Invasive species
hideInvasive species is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species (e.g. plants or animals) that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically. It has been used in this sense by government organizations as well as conservation groups such as the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).
The second definition broadens the boundaries to include both native and non-native species that heavily colonize a particular habitat.
The third definition is an expansion of the first and defines an invasive species as a widespread non-indigenous species. This last definition is arguably too broad as not all non-indigenous species necessarily have an adverse effect on their adopted environment. An example of this broader use would include the claim that the common goldfish (Carassius auratus) is invasive. Although it is common outside its range globally, it almost never appears in harmful densities.
Because of the ambiguity of its definition, the phrase invasive species is often criticized as an imprecise term within the field of ecology. This article concerns the first two definitions; for the third, see introduced species.
For more information about Invasive species, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with invasive species
When ants attack: Researchers recreate chemicals that trigger aggression
Oct 27, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Experiments led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have demonstrated that normally friendly ants can turn against each other by exploiting the chemical cues they use ...
Report documents the risks of giant invasive snakes in the US
Oct 13, 2009 |
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Five giant non-native snake species would pose high risks to the health of ecosystems in the United States should they become established here, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report released today.
Invasive Species on the March: Variable Rates of Spread Set Current Limits to Predictability
Sep 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Whether for introduced muskrats in Europe or oak trees in the United Kingdom, zebra mussels in United States lakes or agricultural pests around the world, scientists have tried to find new ...
Invasive species threaten critical habitats, oyster among victims
Jul 17, 2009 |
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A study of oyster reefs in a once-pristine California coastal estuary found them devastated by invasive Atlantic Coast crabs and snails, providing new evidence of the consequences when human activities move ...
From pythons to fungus, species invading US
Jul 08, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A pet Burmese python broke out of a glass cage last week and killed a 2-year-old girl in her Florida bedroom. The tragedy became the latest and most graphic example of a problem that has plagued the ...
Beneficial plant 'spillover' effect seen from landscape corridors
May 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Research by a North Carolina State University biologist and colleagues shows that using landscape corridors, the "superhighways" that connect isolated patches of habitat, to protect certain plants has a large ...
Alien lionfish swarm N.C. coast
Apr 23, 2009 |
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A handful of ravenous, venomous lionfish, a species native to the western Pacific, were spotted off North Carolina in 2000. Turns out they like it here. A lot.
Volcanic eruption takes toll on Galapagos wildlife
Apr 16, 2009 |
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A volcanic eruption over the weekend has taken a toll on the wildlife of the ecologically-fragile Galapagos Islands, causing the deaths of numerous fish and various sea lions, said officials on Thursday.
Aussie meat ants may be invasive cane toad's Achilles' heel
Mar 30, 2009 |
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Ecologists in Australia have discovered that cane toads are far more susceptible to being killed and eaten by meat ants than native frogs. Their research - published in the British Ecological Society's journal Functional Ec ...
Native Lizards Evolve to Escape Attacks by Fire Ants
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Jan 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Penn State Assistant Professor of Biology Tracy Langkilde has shown that native fence lizards in the southeastern United States are adapting to potentially fatal invasive fire-ant attacks ...
While the cat's away: How removing an invasive species devastated a World Heritage island
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Jan 12, 2009 |
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Removing an invasive species from sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, a World Heritage Site, has caused environmental devastation that will cost more than A$24 million to remedy, ecologists have revealed. Writing in the new issue ...
Reservoirs promote spread of aquatic invasive species
Oct 15, 2008 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The latest "damming" evidence suggests that manmade reservoirs are facilitating the spread of invasive species in Wisconsin lakes.
Invasive Nettle Moth Triggers Hawaii Research
Nov 19, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Like children everywhere, kids in Hawaii love to run barefoot through tall grass. But an invasive pest called the nettle moth caterpillar can take the fun out of this simple childhood pleasure, ...
Black rat does not bother Mediterranean seabirds
Oct 02, 2009 |
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Human activities have meant invasive species have been able to populate parts of the world to which they are not native and alter biodiversity there over thousands of years. Now, an international team of scientists ...
UW-Madison undergraduates make unwelcome discovery in Lake Mendota
Sep 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- On Sept. 11, a standard cruise on Lake Mendota's University Bay began for students in University of Wisconsin-Madison's Zoology 315, a course that introduces them to the study of lakes. With the sampling ...
