The spatial and temporal behavior of invasive species spread implies that optimal management strategies involve decisions over space and time. Dispersal and propagule pressure are two primary drivers of the spatial-temporal ecological process of species invasion. In the case of riparian communities, stream flow drives the dispersal of vegetation propagules....
Hydrilla and Brazilian elodea are invasive aquatic plants that occupy freshwater habitats. While hydrilla is native to Asia, Africa, and eastern Australia, and Brazilian elodea is native to South America, both plants are invasive to North America. Because these plants are related and both have pointed green leaves that whorl...
New Zealand mudsnails are a highly invasive species of freshwater mollusk of the family Hydrobiidae, also known as spring snails. Their ability to clone themselves and maintain high reproductive rates allows them to rapidly spread throughout the western United States. Some estimates indicate that one female can clone and produce...
The Chinese mitten crab was first identified in the south San Francisco Bay in 1992 by commercial shrimp trawlers, and quickly spread to the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. The Chinese mitten crab threatens ecosystems, earthen structures, and fisheries by preying on and competing with many species, including fish eggs,...
Colonies of millions of quagga and zebra mussels foul and clog pipes, water treatment plants, and dam turbines and give a competitive boost to toxic algae. It takes only one contaminated boat and the right conditions for zebra and quagga mussels to infest a new watershed; once they have been...
The Red-Eared Slider, also called the red-eared terrapin, is an American breed of turtle widely spread across the USA, and is quickly becoming an invasive species in many parts of the world. It is also the most popular breed of pet turtle in the US and is widely kept as...
The European green crab, Carcinus maenas, is a generalist predator that has established invasive populations throughout the world, including the west coast of North America. In Oregon, strong cohorts of green crabs recruit only during major El Niño events. The goals of this study are to: 1) compare the abundance...
Students sharpen analytical, logic, and problem solving tools by thinking critically about how human activities spread invasive species and how to control them.
Great Lakes coastal wetland communities are threatened by the impacts of invasive plants on ecosystem function and biodiversity. What allows invasive plants to become dominant in invaded communities can be hard to define and context-dependent. Traits associated with invasion success in wetland systems – rapid vegetative growth, competitive superiority in...