Indy Algy

Back in 2003, the ISW posted about the controversy surrounding PepsiCo's attempts to promote farming of the red marine alga Kappaphycus alvarezii in India. Now, as posted over at Indiannotion, Science Magazine is reporting that the alga has spread from where it is being cultivated, invading Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park in the Bay of Bengal. At this point it remains unclear as to how the alga got there, since both PepsiCo and the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (which had been testing cultivation of the alga) are denying responsibility. While PepsiCo is volunteering funds to monitor and remove the algae from the marine reserve, scientists are concerned it may already be too late.

Interested readers will want to download the original research article from the May 2008 issue of the journal Current Science.

Tsunami Balm?

In a similar vein to yesterday's post, today the ISW presents another dilemma that pits the problems of invasive species against the needs and desires of humans.

The Indian environmental journal Down to Earth has an interesting article asking whether it is smart to be planting trees and shrubs to act as barriers against tsunamis and other storm action. Many of these "bioshields" are being created from monoculture plantations of Australian pine (Casuarina equisetifolia), a known invasive species. Scientists want to take a step back and approach the protection of the shoreline by examining the coastline more closely, and as the article notes, native species and natural barriers such as sand dunes can also effective at dampening the effect of wave action. However, the government insists that this approach is not practical with so much of the coastline already developed, and will proceed planting trees "wherever we find land."

Tallow Grave

While the ISW has previously reported about Chinese tallow tree (Sapium sebiferum) here in the US, it was interesting to read that this species has also become a nuisance in India. The Telegraph is reporting that the tree, which was intentionally introduced to India as a source of vegetable oil, is spreading on its own into natural environments. Chinese tallow tree has allelopathic tendencies, releasing toxins into the soil that are likely to kill the surrounding plants wherever it sprouts up. Scientists in India are smart to note that this species, while not yet officially recognized as invasive in their country, has already become a problem in the southern USA, and thus has the potential to do the same in India.

Interested readers may also want to check out this similar story of a crop plant gone wild in Ghana.

CRAFT

Add Lantana camara to the list of invasive species being eyed for their potential economic uses. With Lantana having taken over large portions of India, and bamboo reserves on the wane, the organization ATREE has been enlisting Lantana artisans to make furniture and textiles with the South American weed. Earlier this month they held their third annual "mela" (gathering) on the subject, and hundreds of people from all over India were expected to participate. The prolific nature of Lantana makes it a cheap source of cane for creating everything from sofas and chairs to wastebins and apiaries.

Apparently I'm late to the game on the Lantana-as-a-bamboo-substitute front. You can read about more examples of lantana crafts in this 2006 article from The Hindu, this 2005 TreeHugger post, and this 2000 article from The Tribune.

New And Notable

Recent arrivals in the US and beyond:

• The Suriname toad (Pipa pipa) was discovered in Puerto Rico.
• The Quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) continues to be sighted in Southern California. Also, a Dreissena sp. was discovered in Arizona - the first record for the genus in that state.
• The Oriental weatherfish (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) has been discovered in a small pond in New Jersey.
• India has a new species of fruit fly (Bactrocera invadens), the same one that has been spreading across Africa.
• Pink meadowsweet (Spiraea alba 'rosea') has naturalized in Belgium (via the ALIENS-L listserver)

The Good and the Bad?

Two intersting blurbs about water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) today. First, the Herald Tribune reports that a scientist has developed a way to use populations of the invasive aquatic plant to remove excess nutrients that pollute stormwater runoff. The best part is that once the water is clean, the water hyacinth is removed and turned into a supplement for cattle feed. Read the article and you'll see that this is no fly-by-night project.

Also in the news today is a report from the India Times that water hyacinth invasion leads to an increase in dengue fever (Flavirus spp.). When water hyacinth populations take over a body of water, vegetation below the surface is shaded out and decays, leading to a loss of oxygen in the water. Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease, and it is suspected that the fish that would normally eat mosquito larvae are being suffocated.

Thanks to a member of the ALIENS-L listserver for posting link to these stories.