Phragmites, the 12 feet tall perennial grass that aggressively colonizes and forms dense stands in freshwater wetlands can be eradicated using herbicides, but it takes years of repetition. The glyphosate components in the herbicide stay in the ecosystem which can lead to loss of biodiversity, making them more vulnerable to pollution and climate change. An
According to a Fish and Wildlife study, almost 80 percent of non-native species found on the West Coast were first sighted in California. You might have heard about ballast water. Cargo ships fill their holds with seawater to stay balanced, but that water can also carry invasive species. Since 1999, ships have been required to
In the fight against alien animals that invade and overrun native species, the weird and the wired sometime win. Invasive species are plants and animals that thrive in areas where they don’t naturally live, usually brought there by humans, either accidentally or intentionally. Sometimes, with no natural predators, they multiply and take over, crowding out
Introduced to Malheur Lake as early as the 1920s, likely as a food source for people living in the arid region, the invasive carp have now taken over the lake. Historically, Malheur Lake was utilized by up to 35% of the Pacific Flyway’s canvasback population, was the second most important redhead production site in the
Asian carp were imported from China to the U.S. in the 1970s to remove algae from catfish farms and wastewater treatment ponds. Somehow they escaped and migrated north through the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The species spawn in rivers and feed on phytoplankton, disrupting the food chain for younger fish. The voracious eaters can weigh
Penn State | News April 18, 2013 When you look at lovely water gardens in backyards and at businesses — and feel soothed by the serenity they convey — you would not guess that they represent troubled waters for ecosystems in the mid-Atlantic region. The explosion in popularity of water gardening has resulted in
Hydrilla. The word alone sends shivers down the spines of anyone living, associated, or recreates on waterways. It sends people into panic mode, as it should. Hydrilla is an aquatic invasive species that has slowly been invading waters of the United States since being introduced in Florida in the 1960’s. Hydrilla in one of the
We focus a lot on aquatic invasive plants, just because that is our business – but there is another invasive species that certainly deserves some print on our blog. It is partically because of them that weed harvesters are needed. Zebra mussels, a freshwater aquatic nuisance, which grow to about the size of a dime