What is the impact of invasive species?

Invasive species kill native plant species

Question: What is the impact of invasive species?
Position1 of 3›: Invasive species harm native animals
Argument‹2 of 3›: Invasive species kill native plant species

Invasive plants can be very aggressive. Because of their aggressive growth rates and appetite, they choke out and overgrow native plant species. Without the native plant species, the plant’s environment would fail.

The argument

Invasive plants kill native plant species. A common vine called the Kudzu vine grows about 30 cm a day, choking out any plants that it grows over. Without native plants, the organisms that rely on them will starve, harming the ecosystem.

Premises

[P1]Invasive plants like the Kudzu vine grow rapidly and choke out the native plants they overrun. [P2] Organisms that depend on those native plants then starve. [P3] This cascade harms the wider ecosystem and its animals. [C] Therefore, because invasive species kill native plant species, they harm native animals.

Counter-arguments

Some invasive plant species benefit an ecosystem. In California, California butterflies lay eggs on an invasive eucalyptus tree because of the deforestation of native trees. Some invasive species are useful and help animals to thrive among depleting habitats.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Not all invasive plants kill native plants.