Question

Organisms can have positive or negative impacts on the ecosystem they live in. The cane toad, or Rhinella marina, was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in 1932 by sugar cane farmers. Farmers released the toads in their crops to help control pests that were damaging the sugar cane. The cane toad has few natural predators, as it secretes a poisonous toxin from its skin that deters larger organisms from eating it. As a result, the cane toad population thrived and grew to number hundreds of thousands by 1935. width="379" Which role does the cane toad play in the Hawaiian Islands?
 A.native species
 B.invasive species
  C.uncontrolled species
D. endangered species

Answer 1

The role which the cane toad plays in the Hawaiian Islands is invasive species, since it has negative effect on the sugar cane, etc.

Answer 2

The right answer is B.

An invasive species (cane toad) is an exotic species that becomes harmful to the native biodiversity (sugar cane) of natural or semi-natural ecosystems from which it has become established.

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning can be disrupted by alien species with consequences for the economy and agriculture, as we see in this case.