Let's Be Franck

If only all scientists were as generous as Franck Courchamp, life could be so much easier for those of us doing research. (But then again, perhaps there would be no journals for us to publish in? :-). Franck recently posted a link, on the ALIENS-L listserver, to an article he wrote about mammal invasions. When I followed the link, I discovered many invasive mammal-related articles, all available as .pdf files from this page. Franck is currently a researcher at the Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique, and you can read a more general description of his projects by going here.

Something's Fishy

Has Australia made progress in its quest to create genetically modified carp (Cyprinus carpio)? I'm not exactly sure, but there is this article from Yahoo! News, which suggests that CSIRO and the Pest Animal Control CRC are on track to release GM carp containing the "daughterless" gene, that should cause them to produce only male offspring, in the middle of this century. The article explains that the gene, which comes from carp, is currently being tested on another invasive fish, the gambusia (Gambusia spp.). Neither organization is currently publicizing the project, leading me to suspect this is not really news. You can learn more about the GM carp project from this 2002 blog entry. You may also want to check out this better (and much older) article from Wired.com.

Thanks to Slashdot for posting a link to this article.

Leapin' Lizards!

This article from the Sioux City Journal is a must-read. It describes the work of Jason Kolbe, a graduate student who studies the brown anole (Anolis sagrei), a lizard native to the West Indies that is showing up in Florida, Hawaii and even Taiwan (.pdf file). Jason even spent a month in Cuba with fellow researchers, collecting skin samples or tails from lizards across the island. Using molecular tools, he can then compare the DNA of brown anoles from all over the world, to determine how the species has spread from one place to another. While brown anoles are not yet considered a problem in most areas where they have been introduced, they are thought to be outcompeting the native green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) in Florida. Bonus points to the Journal for using the lizard's scientific name.

The moths return

The winter moths are back in southeast Massachusetts, along with the confusion over their origin. The Boston Globe is reporting that the tiny brown moths (they're actually a pretty copper color up close) are covering people's houses by the hundreds. Scientists are unsure whether the moths have migrated from Canada or are actually native to Europe. Their populations appeared to have died off over the past few days, based on accounts in the Globe article, and the fact that my parent's house in Randolph had a mere 25 under the porch light on Christmas day. The ISW had an entry about 2002's moth invasion earlier this year, along with a photo.

Dog Gone It!

Dogs hunting invasive plants...it's not a joke. deseretnews.com reports that Kim Goodwin, a scientist at Montana State University, is working with a trainer to determine whether dogs can be taught to identify weeds by smell, and to locate them in the field. The first target, this being Montana, is spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa / biebersteinii). Trials with the first dog, named "Knapweed Nightmare," will begin this spring.

Access of Weevil

HortNews is reporting that forestry researchers in New Zealand are seeking permission to import Cleopus japonicus, a weevil that defoliates the invasive butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii, sometimes known horticulturally as Buddleia). This is in spite of the fact that evidence has shown that the weevils also feed on some of the other species in the genus that are present in New Zealand, albeit non-native. Butterfly bush is quite popular among gardeners worldwide, with many cultivars showcasing an array of brilliantly-colored flowers. The weevil in question, native to Asia, has also been shown to attack native hebes (Hebe spp.) species, but scientists believe the negative impacts of the butterfly bush invasion outweigh the potential weevil risk to native plant species.

Comment away!

I've just installed a comment system on the ISW. Whether you have a related website to link to, or an expert opinion to share, feel free to add comments to any of the posts. This free commenting system for Blogger-based weblogs is provided by BlogSpeak.