forestry. Gypsy moths are defoliators - they eat leaves. An outbreak of gypsy moth caterpillars can very quickly and effectively defoliate forests over a wide geographic area. (Defoliate means removing leaves from a tree). This can result in a decrease in the population of trees. It's effecting aquatic ecosystems. Basically as the gypsy moth eats leaves it forms droppings, which fall down into the water and do quite a bit of damage. They're actually increasing the organic load in the water, which can lead to the increase in algae. They thrive because they are not native to Noth America therefore they do not have any natural predators, or deseases. Also because of the warm climate (in certian places and at certain times of the year.) Gypsy moths can only survive in warm climates, if they are in a cold one they will most likely die.
What Strategies Have Been Used to Control the Gypsy Moth
Biocontrol is used. Biocontrol is when a species is introduced to control the growth, amount , and spread of an undesirable species (invasive species). In this case, the parasitoid fly was introduced to control the growth, amount and spread of the gypsy moth. Natural processes such as climate change influences the population numbers of the gypsy moth. Gypsy moths are dependant on warm climates, they cannot survive in harsh, cold climates. By the sounds of these strategies, they seem to be very effective and smart methods of controlling the growth, spread, and number of gypsy moths.
What Lessons have we Learned form this Invasion
We have learned that something may be a lot more dangerous and effective than it seems. A gypsy moth doesn't seem like it could even hurt a fly, however it can have such an enormous impact on the environment in a negative way. An example of this in everyday life are words. As you say them you may not think they're such a big deal where as in reality the people around you are greatly effected.
What can you as an Individual do to help slow its Invasion
Gypsy moths in the United States are here to stay, however we can slow down the spread of them around the country (Slow-the -Spread) by trapping and applying insecticides. By doing this we might protect certain areas from these annoying pests. Also, before moving out of an infested area you can visually check your car/outdoor belongings before moving into a non-infested area, therefore preventing the spread of them into an area where they may not have arrived yet. By watering and fertilizing trees, it helps the tree deal with the impacts of the gypsy moths on their leaves. Healthy trees are able to produce chemicals (poisons) with-in their leaves therefore when eaten by the caterpillars, it can cause them to die, therefore they might cause it's population to decrease. Removing the eggs off of trees and other outdoor items will definitely reduce the number of caterpillars.
http://eol.org/pages/860845/details
http://www.ask.com/answers/71486221/where-did-the-gypsy-moth-come-from
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gypsymoth/management.cfm
B3.5 Identify various factors related to human activity that have impacted on ecosystems (the introduction of invasive species) and explain how these factors affect the equilibrium in an ecosystem.
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