Invasive plants

Invasive are on the rise, why should you care?

You should care about invasive plant species if you: eat, breath, have eyes, or over all like to live. If we let invasive species take over there are many health risks that follow each invasive, some have certain chemicals that can harm other plant or animal species, some are just harmful due to their unnatural rate of expansion causing other, native, species to decline.

For example, Buckthorn has emodin, which can damage frog embryos and cause spin malformations, it also causes birds to have diarrhea. The berries also stay in the branches longer so they have more of a chance at spreading, and when all the other berries fall off, the birds are stuck with this as a main food source. This offers the plant more of an opportunity to expand in range and can quickly take over. This is mainly a problem in South East Michigan. I have worked hands on with this particular plant, during my time as a land steward intern at Blandford nature center in Grand Rapids Michigan. I can personally say how out of control this plant can get when left untreated.

Another reason that invasive are bad is because they lessen the amount of native species there can be, which causes less diversity in plant species, and a decline in their native ranges. This is bad because we need a diverse ecosystem to fulfill all the specific niches required for many different animal species. Humans included, though we are more general in habitats, we do still require a certain amount of upkeep. Would you want to eat corn every day? Or would you like to mix it up with potatoes, carrots, or even an apple?

If we let invasive species take over then many people will be out of a job, not just land stewards who mainly work with invasive species, but many agricultural field will be lost as well. We could also lose a lot of native species, not just plants but many animals as well. The National Wildlife Federation says that 42% of threatened and endangered species are at risk due to invasive species, taking over the home range, and inhabitable lands.

Science Daily reports that Dr. Franz Essl from the University of Vienna, Austria, senior author of the study says that “37% of all recorded alien species have been introduced between the year 1970 and 2014. Reporting that there are 585 new species per year, meaning 1.5 new alien species per day globally.” This is mostly due to human activity. Traveling all over the world then bringing new species back to the US, which could be carrying diseases that our native species are not immune to, which is how the American Chestnut was almost lost. The American chestnut a highly valued agricultural icon. Does everyone remember the Christmas song “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”?

Many people don't know the all of the harm that invasive species can cause. It is not a highly discuses topic, which means it does not get the funding it needs or the amount of research and staff it requires to make any kind of difference.  What people don't see, is that it can cause human and agricultural problems, which will cost more money, and time.

A few things you can do to decrease invasive species is: only plant native species. If you can, get rid of any invasive you see, and dispose of them properly. Make sure to clean all of your gear if you go to a place that has a lot of invasive species, including your shoes. Learn the invasive species that could be near you and alert anyone if you find any. If we work together, we can stop the spread of invasive.

Citation:

Carves, Julie. "Myth-busting: Birds, buckthorn, and diarrhea."  Rouge River Bird Observatory at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, 1 Nov. 2011, net-results.blogspot.com/2011/11/myth-busting-birds-buckthorn-and.html*-. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.

Bentley, Chris. "Buckthorn draws out coyotes, cripples native frog development." WBEZ91.5 chicago, 20 May 2013, https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-blogs/buckthorn-draws-out-coyotes-cripples-native-frog-development/0eb01416-4505-496a-9a42-b3707e641178. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.

Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum. "Alien species on the rise worldwide: New research shows rates of alien species introduction are higher than ever." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170215084444.htm>.

"Invasive species." National Wildlife Federation, www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Invasive-Species.aspx. Accessed 1 Mar. 2017.