In looking at moth conservation research over the last week, it quickly became clear that we have something of a love-hate relationship with these insects, a relationship that is heavily influenced by whether or not a species is native. As might be expected, native species are often in trouble and non-natives often cause trouble for […]
Archive for the ‘Invasive Species’ Category
A complicated relationship with moths
On a downhill slope
As I started looking into the condition of river otters around the world, it became obvious that a lot of the information out there deals with otters in Europe and North America– I would say easily 90% of what I’ve read so far. In some ways that’s helpful, because it means that researchers have been […]
The smell of pesticides in the morning
I had been a little worried that I wasn’t going to be able to find much research concerning the cut-lower industry, or that, if I did, it would all be about developing new varieties of popular flowers. In fact, I was surprised at the extent of the literature- researchers have been paying attention to multiple […]
Removing obstacles for colonial seabirds
Repelling the invaders
During the past few weeks, I’ve been looking into invasive aquatic plants- it’s clear that there are many species and that we are doing a good job of helping them find new habitats to exploit. It’s also clear that there are big differences between species in terms of impact and the locations where they pose […]
Going with the flow
As I mentioned in my last post, invasive aquatic plants are a big concern- although we are still learning about how they impact invaded ecosystems (and it’s not necessarily bad), we do know that plants such as water hyacinth, Spartina spp., and milfoil can clog waterways, change habitat, and alter faunal communities. And, as we […]
A wave of invasives
Over the past week, I started looking into invasive aquatic plants, focusing largely on which species seem most worrisome, how they are being moved around, and how they may impact the ecosystems they invade. After a little searching, I started to see patterns with regard to names and means of transport, but I also started […]
A green invasion
I’ve spent a good chunk of my time over the past few months on the coast of Louisiana, mainly on the barrier islands, but I also get to see a lot of marsh on the boat ride out. I also survey a lot of swamp on the drive to and from our launch point, so […]