Talks 'til you're blue in the face

Whether you are charged with caring for invasive-infested land, or preparing your invasive species thesis project, you'll want to check out the USDA's Invasive Species Conference Calendar. The list is long, with 3-4 conferences scheduled every month through 2004, and can be searched by year or by location. If you would like to publicize your own conference, there is an email link at the top of their page.

How do ya like them apples?

In a classic example of disturbance-induced invasion, a stretch of road in Brooksville, Florida has become infested with tropical soda apple (Solanum viarum), after construction workers widened the road last year. According to this article in the St. Petersburg Times, a nearby homeowner familiar with the species saw populations explode shortly after the construction project was completed. Officials in Hernando County are unsure of whether the existing seed bank was just reacting to disturbance, or whether the soil brought in for the project was contaminated. They are responding to the problem by sending out crews to pull the weeds and spray along the road with herbicide.

Waters of Wisconsin

If you are battling invasive aquatic species in Wisconsin, you have until February 1st to apply for your share of $500,000 in state funds to assist the fight. As reported by the Daily Globe, local governments can apply for the funds to cover up to 50 percent of the cost of their projects. The mission of the Aquatic Invasives Species Prevention and Control Grants (link to .pdf file) is to support projects that aim to prevent new introductions; those that focus on the management of existing invasives are not eligible.

New in the Literature

Recently published journal articles:

• "Local and regional abundance of exotic plant species on Mediterranean islands: are species traits important?" by Francisco Lloret, Frederic Medail, Giuseppe Brundu, and Philip E. Hulme. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 13(1), p. 37.
• "Measuring floristic homogenization by non-native plants in North America." by Michael L. McKinney. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 13(1), p. 47. (an interesting statistical analysis)
• "The population genetics of a biological control introduction: mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite variation in native and introduced populations of Aphidus ervi, a parisitoid wasp." by R. A. Hufbauer, S. M. Bogdanowicz, and R. G. Harrison. Molecular Ecology. 13(2), p. 337.
• "Effective size of two feral domestic cat populations (Felis catus L.): effect of the mating system." by R. Kaeuffer, D. Pontier, S. Devillard, and N. Perrin. Molecular Ecology. 13(2), p. 483.
• "No Evidence for an Evolutionary Increased Competitive Ability in an Invasive Plant." by Mark van Kleunen and Bernhard Schmid. Ecology. 84(11), pp. 2816-2823. (article about Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis)
• "Invasiveness of Ammophila arenaria: Release from Soil-borne Pathogens?" by Julie Beckstead and Ingrid M. Parker. Ecology. 84(11), pp. 2824-2831. (study of European beachgrass on the California coast)
• "Genetic Analysis of Dispersal Dynamics in an Invading Population of Argentine Ants." by Krista K. Ingram and Deborah M. Gordon. Ecology. 84(11), pp. 2832-2842.

I'll have mine Skipjack's style, please.

Trout is great to eat, but not so good in Australia, where they're stocking lakes and rivers with American trout species, at the expense of native flora and fauna. As reported by The Australian, a group called Native Fish Australia is asking the Aussie government to limit stocking of non-native fish species, at the very least for bodies of water that are home to rare or endangered species. One interviewee noted that environmentalists have taken to referring to the trout as "spotted carp." The government is now performing an environmental review to determine whether stocking procedures should be changed.

The Cost of Eradication

The Mercer Island Reporter has this article about a recent study of the island's invasive plants. The survey of the island found that it is home to 12 of the 91 noxious weed species listed by King County. Invasives now cover over 200 acres, with English ivy (Hedera helix) and Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor) having the biggest impact. Parks and Recreation staff on Mercer Island, which is part of Washington state, also noted other species, such as English holly (Ilex aquifolium) and cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), that are not as common and would likely be easier to eradicate. Complete removal of all of the listed invasives would cost an estimated $50 million; this likely includes some restoration.

The Chicken Hunter

There are too many feral chickens (Gallus gallus) in Key West, Florida, according to this article from The Miami Herald. So many, in fact, that the city has hired someone to remove about half of the 2000 hens and roosters that wander the streets, making nuisances of themselves by destroying gardens and crowing at all hours of the day and night. The chickens, while not native, are not having much of an impact on the natural habitat (as I've been informed by more than one person, Key West has virtually no hatural habitat). Whether you're a fan of chickens or a hater of fowl, you'll want to check out the Key West Chickens website.

Update: An anonymous reader has sent along this thought-provoking description of the feral chicken situation in Key West, and has kindly allowed me to post it:

I saw your inquiry about the chickens in Key West. Believe me, it is not a environmental issue, Key West is almost entirely paved and has little left nature to protect. The residential neighborhoods in Key West are tightly packed with homes just 10 or 20 feet apart, and sometimes closer than that. you really get to know your neighbors - and their pets. As far as chickens go, the typical majority of residents have remained silent, though I suspect that most of them find the birds a mixed blessing: sometimes fun to watch, but sometimes messy, occasionally destructive (especially in newly planted gardens), and of course sometimes noisy. They fight, almost like cats (noisy and sometimes bloody), and I have found more than one mortally wounded or blinded rooster dying a slow death under my landscape shrubs as a result of territorial disputes. Worst of all, they are prone to keeping unfortunate hours. Speaking from experience, there are few things as aggravating as being repeatedly woken by one or more roosters crowing off and on through the night and hours before you need to be up, when your neighbor, who lives shut up inside an air-conditioned and relatively sound-proof home, feeds the birds but denies ownership responsibility. The roosters at least have no concept of time, and every porch light or bathroom window that lights up after the dark apparently can be mistaken for a rising sun. Cock-a-doodle-do, indeed. A rising moon causes the same effect and a full moon can keep them going all night. Well-acclimated Keys residents, and those who cannot, for health reasons, deal with air-conditioning, prefer to (or need to) sleep with the windows open and rely on neighbors remaining resonably quiet between 11PM and 6AM. However, even afternoon naps are not safe from these compulsive feathered alarm clocks. The real issue eventually boils down to property rights and zoning laws. Chickens are ruled by Monroe County and Key West city ordinances as "farm animals" and "prohibited in residential-zoned neighborhoods." Therefore, their boosters cannot legally (or practically) confine the birds to their own property, as that would establish ownership of animals prohibited by the zoning law. Instead they deny ownership but put out grain and water, and even replace birds that are removed. But, their chickens have the run of the neighborhood (imposing on the silent majority), causing property damage, leaving eggs (the numbers are shocking) to rot and stink in hidden corners, and even causing a car accident now and then. And of course, waking folks up long before dawn. As with every issue, there are over-the-top extremists on both sides: anti-chicken zealots have resorted to poisoned grain, and chicken boosters smuggle in new chickens to replace those that die or that the city has removed (at tax-payers' expense). Hope I have provided so enlightenment, or at least something to think about.