Episode 4 : Invasive Species

[slide954]

thats right blame it on canada lol

[n1mru]

I am currently working with the national park service, not on agricultural lands. The management i have worked on are direct result of decreased biodiversity, decreased water and habitat quality and threats to endangered species. For those who feel we shouldn't manage these species should realize that most invasive species are introduced by humans and are not kept in check by a native predator so humans manage these species in a way a native predator would.

[juglanscinerea]

@n1mru

national parks are not wilderness. wilderness is not a managed garden. it is chaos.

since we are going to garden the wilderness anyway, then logically, since north america lost its megafauna 10,000 years ago, probably due to man, we should reintroduce lions, camels, tigers, wolves and elephants to our "pristine", "wild" lands to restore ecological balance.

it would probably make your job easier:)

only problem is they would actually be much more wild and dangerous...

[ashevillecat]

Invasive species are just a code word for pest or weed. This means that we are managing our wildlands no differently than agricultural lands, leaving nothing wild, and all evolution to be guided by humans. Lamprey eels are controlled in other parts of the world by eating them. :Loostrife and Zebra mussels have as many positive ecological effects as negative. Cleaner water helps Yellow Perch populations!

[juglanscinerea]

@ashevillecat

i agree, it's a huge waste of time and money, and, ironically, amplifies our society's self-hatred and detachment from the natural world.

the second we put on our non-native goggles, everything becomes skewed. we choose not to see that native species form the same patterns as non-natives

imagine for a moment that sugar maples were from japan, or that the passenger pigeon, whose massive flocks used to completely darken the sky midday, were introduced by man. it's all perspective.

[n4mel3ss]

On one hand, biodiversity(which is being disrupted) gives the environment flexibility to adapt to changes.

On the other hand, the invasive species are THE best adapted(unless you can introduce their natural predator too).

So where's the truth? Are invaders just bad for agriculture or everything?

[juglanscinerea]

@n4mel3ss

they are NOT bad for everything, and i don't think agriculture will ever be free of pests. in the US, native passenger pigeons used to be a huge agricultural pest. as recently as the 50's native cattails were viewed as an aggressive pest in exactly the same way as loosestrife is viewed now.

do this exercise, when you see any species, pretend for a moment that it is native, then pretend for a moment that it's not. be aware of how your preconception skews your reaction to the species.