Culture vs. Ecology

From Yahoo! News comes this article about Buddhists in Hong Kong, and the unintended consequences of one their religious practices. Many who follow Buddhism believe that they are morally bound to free any trapped animal, and the act of doing so will increase health and well-being. Buddhists in Hong Kong will often buy animals from the markets and then release them into the wild. This is so common that there are entrepreneurs who trap common wild animals, such as sparrows, sell them to people, and then recapture them once they are released. Unfortunately, this religious practice can have unintended consequences. One is that well-intentioned Buddhists sometimes release animals into the wrong habitat, where the animals cannot survive. Another is that non-native animals, including turtles and frogs from North America, are becoming established in the wild, threatening native Asian species.

Airport Aliens

The World Environment web site has a link to this story from the North Jersey News about the newest member of the USDA inspection team at Newark Airport: a beagle. Scroll down past the cute stuff about the beagle sniffing people's luggage to learn more about the species inspection officials are most concerned about entering the U.S., including the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis). The battle to prevent both accidental and intentional introductions of plants, animals, and pathogens via people entering or re-entering the country is neverending.

Eichhornia and Egypt

The Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) has become quite prolific in Uganda, to the point where the Egyptian government has generously pledged to give almost $14 million to the African nation to combat the infestion of Lake Kyoga. You can read more about the battle with this aquatic plant incountries in Africa and the Middle East from this page and this one.

Thanks to a member of the ALIENS-L listserver for posting a link to this story.

Gambusia = Damnbusia

Check out the Gambusia Control Homepage. Dedicated to explaining to the world the problems caused by Mosquitofish, which has been used as a method of controlling mosquito larvae, the page points out that this genus threatens native biodiversity in Australia and New Zealand, and coyly renames the fish "damnbusia." The U.S. is also dealing with this problem genus, which is actually native to the southeastern states. Ironically, Mosquitofish do not even do a good job of mosquito larvae control.

Pesky Porkers

A pack of Wild Boars (Sus scrofa) has been terrorizing a neighborhood in Marion County, Florida, according to this story from Local 6 News (Be sure to click on the link to watch the video footage). The animals, as is their habit, are tearing up turf and otherwise causing distubance in the yards of residents. Wild Boars are invasive all over the U.S., and are hunted in many states for sport.

Frog Days of Summer

The Toronto Star printed this story about the invasion of the Hawaiian islands by a frog known as the Coqui (Eleutherodactylus coqui) (5 bonus points to The Toronto Star for using the scientific name!). The islands were frog-free before several species in this genus were introduced, and the cacophony of frog calls during the night is driving some people crazy.

New Perennial Pepperweed Page

I've just added a set of pages about the invasive plant Perennial Pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium) to my web site. There are photos for use in identification, information about populations in Massachusetts, and links to other sites with information about the species.