DISCUSSION
Concern over Non-Native Species: Should we assume that non-native species are capable of ecological and economic damage until proven innocent or should native and non-native species be assumed to be innocent until proven guilty?
Team Yes Position: There are sound ecological and evolutionary reasons to expect non-native species to have more negative effects on native ecosystems than would be expected for native species. In many cases, they have escaped enemies or other constraints that keep them in check in their home range. Although natural enemies may eventually evolve to attack non-native species, in the short-term non-native invaders have dramatic consequences. Non-native species that occur in natural areas and appear to be increasing or spreading should be eradicated or controlled before they have the opportunity to inflict damage.
Point 1. Do non-native species that have large negative effects in their introduced range generally have more modest effects in their native range? Why or why not? Have the negative effects of some native species been dismissed or ignored?
Team Yes: Most non-native invasive species have larger negative effects in their introduced range than in their home range, in part because they have escaped their co-evolved natural enemies.
Team No: Regardless of a species’ origin, some are strong competitors and some are weak. Non-native invasive species generally have strong negative effects in their home range and introduced range. Enemies and competitors in the introduced range can resist invasion by many non-native species.
Regardless of which specific point each debater is responsible for, all debaters need to research and be able to answer the following questions:
i. What is a non-native species?
ii. What is an invasive species?
Assigned Point (5 pts) – Did the student write about the correct point? (Don’t laugh. You’d be surprised how many get this wrong).
-Correct Position (5 pts) – Did the student argue his/her assigned position? (Again, more than a few get this wrong)
-Effective Argument (10 pts) – How well did the student articulate the case for his/her position? How well did the student demonstrate understanding of the topic and associated data analyses?
-Scholarly References (10 pts)
— Scholarly articles cited (5 pts) – No encyclopedias, blogs, personal webpages, popular journals, newspapers. No textbooks cited for primary research.
— Proper citation of sources (5 pts) – Paraphrasing the work of external sources; avoiding long quotations; avoiding plagiarism
-Grammar and Spelling (5 pts)
-Style (5 pts) – good writing style, well organized, logical flow.
References
One of the main objectives of this paper is to have you read scientific literature. The scientific literature includes primary research articles and reviews in scientific journals (e.g., Science, Nature, Ecology, Biological Invasions). It does NOT include encyclopedias, textbooks, newspapers, magazines, web pages, etc. Although these source can be used to help you find research articles, they cannot be cited. We encourage you to use a database such as Web of Science or Google Scholar to find SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ARTICLES to cite. Government documents or scholarly books are OK too. You must have at least three literature sources in support of your argument. Citations pertaining to definitions of non-native and invasive species are NOT included in that three-source minimum. List all of your sources in a “Works Cited” or “References” section.
Citations
Be sure to cite EACH sentence that is from a source you use. This helps us determine which ideas are yours and which are from an external source. Use internal citations by placing the author and year in parentheses at the end of the sentence. You’ll also need to place a full bibliographic citation at the end in a “Works Cited” portion of the paper. Use the APA format. See blackboard for resources on this citation format if you are unfamiliar.