A Yuan For Invasives

China estimates that invasive species cost it more than $29 billion dollars (200 billion yuan) per year.

China Trade

Interesting article in the New Scientist about China getting more than it bargained for when it opened up its borders. Boisterous trade with the US and the similar range of climates that the two countries share has led to lots of unintentional species exchanges. While the US deals with pests like the Asian longhorned beetle, China is getting in return such problem species as the fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) and smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora). The New Scientist article is based on a study published recently in the journal BioScience, and thanks to the generosity of the AIBS, you can read the full text here.

That's Tariffic!

Journal Watch Online points to an interesting study that will be out in an upcoming issue of the journal Ecological Economics. In it, the authors consider the impact that tariffs have on the spread of invasive species, and conclude that lowering tariffs would reduce invasive introductions by promoting the flow of more processed products through the global economy. Their theory hinges on the idea that a raw log of wood is more likely to be an invasive species vector than a finished chair or other wood product. The article isn't out yet, but it looks like you can grab a preprint of the entire thing here. (Warning: there be Calculus in them there pages!)

Fishing For Dollars

Conservation Magazine, among others, is reporting about a study recently published in PLoS Biology that concluded that river basins most invaded by non-native fish species tend to be located in parts of the world where the greatest amount of human activity occurs. The authors found a positive correlation between level of invasion and such factors as Gross Domestic Product and population level, but did not see significant correlation when looking at biotic factors like number of native species in the invaded ecosystem. Perhaps more worrisome is that these invasion "hotspots" are the same places where the highest numbers of threatened native fish species live.

This story is getting additional coverage here, here and here, but if you want the whole story, you should go read the full article (it's free!). Thanks to budak for sending in the link.