From the initiative to pull out all Canadian yellow flower to the draining lake water to catch crocodile gar , we sometimes seem a little bit of a big deal when facing invasive species, and sometimes we have long been accustomed to common wonders - such as sweeping Nanning and its surroundings African snail after the rain.
In fact, there is a reason for us to be afraid of invasive species - some of the best have long become famous locally and on the Internet, and constantly amplifying their reputation through the media: Burmese python that escapes into Florida Everglades , Shanghai hairy crabs sweeping across Europe and the United States, lionfish that dominates the waters of Caribbean , cats, rabbits, foxes, etc. in Australia, New Zealand , and cats, rabbits, foxes, etc....
All these "Internet celebrity" invasive species, without exception, are caused by humans themselves.
The "invasiveness" of organisms is a natural phenomenon in ecosystems, and human activities have greatly increased their speed, scale and geographical scope. It is no wonder that in the chapter on invasive species in the Encyclopedia Britannia Britannia published in 2015, Homo sapiens , especially modern humans, are also classified as invasive species. (Of course, there are also people in the academic community who are fighting this view)
invasive species
Regarding the field of invasive species, quarrels are inevitable.
Until the 1990s, there was still little research on invasive species, and most of the research was influenced by a book titled "Ecology of Invasive Animals and Plants" published in 1958.
From the beginning, people defined invasive species (applicable to plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms) basically for their own interests - "invasive" is not clearly defined and is usually very subjective.
And, the lack of standard terms is a major problem.
The reason is that, firstly, the field is full of interdisciplinary nature—the study of invasive species borrows many disciplines of terms such as agriculture, zoology and pathology; secondly, the study of invasive species is usually conducted in isolation from each other.
Based on these reasons, today, most countries in the world still have very limited definitions of invasive species: refers to alien species whose introduction may cause, or may cause, economic or environmental damage or damage to human health. There are also some countries that are more objective in defining invasive species as “species that threaten biodiversity outside their natural distribution areas.”
, in either definition, clearly states that invasive species have become a serious economic, social and environmental threat.
is represented by a paper titled "The Economic Benefits of Invasive Species Management Monitoring Work". People generally believe that the key to reducing the damage and management costs of invasive species is early detection and rapid response. Quick control is cheaper than flooding and then controlling - this is why there is an incident of catching two fish in the lake water.
However, this only holds true when ensuring that invasive species are not reintroduced frequently.
Benefits of non-native species
In recent years, more comments can be seen in "Ecological and Evolutionary Trends" pointed out that most research on non-native species has focused on their negative consequences.
More and more researchers believe that invasive species should be distinguished from non-native species to eliminate prejudice and improve public understanding of animals and plants.
Some scientific literature authors are also trying to shift the focus to considering the benefits of non-native species—the positive effects of non-native species are neither unexpected nor rare, but are universal, important and often have a huge impact.
should be clear first that these discussions first exclude economic species directly introduced and managed by humans, focusing on "wild" or "naturalized" species, and pointing out that some non-native species can bring considerable benefits from the perspective of natural or human interests.
First, non-native species can provide a suitable habitat or food source for native organisms. For example, hollow lotus seed grass was once flooded in my country. Now they are not only feed for fish and livestock, but also used medicine.
Secondly, non-native species can act as catalysts for recovery—their presence increases heterogeneity and biodiversity in ecosystems. For example, guava can easily grow on degraded land, and each tree may be the core of a regenerated rainforest; and a yellow flower in Canada that makes us feel refreshed can become a powerful tool to prevent wind and sand and slow down soil erosion.
Last
To avoid the ambiguous, subjective and derogatory vocabulary that often arises with discussions of invasive species even in scientific papers, some scholars propose to establish a new standard framework model - abandon taxonomy, human health and economic factors and focus only on ecological factors.
The advantage of doing this is that it can more balance the costs and benefits of considering non-native species. After all, most of the time, non-native species either quickly extinct or settle down to become model ecological citizens, pollinate crops, spread seeds, control predators, and provide food and habitat for native species.
In the competition for niches, those who nourish and thorns can become climates can understand their value early and avoid detours. After all, usually after 60 to 80 years, local and foreign countries will be together for a long time without distinguishing each other.
Author thanks for your attention (- _-)
