(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Climate Crisis -- Will You Kill Invasive Species? [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-13 Climate chaos is here. So I’m posting a question or topic every week about something every one of us is likely to face, to see if together we can work out the nuts and bolts of ways to survive. Prior questions were: Do You Stay or Do You Go? What Is Your Timeline? What Skill Do You Need To Learn? How Will You Deal With Flooding? What About Potable Water? Got Energy? What Are Your Preparations For A Food Emergency? Do You Have Enough Nutrients? What Are Your Plans For Fire? What Will You Do About Medical Care? What Are Your Plans For Mental Health? Do You Have Community? What Are You Doing About Information Access? This week’s question is Will You Kill Invasive Species? What is an invasive species? An invasive is a species introduced into a new ecosystem deliberately or accidentally, usually by humans, that out-competes native species for resources, often has few or no predators in its new ecosystem, and causes massive change and simplification in the new ecosystem. The end result is a substantial lessening of energy cycling through the ecosystem and a substantial decrease in available genetic diversity in the ecosystem. Genetic diversity is vital to surviving environmental change, and energy allows life. So, all in all, invasives are bad news. Not all non-native species are invasives. An invasive in one location is a native in another. The identification as native, non-native, or invasive depends on the ecosystem. And some sources say that natives in ecosystems really screwed up by humans can be called invasives (but I call it industrial agriculture). Let’s look at some examples of invasives In California, eucalyptus are invasives. They are massive Roman candles, waiting to explode in flame, and provide no habitat except for raccoons and no food for anything except koalas (there are a few in the zoo). Pampas grass is everywhere in CA — on cliffs over the ocean, all over the coastal mountain range, alongside every highway and freeway — and it wasn’t planted in any of these places; it slices species that come near it, and it outcompetes neighboring plants for sunlight. Domestic outdoor cats cause massive losses in native bird populations. And nutria in the Delta have caused huge damage to the salt marshes and remaining wetlands; the state has active hunting programs to kill or trap them. Large, male nutria trapped in a private wetland in Merced County, June 2017. CDFA photo. Why kill invasives? To protect the ecosystem they’ve invaded from utter destruction. Nutria, for example, are herbivores. Here’s what they can do to marshland. An exclosure experiment in a Louisiana marsh demonstrating the severe ecological damages caused by nutria herbivory in wetland habitats. Photo courtesy of Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries. Lionfish are destroying the reef ecosystems in the Atlantic, and people are trying to figure out how to make their deaths economically advantageous (chefs and shoe manufacturers are working on this.) Wild boars and feral pigs rip up forests and fields, and decimate numerous native species of anthropods, plants, and animals. Bamboo that spreads via rhizomes, such as Golden bamboo, can punch through walls and appliances. Tumbleweed, some bark beetle species, zebra mussels, New Zealand mudsnails, ice plant, water ivy, egeria, and so many more are all invasives in CA. Invasives, by swamping an ecosystem and diverting the majority of its resources, kill off the genetic diversity available in that ecosystem. Genetic diversity is necessary for an ecosystem to thrive; the more options that are available, the more likely there will be something that can deal with changing conditions. For example, if you have 2 plant species, one that likes direct light and one that likes more shade, and they live in the same ecosystem, when there’s a lot of sunlight the first species will thrive and when there’s little sunlight the second species will thrive. If you only have one species, though, changes in lighting can result in less energy being captured and degradation of the ecosystem. Life creates the conditions for life. The more variety of life you have, the better the chances that life will survive. So, will you kill invasive species? Remember, nutria are gentle herbivores. Pampas grass is beautiful. Domestic cats are pets and prolific bird killers. Humans are an invasive species. Next week will be about non-natives, near-natives, and assisted migration where possible. 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