U.N. Experts Battle Fire Ants, Other Invasive Species Reuters "Invasive alien species" are one of the primary threats to biodiversity and the risks, especially to isolated ecosystems such as small islands, are likely to grow due to booming global trade, transport and tourism.
Invasive Species Microwaved to Death LiveScience A quick zap in the microwave may be all that's needed to get rid of unwanted invasive species.
State, Federal Agencies Team to Fight Invasive Plants Union Leader (New Hampshire) The goal of the new Coastal Watershed Invasive Plant Partnership is to stop the spread of invasive plant species in New Hampshire's coastal watershed.
New Biofuel Sources May Not Be Food, but They Could Prove Invasive International Herald Tribune Biologists are warning that biofuel plants may have serious unintended consequences as well: They have high potential to escape plantations, overrun adjacent farms and natural land, and create economic and ecological havoc.
June 16, 2008
It takes nature many millennia to find the right balance of plants, animals, water and chemicals in any given habitat. Yet, we humans seem incapable of resisting the urge to throw in a wild card now and then, often with disastrous results.
Known as "introduced species" or "exotic species," nearly every corner of the Westernized world abounds with examples of non-native plants or animals deliberately introduced into an environment unable to accommodate them without massive disruption of the existing order.
One of the most notorious and well-documented examples is the introduction of rabbits to Australia. One Thomas Austin was feeling homesick in 1859 and decided to import two dozen European hares to his estate in Victoria, allowing him to re-create the gentlemanly hunting expeditions of Britain. "The introduction of a few rabbits could do little harm and might provide a touch of home, in addition to a spot of hunting," he reasoned.
Turns out Australia is an all but ideal habitat for bunnies, with a mild climate that permits year-round breeding, an abundance of low-lying vegetation and a scarcity of natural predators. Within 10 years, the rabbits had multiplied into a full-fledged plague, devouring crops and creating widespread erosion by nibbling plants to the nub. Eradication efforts that claimed two million bunnies a year had no visible effect on the population, as did thousands of miles of fencing. Biological warfare in recent years has been more successful, but the most recent estimates still put the country's rabbit population at an untenable 200-300 million.
Apparently reluctant to learn from history, Australian farmers introduced the cane toad in 1935 as a means of pest control. But what do you know, the poisonous South American croaker has an appetite well beyond the targeted bugs. The initial population of 3,000 has now grown to more than 200 million and pushed numerous native species to the brink of extinction via direct poisoning and habitat devastation.
Closer to home, a pox fell on the homesick European who introduced Helix aspersa, the common European garden snail, to California in the 1850s to ensure a steady supply of escargot. Seemingly within minutes, the slimy pest was multiplying in the wild, quickly establishing itself as one of the chief menaces to West Coast gardeners and commercial citrus growers.
Southerners, no doubt, will want to spare a thought for the Soil Conservation Service geniuses who encouraged farmers to plant the seemingly unkillable Asian kudzu as an erosion control measure in the 1950s.
Some marvelous trout and bass lakes have been wiped out by misguided anglers planting the voracious Northern pike. The Chinese mitten crab has damaged water systems and taken over swimming pools in Europe and North America, in many cases introduced deliberately by homesick Asians who consider the crustacean a delicacy. The 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm wouldn't have been so fierce if the environment hadn't been heavily planted with eucalyptus, whose oily bark tends to explode rather than smolder during the periodic brushfires characteristic of the California landscape. (Firefighters call them "gasoline trees.")
Lessons? How about the idea that you need to do a thorough evaluation of possible consequences before you introduce a new element to a complex system? That you can't assume an organism is going to behave in one environment the way it does in another. And never dismiss a creature as "just a harmless little bunny."
New Invasive Species Turn Down That Stupid Music As if killer bees and kudzu weren't enough, the southern United States may soon have another invasive species to contend with — giant Burmese pythons capable of swallowing deer and alligators whole.
Crazy Rasberry Ants - A New Invasive Species Clean Air Gardening A new species of ant has started popping up all along the Gulf Coast.
Polynesian Rats of Mokapu Snail's Tales How long does an introduced species have to exist continuously at a location before it can be considered “native”?
Pests…and How to Eat Them Chile Chews Pests are part of the ecosystem, whether they are native species or ones that were introduced. Many introduced species thrive in disturbed areas, and humans are good at disturbing areas, which means they are likely to run into these pests from time to time.
What was the biggest species introduction mistake?
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Here in L.A., specifically the Hansen Dam region we've had a probalem with a bamboo grass that was introduced to the area for erosion control. It's like a weed destroying everything in it path. we also have a problem with a frog that someone probably dumped in the area. The frog has an appetite for anything that is a rival.
The local mountains have problems with plants that are not native.
Maybe the problem is ourselves, we're not native either, and have radically transformed the ecology of the area.
Of course, the real problem is "unintended consequences".
I found this story to be very interesting:BRITAIN CONSIDERS CONTRACEPTION TO SAVE SQUIRREL
EDINBURGH, Scotland - Like U.S. GI's during World War II, they're "oversexed and over here." (Please note that I am only reporting this story, not writing it!) : )
The gray squirrel — introduced to Britain from the United States in the 19th century — is now overrunning the countryside, out-breeding and out-eating its smaller British cousin, the red squirrel.
Conservationists said Monday they plan to test a contraception program in an effort to protect the indigenous species — who number only 160,000 — from the gray squirrels, 3 million strong and rising.
There's a marvellously interesting movie about cane toads that you might want to check out. It's among the strangest movies I've ever seen. Basically it's a commentary from various residents of Western Australia, where the cane toad has invaded. The residents range from treating them as pets to treating them as scum: one lady keeps them in her back yard and feeds them cat food; one man's cat was killed by their poisonous frog-secretions and has now sword a personal vendetta against them. It's... well, it's an interesting movie. That's all I can say.
Bubba said...
Those clever Brits have come up with another way to control invasive squirrels, La Donna:
http://www.thestar.com/News/Ideas/article/439338
“I have been to fifteen county fairs, but I have never seen a” Walking Catfish . . . . But I have indeed heard of them. I would like to offer up the Snakehead Fish as a contender to this list of major misdemeanors against Mother Nature. It swims; it walks, it has no natural predators and eats everything in sight.
See http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/snakehead/overview.php for more details. Which one of these accidents/errors in judgment do you think will become the first to star in a “B” Horror flick?
rings90 said...
That sounds like an interesting Documentary just to hear about these peoples differences between how they see nature ~ To save it or to kill it when it gets out of control, what an interesting debate.
I'm not sure I feel I am in the grey ground when it comes to ideas of conservation. I worked for a summer for the state DNR in High School ~ I consider myself a conservationist, but I wonder if others would agree. I come from a family of hunters & fishers, I am upset with the Zebra Mussels that have invaded our inland lakes along with the Lamprey's & the VHS Viruses. Yet I laugh when people around here build a house next to wooded lots & get upset when the deer eat their flower & gardens in the summer time. I feel its one of the things you have to deal with since you are invading their enviroment. Yes I do also get upset when the rabbits eat my tulips but I also live one block from two of the cities main streets ~ How are they not hit by all the cars?!
Nature versus Nurture ~ It may seem like we can Nurture Mother Nature but as the planting of rabbits, grasses, frogs, squirrels & the like has shown us maybe we can't. Maybe Darwins idea of Survival of the fittest is the best option when it comes to trying to help Mother Nature.
Another GREAT film to see & kind of includes the topic of the Australian Rabbits is the Rabbit Proof Fence ~ The Aboriginal girls follow the fencing back "home". It's quite the interesting story about the assimilation of the Aboriginal People that the Goverment tried to do in the 1930's.
Bubba said...
This is NOT the cane toad film mentioned above, but quite funny. (Favorite new expression: "vanished like a fart in a fan factory.")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3ENUqV5-bw
This is more on the informative side. If you think your job stinks, consider the lot of the professional toad collector:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpNl8AAFyL4
Bubba,
Grilled grey squirrel...I don't know if I can get my teeth around that one! Let me know if you ever try it! : )
I think this all comes down to our mindset. If we see ourselves as the rulers, the controllers, the deciders, we import hares for our amusement without a thought. Aren't we supposed to bend nature to our purposes?
Now we have outsmarted ourselves and done lots of damage using that philosophy, perhaps we could change our vision of ourselves and conclude that we are only one of many species in our world ...and maybe not the most important one.
To rings90:
Although it had little to do with the actual rabbit threat, Rabbit Proof Fence was a lovely film. Ironically, if the rabbits hadn't been there, no one would have put up the fence that served as a guide to the girls. hmmmm
rings90 said...
"if the rabbits hadn't been there, no one would have put up the fence that served as a guide to the girls. hmmmm"
EXACTLY
I thought Kudzu was the State flower. Kudzu salad with homegrown tomatoes. Ummm.
This is a clip from the aforementioned cane toad film. Just to show what some people think of the cane toad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaAX3Tw-7A8&feature=related
I've mucked out stables before. And in Vietnam I had to take cover in a pig stye during an ambush. I'd be willing to try my hand at toad collecting. It couldn't be any worse than mucking a stable or lying with the pigs, could it?
The internet has interesting sites for squirrel recipes. It's considered "small game".....no wonder Teddy Roosevelt & Hemingway were "Big Game" hunters. How many guys have a squirrel's head mounted on the wall as a symbol of manliness?
Looking at the mounted head of a grey squirrel doesn't have the romance of a mounted African Water Buffalo head. Or does it?.....you tell me.