Invasive Species Discussions, Important..I think!

[brewmaster15]

Hi all,
While I know this isn't a discus specific topic, as responsible hobbyists it is something that I think is important and worthy of Discussion. The Topic is as the title says...Invasive species.

While I was in Florida in the Everglades this last week I got to see first hand several invasive species of fish....I saw Blue Tilapia, mayan cichlids, and many walking catfish.. In past years I have seen huge Oscars there as well. All of these fish have been introduced accidentally or intentionally and alter natural ecosystems by competing with native fish for food or destroying the vegetation in an area.

Through-out the world these types of invasive species outbreaks can really wreck an ecosystem, create large scale declines in plant and animal communities, and can literally costs uncountable millions of dollars worth on damage to various industries. And that is the short list.
Once you get by that list, there is the long reaching political and legal responses.... restrictions on what as a hobbyists can buy legally.. For instance In CT I can't have piranha because of the "risk" to ecosystems... Laughable really considering my climate here...but the lists get longer and longer.

We as a group really do need to be aware of this serious issue and become better stewards and educators in our hobby. There are many out there that would not think about "releasing" any creature to the wild...but there are many that do.:(

So.. whats to be done..not sure much can be done on an individual level...but as a group maybe alot.. Invasive species spread once established , and it takes a watchful eye to spot them...many watchful and educated eyes would be better. So what I'd like to do is ask you all what invasive species are a concern in your area, state, country etc...This info is often available at your Department of Environmental Protection or its equivalent on a state level...Its also usually available in the USA at the USDA...

http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/

I'd welcome info here on any invasive species of fish, aquatic invertebrates, vertebrates, plants etc.. Why all these? because an ecosystem is not a single species...its a complex...

An example of what kinds of info are available at the state level is here... For Connecticut

http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2696&q=322690&depNav_GID=1630

excerpt from above

It's the Law (Public Acts 03-136 and 04-203)!



Boaters must inspect their vessel for vegetation and properly remove and dispose of any vegetation before transporting the vessel. You can be fined up to $100 and may have to appear in court for failure to comply.
The importation, transportation, sale, purchase, possession, cultivation or distribution of a number of invasive plants including the following aquatic plants is currently prohibited:

Curly leaved pondweed (Potamogeton crispus)
Eurasion water milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)
Water chestnut (Trapa natans)
Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata)
Fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana)
Variable water milfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum)
Egeria (Egeria densa)
Common reed (Phragmites australis)
Purple loosetrife (Lythrum salicaria)
Parrotfeather (Myriophyllum aquaticum)
American water lotus (Nelumbo lutea)
Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta)
Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes)
Onerow yellowcress (Rorippa microphylla)
Pond water-starwort (Callitriche stagnalis)
Brittle water-nymph (Najas minor)
Yellow floating heart (Nymphoides peltata)
Yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus)
Watercress (Rorippa nasturium-aquaticum)*
*except for watercress without reproductive structures sold for human consumption.






I know in CT we have to watch for Zebra Mussels which are making their way across The Northeast USA... and we are also concerned with


the rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus), the Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea), hydrilla and Largemouth Bass Virus have been found in Connecticut waters. A number of others including the New Zealand mud snail, landlocked gizzard shad, silver, black and bighead carp, and aquarium species such as snakehead fish (family Channidae) and emerging new diseases such as VHS and SVC could eventually find their way to Connecticut.

So.. That is my intro...I hope that we can get some good discussion going here,as I would really hate to see legislation down the road create more "knee JerK" responses that would ultimately affect hobbyists ability to get live stock and plants... and who knows.. Maybe by discussing these thing one of us will be in a position some day to Identify a problem we see, before it spreads.

Thanks all,
al

[dishpanhands]

I have snakehead fish on one side of me and jumping carp on the other..we are trying to restock the paddle fish but the others seem to be doing better..

[FLGirl1977]

My husband recently shot a story for the news over in Ft. Lauderdale where 'sailfin plecos' had been released in one of the waterways over there. The people in those areas didn't have retention or sea walls, just dirt... so the plecos were burrowing away where the bank meets the water and eroding away the property!

Another example, be careful what you purchase! Last year I bought (online) a large water-lettuce species for my water-garden and it multiplied like CRAZY. Luckily, I just let it dry out and die since I had so much of it I didn't know what to do with it. Later I found out it was an invasive species, that there wasn't much to control it here due to our climate. Thank goodness I put it all in a water container garden on my lanai after that... I didn't want any chance of it getting in our waterways in Cape Coral, that would have been a disaster. The thing that bothers me though is that the people didn't have any problem selling it to someone in FL...

[calihawker]

The water lettuce grows like crazy in my pond as well.
My disposal solution?

Goats!


Steve

[scottthomas]

The problem with invasive species is out of control in Florida already. I go to Miami every year to fish in the canals. We catch monster peacock bass, pacu, and oscars. I have seen with my own eyes many types of south american cichlids in the water guarding fry. It was interesting to see the domestic large mouth bass trying to get at the cichlid fry. It seemed they were confused that the cichlids were actually protecting their young. I have even seen a monkey, big iguanas, and boa constrictors. The area around Miami already looks more like South America.

Scott

[DiscusKeeper403]

Yes, I have been hearing about this for a while now. I have heard about how badly Plecostomus are effecting different areas. :(

Thankfully in my area, winter is very cold, so I doubt most species of tropical fish could survive. I am pretty sure because of this reason, we don't really have any fish that are banned. Just a few reptiles but this is for an unrelated reason.

[Ed13]

So what I'd like to do is ask you all what invasive species are a concern in your area, state, country etc...

Biggest problem here are Green Iguanas but the list is long, of the top of my head:

Air
parakeets
love birds
quaker parrots
macaws
Other parrots

Land
baboons
monkeys
green iguanas
other amphibians, mainly frogs
Boas and pythons
Caiman and gators

Rivers
Oscars
Red devil
Managuense
Convicts
Plecos
Tiger barbs
Rosy Barbs
Tinfoil Barbs
Swordtails( biologists and researches claim allegedly released by the US military in the 60s)
Platy
Mollies
Guppy
Peacock Bass
many turtles

Aquatic plants
Elodea
Cabombas, all variants
Hygrophilas, especially sunset, rosanervig, gigantea and other many variants
Bacopas
Ludwigias, many variants
Lotus and lilies
Banana plants
Hornworth
Myriophyllum
salvinia
Water lettuce
Water hyacinth
Duckweed

Ocean
Damsels
hermits and other crustaceans
Supposedly Lionfish

Many of these species have established populations for so long that locals may not even know they are not natives and may even have names for them like for red devils. Some of these have such a large population than a cast net can catch dozens of them every cast like Oscars, red devils and HUGE plecos
I've heard first hand accounts of people releasing Rays, piranhas, Pacu, Shovelnose catfish, red tail catfish, Channel catfish, many groupers, tangs, trigger fish. As you can imagine there is more than a chance of any of these species thriving here

The prohibited species list is LONG...

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

Down at the UF Tropical Aquaculture Lab they are doing a lot of work on aquatic invasive species (well 1 guy is...Jeff Hill). He is working mostly with peacock bass. They are figuring out their eating and spawning habits so that one day they can find a way to better control them, and maybe eliminate them totally out of FL waters. At one point in time they were doing work with molly's and barramundi (and 1-2 others I cant think of right now). It is a big problem everywhere, especially here in FL. And its not just aquatic species...its a lot of different types of animals. Unfortunetly I dont think it will ever be solved, only minimally controlled.

-Ryan

[dishpanhands]

Isn't the carp in all waters in USA one?

[dishpanhands]

Isn't the Apple tree one? before Johnny apple seed what was there?

[Wahter]

One of my former co-workers was going to release his Burmese python here in NC! I told him, "didn't you see the beginning of Jurassic Park II? If you do that, some kid is going to go out in the woods and get hurt or killed by the snake.". Alligators are native here, so I am guessing that the local conditions would also support a Burmese python (we are also home to copperheads, water moccassin/ cotton mouths, timber rattlesnakes, diamondback rattlesnakes, and the eastern coral snake).

I showed him what's going on in Florida - he ended up giving the snake to one of his friends (who hopefully is very responsible).

As a side note, one woman co-worker said he should give the snake to a stripper for a stage routine!

Everglades Burmese Python Project
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/research/StResearch/Python%20Project%20Website/Python.htm



Walter

[Jhhnn]

It's a problem everywhere, although Florida is pretty much a disaster area. We have our own issues here in Colorado, if to a lesser extent- some invasive plants, particularly siberian tamarisk. Some fish, particularly brook trout, introduced a century ago- unlike native and other introduced trout, they spawn when 3" long, overpopulate small streams w/ lots of stunted brookies... goldfish and koi, and the omnipresent carp... tropicals don't have a prayer in our usually cold to moderate water... I swear that some of the carp in the South Platte show evidence of koi ancestry...

The species that have gone wild are pretty much here to stay, whether that's fire ants, walking catfish, africanized bees, pythons, or whatever, and will expand their ranges to fill whatever ecology will support them...

[ShinShin]

I have encountered several species of fish illegally transplanted in waters. I caught a Brook trout and a 26" channel catfish in a pond located on a golf course in Pennsylvania fishing for crappie bass, and a friend caught a walleye. The pond was stocked legally with crappie and largemouth bass.

I've caught numereous veiltail and comet goldfish fishing for other species in Pennsylvania as well. The waterway was eventually stocked with muskies and Tiger muskies to eat the trash fish that took over the creek (actually large enpough to be called a river).

Someone here in Washington State caught a baracuda, yes a baracuda, out of the Green River by a salmon fisherman a few years back. Atlantic Salmon, which escaped from a farm pen, established themselves in the Green River, too. I believe time and no creel limits eventually eliminated them.

I reported on another thread about a pair of oscars, some tetras, and about 15 comet goldfish I saw in a newly drained and reconstructed pond in Tacoma last fall in Wright Park. I doubt the Oscars survived the winter. The tetras probabally died as well. The goldfish will not die from the cold, and are doing well.

It is common practice here to poison a trout lake because people constantly illegally dump spiny ray fish into these trout waters.

Some of this is done intentionally by fisherman who want to catch a certain species of fish in waters close to home. Somes is done out of ignorance by people who buy their kids fish and they quickly tire of them, or hobbyists who realize a fish tank involves more than just watching their fish.

Sometimes, like in the Southeast, results are catestrophic, others on tempory problems occur. Hawaii also has its waters overtaken by various species. There is a species of bristlenose pleco that has taken over a certain lake and are being caught and sold to wholesalers. They were being sold in this area awhile back, probabally still are.

As is the case in alot of life's occurances, the responsible will be punished for the actions of the irresponsible. More restrictions on more products will happen. I knew a man n Puyallup, Wa. that died from taking antibiotics intended for horses. I also know a man who buys antibiotics at a lfs for personal use. There is no end to the examples humans do that jepordizes themselves, others, or the enviroment. The govenment thinks they can legislate human ignorance. What a laugh. Shows that ignorance exists on all levels.

Mat

[dishpanhands]

Oh I forgot to tell about the purple boxs in all the tree around me to. they are hunting for the Emerald Ash borer it is bug that eats up Ash trees they are found to the north but haven't made it here, but they say we are next on the list for it. They will wipe out an area of the ash tree they say in six year for when they move in to an area.

[Ardan]

The great Lakes are undergoing another massive transformation due to mussels. This is going to be a very expensive invasion due to plugging up water intakes at water plants and power plants, plus the affects on the recreational fishing (the mussels are eating the lower food chain so the fish are affected......)

Ardan

[William Palumbo]

Like Ardan said, the Great Lakes have their plate full of invasive species. Samon fishing has been bad as of late, due to the declining Alewife population. Supposedly brought on from the Zebra mussels overpopulating and over filtering the microscopic life from the water making survival of ALL fry more difficult, because of the food supply. By me in Chicago...Smelt season comes and goes now, without too much hoopla or fish being caught. My Smelt nets and equipment have been sold off for some time now. Also the effect of filter feeding Zebra mussels...and now I hear we have what they call a Quaga mussel...is supposed to be worst than the Zebra, as it really thrives in our cold water. I still catch Salmon with Lampreys on them, and many more with Lamprey scars. Rusty crayfish are another problem here as well... Plus throw in a few invasive plant species, an ever approaching big head carp population, some Snakeheads here and there, and the ever present and abundant Gobies, and we have a recipe for disaster. Tho the problem in the Great Lakes is not "hobbyist" created. it does show that many species of aquatic life, both plant and animal, can adapt and even thrive, in strange lands, not native to their origins...Bill

[plecocicho]

Invasive species are a seroius matter and one of the so. called four ryders of biological apocalypse (other being habitata destruction,hunting and diseases brought by the invasive species). How destructive these species are can be observed in the Victoria lake. Unintentional or not so unintentional intruduction of nile perch practically decimated all endemic fish species.The situation and the involment of good ol neocolonistic capitalism in the destruction and exploitment of african natural resources is greatly portrayed in the documentary Darwins nightmare.

[Rod]

we have many exotics thriving here, toads, geckos, miner birds, tilapia, livebearing fish of many types, wild cats, rabbits, fox, camels, domestic dogs have cross bred with our dingos, the list is endless and it seems nearly every corner of Australia is affected :(

[John_Nicholson]

I did not read all of this thread but if you want to look at enviromental issues one of the species that needs to be discussed is feral hogs. They do millions of dollars of destruction and kill thousands of native animals every year

-john

[Santa]

I agree for feral dog, and adding feral cat. A numerous birds are affected by feral cats all over the world. Next species is the rat. 90-95% island birds populations are now destroyed by these creatures... Man stupidity everywhere. And a fisherman in Serbia where I live, said to me why not to introduce one more species of fish that I like to catch, everything is already ****ed up... Around 60% of fish species here are introduced...
I am biologist-ornithologist, and I can understand, but 99% of people don't.
That is one of the major problems in conservation biology all over the world. We must educate world!!!!!

[dishpanhands]

I have one called Didymosphenia geminata or better known as Didymo or rock snot. It came to my state on a pair of fishermans waders he had felt soles on them..my DNR tells fisherman to watch there waders and to not fish up stream. That means to not fish the mouth of a river and then go fish the head waters. They say to always move down stream.

[Roxanne]

Loads of invasive species here, in addition to Rod's list, CSIRO Australia study these kinds of things all the time,

http://www.csiro.gov.au/csiro/search/CSIROau.html?query=invasive+species+waterways&Go=Go&area=all

http://www.csiro.au/resources/Biosecurity-Invasive-Species-PDF.html

..they also credit irresponsible fishermen with the translocation of the carp species (aka River Rabbit)quote:


Carp have been in Australia for over a
century. Their present distribution is the
result of rapid expansion following the
comparatively recent (post-1960)
introduction of a German strain. Carp are
now present in every State except the
Northern Territory and their distribution
continues to expand at an alarming rate.
Many translocations were almost certainly
by irresponsible recreational fishers and, if
this practice continues, it is only a matter of
time before carp occur throughout
Australia's freshwater systems.

full article at http://www.clw.csiro.au/publications/controlling_carp.pdf


And, here's a big fat list of others http://www.marine.csiro.au/crimp/Marine_pest_infosheets.html

most notably, we also have a starfish that was translocated from Japan by the large vessels that empty their hull crap into the waterways, they are 'a sexual', reproducing at a disgusting rate,

http://www.marine.csiro.au/crimp/images/NIMPIS_PDF/6131.pdf

I think that responsible LFS's should tell people if they decide they don't want the fish they bought after all, to bring them back to the LFS and not release them into the waterways, like Shin Larry said, you can't legislate against stupidity/ignorance...

[scottthomas]

Someone already posted about cats, but common house cats kill untold numbers of wildlife. People let their well fed cats out to play at night or during the day and you would be shocked at how many animals they kill in a single day. I see cats in my neighborhood and they are constantly hunting birds, squirrels, etc. I have read that house cats are responsible for the extinction of about a dozen Australian animal species such as "pig-footed bandicoot, lesser bilby, eastern hare-wallaby, and big-eared hopping mouse"

Scott

[Patr1ck]

Isn't the carp in all waters in USA one?

No.

Pat

[dishpanhands]

No.

Pat



Yes

They were not released by accident. Our government in it wisdom released them...LOL.. Look here

http://www.carpanglersgroup.com/northamericancarphistory.html

[DiscusDude85]

Hi all,
While I know this isn't a discus specific topic, as responsible hobbyists it is something that I think is important and worthy of Discussion. The Topic is as the title says...Invasive species.

While I was in Florida in the Everglades this last week I got to see first hand several invasive species of fish....I saw Blue Tilapia, mayan cichlids, and many walking catfish.. In past years I have seen huge Oscars there as well. All of these fish have been introduced accidentally or intentionally and alter natural ecosystems by competing with native fish for food or destroying the vegetation in an area.

Through-out the world these types of invasive species outbreaks can really wreck an ecosystem, create large scale declines in plant and animal communities, and can literally costs uncountable millions of dollars worth on damage to various industries. And that is the short list.
Once you get by that list, there is the long reaching political and legal responses.... restrictions on what as a hobbyists can buy legally.. For instance In CT I can't have piranha because of the "risk" to ecosystems... Laughable really considering my climate here...but the lists get longer and longer.

We as a group really do need to be aware of this serious issue and become better stewards and educators in our hobby. There are many out there that would not think about "releasing" any creature to the wild...but there are many that do.:(

So.. whats to be done..not sure much can be done on an individual level...but as a group maybe alot.. Invasive species spread once established , and it takes a watchful eye to spot them...many watchful and educated eyes would be better. So what I'd like to do is ask you all what invasive species are a concern in your area, state, country etc...This info is often available at your Department of Environmental Protection or its equivalent on a state level...Its also usually available in the USA at the USDA...

http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/

I'd welcome info here on any invasive species of fish, aquatic invertebrates, vertebrates, plants etc.. Why all these? because an ecosystem is not a single species...its a complex...

An example of what kinds of info are available at the state level is here... For Connecticut

http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2696&q=322690&depNav_GID=1630

excerpt from above



I know in CT we have to watch for Zebra Mussels which are making their way across The Northeast USA... and we are also concerned with



So.. That is my intro...I hope that we can get some good discussion going here,as I would really hate to see legislation down the road create more "knee JerK" responses that would ultimately affect hobbyists ability to get live stock and plants... and who knows.. Maybe by discussing these thing one of us will be in a position some day to Identify a problem we see, before it spreads.

Thanks all,
al



You forgot to mention the peacock bass, Wich is a south american bass. I used to catch them in the everglades just about every day. What a FIGHT!. Another thing i dont think anyone has mentiond is the Brazilian pepper plant, Brought to florida to dry up our wetlands Instead its run wild and just about killed the Florida panther. Florida has KILLED its ecosystem. You all think its protected and its not. Im a landsurveyor and work very closely with biologists. Its all about money. Infact heres a short story. I recently located wetlands on a project,"Wetlands" are protected areas on a job sight, What classifies them as wetlands would be animal life, soil samples and tree types. Well the wetlands we located would have infringed on the building they were planning on constructing. Well to make a long story short we went back out to locate the "New" wetlands and it was meraculously going around the proposed building now. Its all matters on the money you have. You want to kill thousands of animals and trees sure but it will cost you. Sadly its politics first and then protection of our animal species.
Also the mellaluca tree was brought here to dry up our wetlands. The kissimee river is a prime example of how negatively we effect our delicate eco system.
Thats why I love my new are of living so much. The rivers are still natural they are VERY tight in volusia county as far as wetland protection goes. Our impact fees on any jobsite are 14,000$ just to start the job.

And if you really think the impact of our ecosystems was caused by non native animals and plants your wrong. WE have destroyed it. Our very presence ruins it. Everytime we back fill a jobsite for homes we are causing more damage than we can ever know. We have ruined the florida dunes, Our first line of defense from hurricanes. Killed our coral reefs(except the keys) Who even knows the long term effect of our selfish actions. Im going to have to get off here time for work. Going to save the world one tree at a time.


Joe

[DiscusDude85]

The water lettuce grows like crazy in my pond as well.
My disposal solution?

Goats!


Steve

HA HA goats are awesome. They are the best cleaners ive ever seen. Who needs a mower, Just get a goat.



joe

[brewmaster15]

Joe,
As a biologist I did wetland surveys a few years back for an Environmental consultant part time.. In CT these are a formality. Each town determines how it will "protect wetlands" unless theres something found during the survey thats listed as endangered... I didn't last long in that job.

Reading all the posts here its easy to see that we all have some serious invaders to think about and thats only touching the surface.

Bill,
That Zebra Mussel-Goby connection is really bad.... The Zebra mussels spread like a wild fire and nothing eats them...until the Gobies came along..... so these eat the mussels... I've read that the game fish are eating the gobies now...but thats another problem.. The mussels filter toxins and bio-accumlate them... then the Goby eats that and bio-accumulates the toxins.. and the the predator fish follow suit, and as you climb the food chain...the toxins continue to accumulate.

http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/sn_arc99/7_31_99/fob1.htm


Dish,
That Didymosphenia geminata is something we need to watch in CT..It would thrive in our low oxygen summer time river conditions....Its on the states watch list...as is Rusty Crayfish...

John,
Feral pigs and hogs are definetly a big concern. While I was in Fl...I saw many of them in the woods of the Myakka State park...They've been fighting them there for decades... and its almost impossible to erradicate them in such a large area.....They eat everything alive.. roots plants, snakes, lizards, Invertebrates...they turn an ecosystem upside down.


As mentioned by others... these invasive species are not always released by Hobbyists..many are intentional by Governments around the world. An ecosystem is a complex, balenced,and interactive group of living things... Its something that develops over millions of years but can be destroyed in a matter of years when we intercede ... Rarely, if ever is the intentional release of species by humans into an established ecosystem ever without consequences to at least some of the resident species..Often the results are devastating. Something is usually affected or displaced when ever a new species starts filling the niches that are occupied by others and disrupts the food web at that point......Its actually what happens in nature on a slow scale scale as the ecology of an area changes over time... but when we intercede and aid the species spread..... Its an accelerated process without the stops and checks that Nature would have put in place over millions of years.

Geographic Barriers are extremely important in Biology..They allow species to evolve, they maintain species integreity, and they prevent species from traveling easily to new habitats suitable for them to colonize.... Humanity has both intentionally and unintentionally torn down Geographic Barriers by nature of how we live and turned most areas of the world into an " ecological free for all"
-al

[dishpanhands]

The funny thing is our government response reminds me of the story about the woman who ate a fly so she had to eat a spider then a cat then a dog..LOL..

[dishpanhands]

How about the multi flora Rose When white man came to the USA it wasn't here.. Now its every where..

[Tito]

This is a complete waste of time. People cannot be controlled. And there will always be someone who is going to release an animal. ALso - sometimes animals escape - no fault of the owner. Perhaps the selling of animals should have been considered from the very start - but then that would ago against capitalism now would it. The earth belongs to everyone - I say let everything that is happening happen cause we can't stop it anyway.

My 2 cents - aint worth much but it sure is the truth.

[brewmaster15]

This is a complete waste of time. People cannot be controlled. And there will always be someone who is going to release an animal. ALso - sometimes animals escape - no fault of the owner. Perhaps the selling of animals should have been considered from the very start - but then that would ago against capitalism now would it. The earth belongs to everyone - I say let everything that is happening happen cause we can't stop it anyway.

My 2 cents - aint worth much but it sure is the truth.

"I say let everything that is happening happen cause we can't stop it anyway." Easy enough point of view to have....until it actually impacts you directly...

Sorry respectively have to disagree...With great power comes great responsibility...There are ways to stop these things like these and ways to mitigate damage done.... most start with education ...and often end with hard work....but to take no action is asking for the problems to get worse...

I agree the earth belongs to everyone and everything....but as Humans we should act as wise stewards..if not out of some altruistic feelings of concern for life in general... but simply because these things affect Humans in the present time and can in generations to come.
These things don't just affect natural communities removed from human contact....They can affect food crops, water supplies, livestock and livelihoods.

So back to my title ...Important-I think!:)

regards,
al

[Patr1ck]

Would we as humans be classified as an invasive species?

Pat

[brewmaster15]

Guys,
I deleted the last couple of posts...lets keep the geo-political views out of this.

Thanks,
al


ps...


Would we as humans be classified as an invasive species?

Pat Technically.. I don't think so.. We have spread thru out the world by our own doing.....and are technically a pandemic species in many ways.. Thats not saying we don't alter ecosystems where we go, often destructively, but all species interact with the environment they live in and change it to a degree.... we just excel at that "interaction" and "changing"


Then again...I guess it all depends on your definition of an invasive species! :)

[FLGirl1977]

Guys,
I deleted the last couple of posts...lets keep the geo-political views out of this.

Thanks,
al


ps...

Technically.. I don't think so.. We have spread thru out the world by our own doing.....and are technically a pandemic species in many ways.. Thats not saying we don't alter ecosystems where we go, often destructively, but all species interact with the environment they live in and change it to a degree.... we just excel at that "interaction" and "changing"


Then again...I guess it all depends on your definition of an invasive species! :)

Ha! I think the term that was used to describe humans' impact on the planet was "virus"....

[Patr1ck]

Ha! I think the term that was used to describe humans' impact on the planet was "virus"....

Thats unsettling.

Pat

[FLGirl1977]

Thats unsettling.

Pat

Yes... it is. :(

[DiscusDude85]

This is a complete waste of time. People cannot be controlled. And there will always be someone who is going to release an animal. ALso - sometimes animals escape - no fault of the owner. Perhaps the selling of animals should have been considered from the very start - but then that would ago against capitalism now would it. The earth belongs to everyone - I say let everything that is happening happen cause we can't stop it anyway.

My 2 cents - aint worth much but it sure is the truth.




Yeah we can stop it. You obvously dont know or care about the people and programs out there to stop these invasive animals, plants, diseases etc. Im a prime example of somone who does stop the impact. Infact im very much thinking about becoming a biologist myself. A true tree hugger. If more people had your attitude this would be one bad place to live.


Joe