Anything can disrupt and alter ecosystems. Huge benefactors of disrupting ecosystems are invasive species. Invasive species are plants, animals, or other organisms that are introduced to a given area outside their original range and cause harm in their new home (Delach). They are capable of mobbing aggressively and taking over resources of other species, such as sunlight, water, food, and space. They can "displace native plants and animals, disrupt ecological processes, threaten ecosystem stability, and alter both natural and man-made landscapes" ("Invasive Species Control"). Recently, more of these species was found invading and threatening the ecosystem of Arkansas. These species were first introduced to the United States as a benefactor and had spread throughout the country. Although invasive species were first introduced to be beneficial to the enviroment, economy, and public health, they cause more damage and harm in most cases.
             Invasive species are harmful to other native species and time, and money should be invested to prevent the continuous spread and damage caused. When non-native species from other ecosystems are introduced, they can upset the balance of an already-established ecosystem of plants and animals. Tamarisk was " first brought into the United States in the late 1800s and early 1990s as an ornamental shrub and as a stabilizing plant along streambeds, [however], the plant soon escaped its "boundaries" and spread prolifically" (Pieper). This invasive species has been sucking up more than its fair share of water along the Arkansas River. The plant is said to consume "over 800 billion gallons of water annually nationwide and is especially prevalent in the southwestern United States" (Pieper). Because it is an invasive species, the plant does not have any "natural enemies" to help control its population. Therefore, landowners along the Arkansas River and other connected states have undertaken a project to get rid o...