Enemy Invaders
It's an early autumn morning, the crisp bite of air warning of winter's onset. A grey squirrel is on the move, scurrying around collecting and hiding nuts and seeds. These will sustain him in the cold months to come, when food is scarce. He will bury up to 3000 nuts this fall, many of which will still be hidden the following spring. These forgotten nuts allow new trees to grow. Grey squirrels, native to Eastern North America, help the environment in this way. A species's native range refers to where it occurs naturally and has evolved to live. This means that grey squirrels are supposed to live in Eastern North America. However, grey squirrels cannot survive by themselves. The entire ecosystem (all living things in a given area and their interactions with each other and their environment) is interconnected. Grey squirrels rely on native plants like oak, beech, pine, and flowers for food. In turn, the trees benefit from the squirrels...