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Unit 1 – Introduction to Invasive Alien Species – Overview of the Problem -

Global Invasive Species Programme Cape Town, South Africa. Unit 1 – Introduction to Invasive Alien Species – Overview of the Problem -. Randy G. Westbrooks Rebecca M. Westbrooks Steven Manning. Unit Objectives. Understand and describe the nature of the IAS problem

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Unit 1 – Introduction to Invasive Alien Species – Overview of the Problem -

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  1. Global Invasive Species ProgrammeCape Town, South Africa Unit 1 – Introduction to Invasive Alien Species – Overview of the Problem - Randy G. WestbrooksRebecca M. WestbrooksSteven Manning

  2. Unit Objectives • Understand and describe the nature of the IAS problem • List some of the major characteristics of IAS • Discuss a few of the world’s worst IAS • Discuss the basic ecological, economic and public health impacts of IAS • Describe the process of biological invasions • Give examples of intentional and unintentional introductions • List major pathways and vectors of primary and secondary spread • Explain difficulties with predicting invasiveness of organisms • Discuss some of the factors that are enhancing the global spread of IAS

  3. Session Outline and Agenda • 1100-1125. Session 1. Introduction to Invasive Alien Species. • 1125-1145. Session 2. Human Facilitated Spread of Plants and Animals – “Who’s Using Who?” • 1145 – 1200. Lab Exercise. • 1200 – 1300.Lunch. • 1300-1330. Session 3. Predicting Invasiveness – Forewarned Is Forearmed! • 1330-1400. Session 4. Factors Enhancing the Spread of IAS. • 1400-1445. Lab Exercises. • 1445-1450.Review of Major Concepts in Unit 1. • 1450-1500.Break.

  4. Session 1. Introduction to IAS.1.1. Overview of the Problem. • Crop Pests – Historic Struggle Between Man and Nature • Invasive Alien Species (IAS) – Plants/Animals Outside their Native Range – Due to Trade and Travel • Ecological Impacts – Hydrology, Sediments, Soil & Water Chemistry, Disruption of Fire Cycles • Economic and Social Losses - $300+ Billion Globally, Deplete Water Supplies, Famine/Disease, Grazing Lands, Noise Pollution • Ports of Entry – First Line of Defense Against IAS

  5. 1.1.2. IAS - Ecosystems out of Balance • Origin of IAS • Remove Top Predators • Insert New Exotic Species Without Co-Evolved Predators and Parasites Food Web Beaver Simple Food Chain Eastern Gray Squirrel

  6. 1.1.3. Evolution in Isolation – Recreation of a Virtual Pangaea • Super-continents • Columbia 1.5 Billion Yr BP • Rodinia 700 Million BP • Pangaea 180 Million Yr BP • Evolution in Isolation • Ecological Explosion • 8,600 Birds (4X #) • Global Spread of IAS • Recreating a Virtual Pangaea • Homogeocene Pangaea

  7. Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) – the perfect weed. 1.2. Characteristics of IAS. • Abundant in Natural Range • History of Invasiveness Outside Natural Range • Wide Distribution in Different Habitats • Fast Growth, Early Maturity • High Reproduction; Seed Dormancy • Allelopathy • Prickles, Spines, Thorns • Parasitism • Same Size/Shape as Crop Seeds • Ability to Go without Food/Water • Roots/Rhizomes with Large Storage • Efficient Means of Spread • Close Association with Humans

  8. 1.3. Characteristics of Invaded Habitats. • Ecological Similarities Between Origin and Receiving Ecosystems • Lack of Co-evolved Predators and Parasites • Other IAS already Established • High Degree of Disturbance • Secondary Pathways and Vectors for Further Spread B A • Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia. B. Florida Everglades, United States.

  9. 1.4. Overview of IAS Taxa Groups. Invasive Plants, Insects, Diseases, Aquatic Nuisance Species, and Injurious Wildlife.

  10. 1.4.1. Invasive Plants. • 250,000 Plants in the World • 22,000 Invasive Plants • Definitions • Invasive Plant = Weed • Noxious Weed = Regulated Weed • Melaleuca and Pond Apple – Tale of Two Weeds in North America and Australia Melaleuca Pond Apple

  11. 1.4.2. Insects. • 30 Million Insect Species • 500,000 Species of Beetles • Desert Locust • Africa, Middle East, Asia • Swarms – • 1,200 km2 • 96 Billion Individuals • 240,000 Metric Tons • Losses • Morocco – 1954 ($50 Million in 6 Weeks) • Ethiopia – 1958 (167,000 Tons of Grain – Feed 1 Million People for a Year Mauritania, July, 1994

  12. 1.4.3. Aquatic Nuisance Species. • ANS Factoids • 21 Billion Gallons Ballast Water Per Year - (USA) • 3,000 ANS Moving in Ballast Water Around the World • ANS Taxa • Aquatic Weeds (Water Hyacinth) • Aquatic Invertebrates (Zebra Mussel) • Aquatic Vertebrates (Nile Perch)

  13. 1.44. Injurious Wildlife • Terrestrial Vertebrates • Intentionally Established • Game Animals • Domestic Animals • IW Examples • Nutria • Eastern Gray Squirrel • Australian Brushtail Possum

  14. 1.5.1. Ecological Impacts of IAS. Fynbos – South Africa • Threaten Endangered Species • Crowd out Natives • Compete with Natives for Resources, Space, Light • Disrupt Trophic Level Relationships • Increase Disturbance Regimes that Natives are not Adapted to (e.g., Wildfires) • Hybridize with Natives • Cause Habitat Loss Argentine Ant Old World Climbing Fern in Florida Cheatgrass in the American West Mallard Duck

  15. 1.52. Economic Effects of IAS. • USA: $150 Billion • India: US$117 Billion • South Africa: US$17.5 Billion • United Kingdom: US$12 Billion • Australia: AUS$10 Billion • New Zealand: US$10 Billion • Africa (Aquatic Weed Control): $US60 Million

  16. 1.5.2.2. Economic Impacts of IAS. • Direct Losses • Crop Losses (India – 20% Per Year) • Loss of Exports • Karnal Bunt of Wheat • Loss of Pasture Productivity • Cogongrass • Loss of Fisheries • Nile Perch • Indirect Losses • Flooding (Water Hyacinth) • Landslides (Miconia) • Damage to Dams (Nutria) • Increased Wildfires (Cheatgrass) • Loss of Tourism (Spotted Knapweed)

  17. 1.53. Public Health Impacts. • Diseases • 1999 - West Nile Virus - USA • 9,862 People Infected • 264 People Died • 2003 SARS in China • $17 Billion Tourism Losses • Stings - Allergic Reactions • Imported Red Fire Ant • Africanized Honey Bee

  18. Session 2. Spread of Plants and Animals – Who’s Using Who? • Reversion of Cultivars to Wild Forms • Olives • Granny Smith Apple

  19. 1.6. Process of Invasion. • Primary Introduction • Establishment • Monterey Pine in NZ, AUS • Secondary Spread • Vehicles, Trains, Trailers, Animals

  20. 1.6.2. The IAS Lag Phase.Melaleuca in the Florida Everglades. • Florida Everglades • River of Grass, Tree Islands • 80 Miles wide, 1/3 M Deep • 1906 – Introduced from AUS • 1936 - Aerial Seeding with Melaleuca • 1970s – Rapid Spread throughout the Glades • 1990s – 200,000 ha Infested

  21. 1.7. Intentional Introductions.1.7.1. Introductions that become Invasive. • Agricultural Crops • Tall Fescue - Pastures • Forestry Species • Leucaena - Africa • Erosion Control • Kudzu - USA • Aid Trade • Cordia - Vanuatu • Ornamental Plants • Siam Weed - Africa • Germplasm • Disease Infected Wheat

  22. 1.7. Intentional Introductions.1.7.1. Introductions that become Invasive. • Game Animals • Sika Deer - USA • Mammals as Food Source on Islands • Feral Pigs, Goats • Biocontrol Agents • Cane Toad - AUS • Fishery Releases • Nile Perch – Lake Victoria, Africa • Pets Released in Wild • Burmese Python - USA • Aquaculture Escapes • LA Crayfish - Africa

  23. 1.7.1.2. Unauthorized Intentional Introductions (Smuggling). Chinese Water Spinach(Ipomoea aquatica)

  24. Khapra beetle Jointed Goatgrass in Wheat 1.8. Unintentional Introductions. • Adaptations for Spread • Plants – Burs (Cocklebur), Seed Sails, Floating Seeds • Animals – Dog Tick • Stowaways • Khapra Beetle • Hitchhikers • Snails • Contaminants (Co-mingled) • Weed Seed in Crop Seed

  25. 1.8. Unintentional Introductions. Contd. • Hitchhikers on Nursery Plants • Pink Hibiscus Mealybug • Hitchhikers on Cut Flowers • Leaf Miners • Soil Pests • Clemora smithi (Sugarcane White Grub) Transferred from Barbados to Mauritius in Sugarcane • Planes, Trains, Vehicles, Equipment • Giant African Snail • Mail • Crazy Yellow Ant • Ballast Soil and Water • Chinese Mitten Crab • Hull Fouling Organisms • Marine Debris

  26. Case Study: Yellow Crazy Ants on Christmas Island • 1930 – Introduced to Christmas Island* • 1990s – Population Exploded • Forms Multi-Queen Super Colonies • Up to 700 ha in Size • Overwhelms and Kills Native Species • Red Land Crabs • 1995-2002 - 10-20 Million Killed • Robber Crabs, Native Reptiles • Native Invertebrates • Control – Toxic Bait – 99% Effective • Fipronil in Fish Meal (0.6 gm/ha) *1528 km NW of AUS; Possession of AUS

  27. 1.8.1. Case Study: Serrated Tussock in the U.S. • Description: Annual Grass • Origin: Argentina • Threat: Serious Pasture Weed, Minimal Nutrient Value • Areas Affected: AUS, NZ • 1989 Introduction to USA • Nine Infested Shipments from ARG • Loophole in FNWA – Seed Shipments Exempt from Regulation under the Law • Federal Judge Ruled Intent of Law Included Seed Shipments • Results • Large Amount Re-exported to Canada, Japan • 5,000 kg (11,000 lbs.) Burned in Kentucky • 6,800 kg (15,000 lbs.) Buried in Landfill in Missouri • Small Amount Hydroseeded onto Stripmine Reclamation Sites in Kentucky

  28. 1.9.1. Pathways of Unintentional Spread. • Commercial Shipping • Ships • Planes • Trains • Vehicles – Trucks • People Movers • Ships, Planes, Trains, Vehicles • People • Beggar-lice on Trousers

  29. 1.9.2.2. Unintentional Spread by Cargo and Commodities. • Cargo – Wide Range of Commercial Goods • Military Equipment • Commodity – Homogeneous Substances in Commerce • Imported Fruit • Ornamental Rocks

  30. Unit 1 – Lab Exercise 1.IAS in Participant Countries. • 1. Name five introduced species in your country that are not considered to be invasive. • 2. Name five introduced species in your country that are considered to be invasive.

  31. Lunch! Sponsored by: Dr. Lynn Jackson Global Invasive Species Programme Capetown, South Africa

  32. Session 3. Predicting Invasiveness.1.10. Methods of Predicting Invasiveness. • Criteria for IAS Prevention Program • Know About IAS Worldwide • GISP: • http://www.gisp.org/ • Global Invasive Species Database: • http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/ • Know Which Ones Pose a Threat to Your Country • Characteristics of Ideal Invaders

  33. April 5, 2005 July 13, 2005 Session 3. Predicting Invasiveness.1.10. Characteristics of the Ideal Invader. • Widespread in Native Range (Kudzu in China) • History of Invasiveness Elsewhere (Serrated Tussock in Australia) • Adapted in Wide Range of Environments and Soils (Tropical Soda Apple) • Rapid Growth and Maturity (Cactus Moth) • Produces Many Offspring (Desert Locust) • Rapid Colonizer (Giant Salvinia) • Efficient Dispersal Mechanisms (Jointed Goatgrass in Wheat) • Broad Diet (Coqui Frog) • Aggressive Behavior (Imported Fire Ant) • Close Relationship with Humans (Oriental Cockroach) • Small in Size (Khapra Beetle)

  34. Session 3. Predicting Invasiveness.1.10. Susceptibility of Environments to Invasion. • Similarities between Native Range of IAS and Receiving Region • IAS Already Established in the Region • Level of Development and Disturbance • Low Biodiversity Due to Habitat Loss or Stressors such as Over Grazing, Wildfires, Clear Cutting, Water Pollution • Vectors for Secondary Spread • Isolated Communities with High % Endemic Species

  35. Session 3. Predicting Invasiveness.1.10. IAS Risk Assessment. • Regulatory Prevention Pest Risk Assessment Systems*. • USDA APHIS Weed Risk Assessment System • Prohibited Listing Approach • AUS AQIS Weed Risk Assessment System • Permitted Listing Approach - 49 Questions • Score < 1 (Permitted Entry) • Score 1 – 6 (Evaluated Further) • Score > 6 (Prohibited Entry) • Ranking of Established IAS • NatureServe I-Ranking (400 Species Ranked) *More in Unit 7.

  36. Session 4. Factors Enhancing Spread of IAS.1.11. IAS and Globalization. • The Global Village • Instant Communications • Global Trade, Travel • Homogenization of World’s Flora & Fauna • Species Introductions – Social, Economic Reasons

  37. The Great American Exchange Panama Land Bridge, 3 Million Yr. BP North AmericanMammals South AmericanMarsupials

  38. Dar es Salaam, Askari Monument Session 4. Factors Enhancing Spread of IAS.1.12. IAS and Changing Land Use Patterns. • Human Development and Habitation - Civilization • Habitat Fragmentation, • Attract Wildlife, Attract IAS • Source Areas for Horticultural IAS • Nutrient Rich Urban Lawns and Gardens (Chinese Wisteria) • Higher # IAS Around Population Centers • More People = More IAS • Purple Loosestrife – Campbell Creek, Anchorage, Alaska • Roads and Highways • Connecting People – Spreading IAS • Japanese Hops, Connecticut, USA • Johnsongrass, North Carolina, USA

  39. 1.13. IAS and Global Climate Change. Cause and Effect. • Land Use Changes (Habitat Fragmentation and Destruction) • Build up of Greenhouse Gases (Global Warming, Sea Level Rise, Ecosystem Demise) • Air & Water Pollution (Threat to Environmental/Human Health • Spread of Invasive Species (Threat to Biodiversity and Agricultural Production)

  40. Pleistocene Interglacial Periods. Natural Climate Change Events in North America.1.8 Million – 11,500 Years Ago. • Average Temperature • 2-3o C Higher • Plants/Animals Migrated North • South American Tapirs in North Carolina • Sweetgum in Canada • Manatees in New Jersey

  41. Potential Impacts of Modern Global Warming • Temperatures • 4-9o C Higher • Drought, Heat Waves • Melting Glaciers • Melting Snowcaps • More Rainfall, Storms, Hurricanes • Hurricane Katrina • Sea Level Rise • 0.4 - 0.5 m • Disturbance and Change….. Mt. Kilimanjaro stripped of its snowcap for the first time in 11,000 years.

  42. Potential Impacts of Global Warming on Natural Ecosystems. • Disappearance of Sensitive Habitat • Alpine Meadows • Eastern Forests Changes • Mixed Woodlands and Grasslands • Northwestern Forests Lose Key Species over Decades • Species Attempt to Migrate North…….

  43. Species Migrations In Response to Global Climate Change. • Vegetation Zones Shift 300 km Towards the Poles • Loblolly Pine Distribution Move 300 Miles Northward

  44. Impediments to Species Migration. • Climate Change Faster than Species can Migrate (Trees Migrate 20-30 km per Century) • Human Settlements, Activities, Development, Highways • Invasive Species Move in to Southern Boundary Transition Zones • Cogongrass in Alabama

  45. Invasive Speciesin a Warmer World • Expand their Range, Invade New Habitats • Compete with Stressed Natives • Create Synergistic Effects with other Global Changes Chinese Tallow Tree(Triadica sebifera)

  46. Human Induced Global ChangeCause and Effect Invasive Species Invasive Species BurningFossil Fuels HabitatDestruction Land UseChanges Air & WaterPollution Invasive Species Invasive Species Human Induced Global Change Elevated CO2 Ecosystem Break Down Temperatures Rise More Precipitation More Fires Invasive Species Invasive Species Drought Sea Level Rise

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