Discover Alabama Biodiversity with Vulcan Termite & Pest Control

 

Although we proudly prevent insects from harming or bothering our local customers in their homes, it doesn’t mean we wish we could wipe them off the face of the planet or head to their natural habitats in the forest to attack them unprovoked.

Everyone, to some degree, should learn to appreciate the importance of biodiversity and support the missions of native species conservationists. 

Keep reading this blog to learn:

• • What biodiversity is

• • The importance of biodiversity and why it’s worthy of your appreciation

• • How native vs. invasive species impact an ecosphere

• • And best of all: Impressive Alabama biodiversity stats and facts! 

What Is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity is the diverse range of life that populates an ecosystem, including plants, animals, fungi, and even single-celled organisms like bacteria, protists, and archaea. 

Why Should I Appreciate Biodiversity?

In their native habitats, all insects and other animals have inherent value as necessary contributors to maintaining healthy and stable ecosystems, which is worthy of appreciation; that even includes the bugs in the wild that would be considered pests on human property. 

For example, even if you hate mosquitoes, fear wasps, or are allergic to bees, you can be glad they all exist in areas outside your property to pollinate plants that produce essential goods like honey, cotton, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. 

You read that correctly: Even pesky (native) mosquitoes, fleas, and wasps have value and a right to live without human intervention in their natural habitat. 

Native vs. Invasive Species’ Impact on Biodiversity

Native and invasive species impact the biodiverse populations in every ecosystem. While native species make an ecosystem flourish, invasive species throw it off balance. 

For example, the Asian Tiger Mosquito is a highly invasive and aggressive insect in Alabama that can transmit more than five deadly diseases, mostly to mammals. As a dangerous pathogen vector worse than the average mosquito, the Asian Tiger Mosquito’s painful bites can kill, especially if its victims are wild animals. This is because they don’t have medical treatment for encephalitis or the other conditions that can result from the bites.

By dying early from the bite of one of these mosquitoes or another invasive species, a native animal is stopped from fulfilling their essential role in the biosphere. On a larger scale, an entire native species in a biosphere can go extinct (or adapt to survive, e.g., by migrating somewhere else) when an invasive species outnumbers, overpowers, or overcrowds it. 

Alabama Biodiversity: Quick Facts

Most of the information in this guide on biodiversity is relevant to anyone looking to learn more about biodiversity and ecology, not just our local readers and customers in Alabama! 

Still, Alabama is impressively biodiverse, and we’re glad to take a minute to spotlight it specifically in this section; here are some quick facts that represent just how biodiverse our state is:

• Alabama is the fourth most biodiverse state!
• Number of Species: Ecologists and biologists know of more than 6.2k species of plants and animals in Alabama, though they estimate the exact number of species living here to be much higher. That number doesn’t even scratch the surface of all known types of life in Alabama. It only includes plants and animals because it is impossible to count all the varieties of microscopic and unicellular organisms living in a single habitat.
• Carnivorous plants are more prevalent here in Alabama than in any other state.
• Alabama’s biomes and ecosystems are also diverse, with 60+ types of terrestrial biomes alone.
• We are ranked #1 for the number of species of freshwater-dwelling organisms, including fish.
• If all sources of freshwater (streams and rivers, mostly) throughout Alabama were somehow connected end to end, it would result in a body of water spanning hundreds of thousands of miles. 

Our Secret to Being Alabama’s Best Pest Control Pros: We Know Where Bugs Belong and Don’t Hate Them

Contrary to how it may seem, most pest experts (including us) greatly appreciate and are interested in the insects and countless other creatures abundant on planet Earth. There’s quite a difference between needlessly killing harmless bugs out of fear and providing necessary services to keep harmful pests from crossing into human territory. 

We believe that knowledge is power, and understanding and appreciating bugs in the habitats they belong in is essential to knowing how to keep them out of places they don’t belong (like your house). 

Hire Birmingham’s Best in Controlling Pests Today!

For 40+ years, our team of integrative pest management professionals from Vulcan Termite & Pest Control has proudly aided hundreds of families in Birmingham and nearby communities by investigating and solving problems with pests on their property.

Request our services today by calling 205-663-4200 (or click here to contact us online). We’ll gladly perform a FREE evaluation and create and implement an effective strategy using our tried-and-true methods so you and your family can enjoy a pest-free home.

Are you curious to keep learning about common critters found in Alabama or how to safely and humanely deal with them when they show up on your property uninvited? Check out more of our weekly pest blogs for helpful tips, tricks, and educational content!