Monky See, Monky Do

Monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) have arrived in Barcelona, Spain, and as reported in this article from BBC News, they're definitely making their presence known. Native to South America, the cute green birds (also known as Quaker parrots) are kept as pets by bird-lovers all over the world. Unfortunately, many have escaped or have been released, and in the areas where they've become established, they cause problems by eating anything green they can get their beak in. In Spain, this has meant the loss of tomato crops and a decline in native bird populations.

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

New in Print

Recent journal articles about invasive species (most links are to abstracts):

• "Invasional 'meltdown' on an oceanic island" by Dennis J. O'Dowd, Peter T. Green and P. S. Lake. Ecology Letters 6(9): 812.
• "NET IMPACT OF A PLANT INVASION ON NITROGEN-CYCLING PROCESSES WITHIN A BRACKISH TIDAL MARSH" by Lisamarie Windham and Joan G. Ehrenfeld. Ecological Applications 13(4): 883-896.
• "DEMOGRAPHY AND DISPERSAL: LIFE TABLE RESPONSE EXPERIMENTS FOR INVASION SPEED" by Hal Caswell Rob Lensink and Michael G. Neubert. Ecology 84(8): 1968-1978. [modeling of bird populations, including starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)]
• "Policies for the management of environmental risks: environmental stabilisation the precautionary principle and invasive species." by Charles Perrings. BIOECON workshop on Economic Analysis of Policies for Biodiversity Conservation. Venice, Italy, August 28-29, 2003. [link is to main page, click on "Download" links to view file in Word format]
• "Integrated assessment of biological invasions as a base for biodiversity policies" by Felix Rauschmayer. BIOECON workshop on Economic Analysis of Policies for Biodiversity Conservation. Venice, Italy, August 28-29, 2003. [link is to main page, click on "Download" links to view file in Word format]

Bucket Biology

There seems to be a bit of a split in the sport fishing community, between those concerned with depleting stocks of native fish and preventing new introductions, and those that just want to fish and are happy to let the government continue to stock bodies of water with species like the northern pike (Esox lucius). In Maine, angler Bob Mallard recently published this piece in the Kennebec Journal, addressing the DIF&W's policy of managing illegally introduced fish species in major bodies of water. Bob also has a forum at the website for his store, Kennebec River Outfitters, where you can find a lot of posts from anglers with similar concerns. You can also read Bob's recent article in the Northwoods Sporting Journal. By the way, "Bucket Biology" refers to the illegal introduction of species into bodies of water by transporting them in a bucket.

Lobate Probate

I just recently discovered Jack Rodgers's web site that he created to publicize the effects of lobate lac scale (Paratachardina lobata lobata) in Florida. The site is chock full of information, including many, many photos. Well worth a look.

Wattle Lotta Wattle

This article from Radio Nederland describes the problems South Africa is having with the black wattle tree (Acacia mearnsii). Black wattle, native to Australia, was introduced to South Africa over a century ago for its bark, which can be used for tanning, and is also valued as a timber tree. Unfortunately, the trees have naturalized, and now cause problems due to their high demand for water. The article also has a link to the radio broadcast of this story, featured on the show "Research File."

Re: Stop dumping your unwanted pets!

A two-foot long alligator (Alligator sp.) was found in Jamaica Pond, located in Boston, Massachusetts. As reported at BostonChannel.com (and by every other news source in Massachusetts), disbelieving Animal Rescue League workers arrived at the pond after receiving several reports, and were surprised to see the gator swimming around in the water. The alligator has already been caught (luckily one of the workers was from Louisiana :-) and the workers stated that it would not be euthanized. Alligators are illegal to own in Massachusetts without a license, and even them may only be kept for "scientific, research, display or educational purposes."

Best Headline Ever! (so far)

The headline of this article from The Baltimore Sun says it all: "Goldfish become occupying force." Seems hundreds of goldfish (Cyprinus auratus), along with a few big koi (Cyprinus carpio) have taken over a pond in Columbia, Maryland, leading to a distinct lack of amphibians in the area. One "solution" being considered is to stock the pond with bass, who will eat the goldfish, and bluegills, to eat insects and provide an additional food source for the bass (!!), and then keep the bass under control by allowing fishing. Another possible solution: Stop dumping your unwanted pets!