Invasive Species on the rouge river

showing why plants are not always good for an area

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• invasive
• rouge
• wiki

[ashevillecat]

@thatbiologygirl The "massive impact" you refer to has less to do with introduced species than it does with the fragmented habitats that "natives" exist within, limiting their ability to disperse in response to disturbance, further exacerbated by climate change. Your solution, to preserve local ecosystems in the face of a changing climate, flies in the face of logic. If you want to save endangered species, grow them in your backyard and introduce them where they have potential to naturalize.

[ashevillecat]

@thatbiologygirl Biased eyes are worse than no eyes at all. The term "natural" has been co-opted from that of "things or processes which are not peculiar to the activities of man" to merely being "unpaved". As such, what you call invasive species are actually weeds and pests in managed areas. Natural communities are found to be highly variable, and not at all the stable, closely-linked, coevolved clockworks of antiquated "equilibrium" ecology.

[ashevillecat]

@thatbiologygirl I think you'd be interested to know that Native golden mice were shown to have a higher survival rate on a diet of Japanese and Amur honeysuckle than on native Juniper and prefers dense underbrush it provides according to two separate scientific studies. Plus, Lonicera (honeysuckle) species are important parts of the diet of White-tailed deer, and at least 20 species of birds feed on the fruits, all of which disperse it. Just one small example....

[thatbiologygirl]

@ashevillecat All that is green is not necessarily good. Learn some botany and brush up on your ecology and evolution knowledge. Then walk in any local natural (non-paved) area with your eyes opened.

[thatbiologygirl]

@ashevillecat Even the "worst" of these have have some positive ecological effects.

Have you ever walked into a thicket of Amur Honeysuckle? Let's see: you will see Amur honeysuckle (from china), maybe garlic mustard (from Europe), and ... maybe a spider. Bird nesting success is poorer in Amur Honeysuckle than in native shrubs, and it's fruits contain little energy - and take the place of high-energy fruiting shrubs such as spicebush. That is just one small example from the library.

[thatbiologygirl]

@ashevillecat No, it is not the plant's fault. They are just doing what they do best. However, they are having a massive impact on native flora and fauna. It is not a bacterium's fault if it infects you and does what it does best. But are you not going to try to stop it just because another human gave it to you?

[thatbiologygirl]

@ashevillecat Non-native invasive species rarely have any positive ecological impact. I am a land manager with a private land trust, and the largest part of my job is the control of invasive plants. What I am trying to stave off is the coming biological desert - one or two species of weeds carpeting a formerly diverse woodland, or wetland. Organisms that were kept separate by thousands of miles of ocean are now interacting. The only reason they are here is because of humans. Not Natural.

[ashevillecat]

"distributed by birds and other wildlife"...that almost sounds natural. The way you make it sound, it is a wonder that more than a handful of ultra-invasive species have survived the test of millions of years of NATURAL evolutionary processes. Species move around and evolve. They don't confine themselves, and Nature has no "balance".. What you are talking about here are WEEDS and PESTS in managed areas. Even the "worst" of these have have some positive ecological effects. Just adapt!

[thatbiologygirl]

@ashevillecat Obviously people are the number one cause for declines in species diversity, we're talking about specific causes related to people. 1. habitat loss 2. invasive plants. Yes, both are caused by people. We get that. So, what are you going to do about it- engineer a virus to wipe out all humans or try to minimize your own impact and volunteer to restore nature's balance at a local natural area?

[thatbiologygirl]

@stillrob420 Yes, and if we want to prevent thousands of plant and animal species from going extinct we have to either a. remove the invasive plants that are here and prevent new ones from becoming established or b. remove the humans. Which do you think is more likely?

Also, invasive species affect areas which are not highly disturbed. Natural areas like state parks can be invaded from the edges and by seeds distributed by birds and other wildlife.