5.10 Invasive and Other Problematic Species and Genes
wolves. In fact, they have interbred with Red Wolves, jeopardizing eforts to reintroduce that species in eastern North Carolina (Bohling and Waits 2011) .
Like Coyotes, the Nine-banded Armadillo has spread throughout much of North America over the past 100 years. Te range expansion is not likely due to climate change, but rather to how the lack of pred- ators and land-use changes provide more open conditions. Teir omnivorous feeding habits and fast reproduction also contribute to their spread. Tey compete with other ground-dwelling species, such as skunks and ground-nesting birds. Armadillos can also carry the bacteria that cause leprosy. Feral Swine can signifcantly impact plant communities and wildlife habitat because they root through the ground’s surface in search of food. Feral Swine destroy agricultural crops and other property and pose a substantial disease risk for both domestic swine and other wildlife. According to USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), feral swine diets overlap with native wildlife resulting in competition for food supplies, such as mast crops, seeds, and even seedling plants. Federal swine will also eat invertebrates and other small animals and will destroy nests and eat the eggs of reptiles and ground-nesting birds. Tey can transmit diseases, some of which can be fatal, to both humans and other animals. Humans can be infected through handling of feral swine and consumption of meats. Bru- cellosis, leptospirosis, tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, and trichinellosis are zoonotic diseases that afect humans. Classical swine fever, foot and mouth disease, and pseudorables can infect livestock and other domestic and wild animals. Invasive plants can alter the quality of breeding habitat for some species, such as song-birds, by impact- ing important demographic traits. For example, the loss of habitat can interfere with migratory patterns of species such as birds and fsh, which can have signif-icant impacts to the age structure and dispersal of species that tend to return to their area of natal origin (philopatry) (Ortega et al. 2014) . A few research studies have found that animal behavior involving acoustic signals (e.g., birdsong) can be impacted when wildlife abun-dance is reduced due to habitat degradation (Laiolo and Tella 2005, 2007; Laiolo et al. 2008; Barber et al. 2010; Ortega et al. 2014) . Some changes that may be subtle but will have long-term implications to local populations include increased song similarity and reduced song diversity that results from declines in the number of song models available for juveniles to learn (Laiolo and Tella 2005, 2007; Laiolo et al. 2008; Briefer et al. 2010; Ortega et al. 2014). Single introductions of an invasive species may result in limited genetic variation to an invasive population, whereas multiple introductions of the species may result in an increase in ge- netic diversity and contribute to its success as an invasive species (Lucardi et al. 2014). It is also widely reported in peer-reviewed literature that integration of invasive plant species into a natural community can disrupt native plant–pollinator relationships and networks (Memmott and Waser 2002; Bjerknes et al. 2007; Morales and Traveset 2009; van Hengstum 2013). Cogongrass is an invasive perennial grass considered a major weed of forestlands, rights-of-ways, agricultural and disturbed lands, and natural ecosystems in the southeastern United States (Lucardi et al. 2014) . It is considered to be one of the top 10 worst weeds in the world and is a federal noxious weed. Rhizomes have sharply pointed tips and form a dense interwoven mat usually within the upper foot of the soil surface. Te thick root mat pre-vents native species from establishing or growing and enables Cogon Grass to out-compete native species for water and nutrient resources.
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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