Reference
- Invasive SpeciesAn invasive species is a type of exotic species (also alien species) that has been transported from its native environment to a new environment that suits its survival. Traditionally, the movement of exotic species into new environments was limited due to the physiographic and climatic differences between geographic locations. With the increase in global travel and shipping, the number of exotic species being introduced to new locations is increasing.
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National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC)
- National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC)The gateway to invasive species information; covering federal, state, local, and international sources.
- United States Geologic Survey-Invasive PlantsInvasive plants such as cheatgrass and buffelgrass have increased fire vulnerability and diminished grazing value across the western U.S.. Aquatic invasive plants such as the weed hydrilla and giant fern salvinia are clogging waterways. To help combat these invaders, USGS scientists are using new tools to model the potential spread of high impact invasive species.
- United States National Park Service-Invasive PlantsThe spread of invasive species is a major factor contributing to undesirable landscape level change and ecosystem instability in national parks. The National Park Service (NPS) is working to manage invasive species in park units through a suite of national and local programs.
- United States National Park Service-TRIAGING INVASIVE PLANTSA winning strategy to combat invasive plants becomes a potent tool for restoring special places in several eastern parks
Streaming Media
- Bad Plants Aren't So BadAbout 600 species of plants eat animals. Others are outfitted with poison-injecting hairs you do not want to trigger. And then there are the "everyday" poison oak, ivy, and sumac. But the real plants to fear? The invasive species that have taken over millions of acres, to the detriment of species diversity, animal habitat, and entire economic systems.
- Lake InvadersThe third largest freshwater lake on the planet has been invaded by numerous exotic species over the last century. "Lake Invaders: The Fight For Lake Huron" is a documentary which explores the threat to Lake Huron's ecosystem and the innovative solutions employed by biologists. Biologists from around the Great Lakes describe invaders such as the sea lamprey, alewife, zebra mussel, quagga mussel, goby, and killer amphipod. They describe the damage caused by these invaders and efforts to manage Lake Huron's ecosystem and multi-million dollar fisheries. The film also follows DNR biologists out on the lake for their annual survey of fish populations. The result is a mix of good news and bad news, but the main concern is preventing another wave of invasions through Great Lakes shipping channels.
- Scourge of the LionfishLionfish are beautiful, colorful reef fish found throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans — that’s the good news. The bad news is they’re now found all over the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic coasts of North and South America as well. Alien to those waters, lionfish are the perfect invasive species — aggressive, without predators, prolific breeders and tolerant of a wide range of conditions.
Perspectives
Weeds
"[A] witty and beguiling meditation on weeds and their wily ways....You will never look at a weed, or flourish a garden fork, in the same way again." --Richard Holmes, author of The Age of Wonder "In this fascinating, richly detailed book, Richard Mabey gives weeds their full due." --Carl Zimmer, author of Evolution Richard Mabey, Great Britain's Britain's "greatest living nature writer" (London Times), has written a stirring and passionate defense of nature's most unloved plants. Weeds is a fascinating, eye-opening, and vastly entertaining appreciation of the natural world's unappreciated wildflowers that will appeal to fans of David Attenborough, Robert Sullivan's Rats, Amy Stewart's Wicked Plants, and to armchair gardeners, horticulturists, green-thumbs, all those who stop to smell the flowers.
Invasive Plant Species of the World
The problems caused by invasive species are being increasingly recognized worldwide. They can cause severe disruption to both natural and managed ecosystems. This book provides a reference guide to approximately 450 major invasive plant species. Each species has a one-page entry providing information on: life form, synonyms, and commercial use; geographic distribution; habitats invaded; description of morphology; ecology and control; key references.
Management of Invasive Weeds
Biological invasions are one of the major threats to our native biodiversity. The magnitude of biodiversity losses, land degradation and productivity losses of managed and natural ecosystems due to invasive species is enormous. The ecological and environmental aspects of non-native invasive plants are of great importance to (i) understand ecological principles involved in the management of invasives, (ii) design management strategies, (iii) find effective management solutions for some of the worst invaders, and (iv) frame policies and regulations. The objectives of this book are to discuss (i) ecological approaches needed to design effective management strategies, (ii) recent progress in management methods and tools, (iii) success and failure of management efforts for some of the worst invaders, and (iv) restoration and conservation of invaded land. In an effort to achieve these objectives, contributing authors have strived to provide up-to-date information on the management of non-native invasives. Chapters included in the book are peer-reviewed by international experts working in the area. Readers will get a unique perspective on ecological aspects of the management of invasives. The book will be useful to graduate students, researchers, managers and policy makers involved in the management of exotic invasives.