Invasive species in Puerto Rico
Invasive species are species that are native to foreign environments which may have important effects on a specific area's economy, ecosystem and infrastructure. These species can be introduced by natural causes or human intervention. There are many invasive species that exist around the world. One that is abundant around Puerto Rico is the lionfish. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) perform biosecurity inspections for Puerto Rico. Arthropods. The overwhelming majority of arthropods intercepted by  border pest inspections came from elsewhere in the Caribbean. Despite a large amount of cargo traffic in both directions, Florida sends more adventive arthropods to PR than the other way around, probably due to laxer biosecurity on the PR side. Insects. 95% of arthropod border interceptions are insects. Acari. Only 4% of arthropod border interceptions are acari.