Monday, March 01, 2004

Prickly Logic

According to this article from The Sydney Morning Herald, the farming of prickly pear cacti (Opuntia spp.) is rising in popularity in Australia. The species, whose crops bear tasty fruits, are native to America, and well-known to many Australian biologists for their invasiveness. Not to worry, though; according to the farmer in the report, there's no threat of his crops becoming invasive, now that the Cactoblastis moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) has been introduced as a biological control. As reported in the ISW back in 2003, some scientists beg to differ. I wonder if the Cactoblastis moths negatively impact crop yields?

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