Invasive Species Persuasive Speech

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Welcome to Bartram Trail. We appreciate you taking a minute out of your busy day to come out here and help us deal with a critical manner dealing with our beautiful St Johns river. In, the recent weeks we have noticed an increased with a particular invasive plant. Before we go into the details about the plant, let me just give a quick reminder what we mean by invasive plant (species).
What Is an Invasive Species? A species is considered to be invasive when it is two things: 1) it is not native to our region and 2) it is capable of causing human, environmental, or economic harm. These plants often compete so successfully in a new environment that they take over the native species and they interfere with the ecosystem process.
How Does a Species Become Invasive? For a …show more content…

We are having an increase of Pistia stratiotes L., also known as the Water-lettuce. It is an aquatic floating plant. As its name implies, Water-lettuce looks like a floating open head of lettuce. They have very thick leaves. The leaves are light dull green, hairy, and ridged. Water-lettuce roots are light-colored and feathery. Its flowers are not clearly visible. The Water-lettuce native to Africa or South America is considered to be one of the worst weeds in the subtropical and tropical regions of the world. In Florida, it was first recorded in 1765; its introduction is linked to early shipping commerce between Florida and South America. Today, water-lettuce is commonly found in the central and southern portions of the state, but new infestations of water-lettuce have been found in North Florida's spring-fed rivers and lakes.
What environmental issues is the water lettuce causing? Pistia stratiotes mats clog waterways, making boating, fishing and almost all other water activities, impossible. It also degrades water quality by blocking the air-water interface and greatly reducing oxygen levels in the water, eliminating underwater animals such as

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