Consequences of being rich: wealth and population are key drivers of invasive species in Europe

[depakid]

The Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is an invasive species from the Himalayan region. Impatiens glandulifera is now naturalized in 31 countries on three continents.
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A new study of biological invasions in Europe found they were linked not so much to changes in climate or land cover, but to two dominant factors - more money and more people. Wealth and population density, along with an increase in international trade and commerce, were the forces most strongly associated with invasive species that can disrupt ecosystems and cause severe ecological or agricultural damage, scientists said.

An international group of 26 researchers reported the new findings this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), a professional journal. The publication resulted from a three-year project DAISIE (Delivering Alien Invasive Inventory for Europe), funded by European Union within its 6th Framework Programme.

Dealing with these issues will be "pivotal for policy makers and future management," the researchers said, although no easy or inexpensive solutions exist, and many nations have been reluctant to take steps that might interfere with economic growth. "Invasive species are a continuing and extensive ecological crisis, and we are finding that human population and accumulated wealth are important drivers of this problem," said Petr Pyšek, professor of ecology with the Institute of Botany in Průhonice, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, and with Charles University in Prague, the lead author of this study.

"Regional patterns of species invasions are complex, and there is still unexplained variation likely due to local scale differences in several of the ecological factors, including climate," Pyšek said. "But invasive species are in large part an international trade issue, and we are the first to show that economic and demographic factors are key drivers across a range of taxa, more important than regional differences in geography and climate. Next to human population density, the closest correlation is to long-standing national wealth."

Human activities often related to trade, travel and transport, particularly in the past 50 years, have caused a surge in the number of introduced species, ranging from plants to fungi, insects, fish, birds, reptiles and mammals. While some species are innocuous, many displace native species and cause a range of ecosystem disruption. As a crossroads of international travel and trade, with both a high population and high income, Europe has experienced many invasive species. The study concluded that other possible factors, such as climate, geography or land cover, were less significant than population density and wealth, and that those secondary causes may have been overestimated in the past.

This is because mechanisms of species invasion are often associated with international trade. Invasive species can contaminate imported products, stowaway in shipping containers, be brought to new regions as pets that subsequently escape, or even be deliberately released into the wild, as in the case of game animals and biological control agents.

In the new study, researchers were able to predict the number of alien species in Europe to a reasonably high degree simply by defining the level of wealth and the number of people. "The overwhelming effect of human factors, wealth and demography, found for several taxonomic groups translates to human activities responsible for enhancing biological invasions," researchers wrote in the study.

Solving this problem will not be easy, the study suggested. "However, identifying the specific mechanisms of invasion is the critical first step. Monitoring may need to be improved. Legislation to restrict or regulate certain imports will likely be needed, in addition to charging fees or tariffs that would help deal with invasive species when they occur. But the World Trade Organization and other international agreements have no effective mechanisms to address this concern," says Professor Phil Hulme, co-author of the study and the coordinator of the DAISIE project from Lincoln University, New Zealand.

More: http://www.peer.eu/news_events/detail/item/consequences_of_being_rich_wealth_and_population_are_key_drivers_of_invasive_species_in_europe/

[jody]

1. If the article said it was like kudzu then I would be very, very scared. n/t

[depakid]

2. There are invasives much worse than Kudzu

Asian fruit fly invasion could ruin Oregon crops


Fruit fly larvae native to Asia turned this Oregon blueberry into mush.
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Farmers, researchers and entomologists are racing to battle a destructive new fruit fly that first appeared in Oregon last summer and quickly wiped out much of the late-season peach and berry crops.

Known as the spotted wing Drosophila, the fly is native to Asia and apparently spread to California in 2008. From there, it migrated to Oregon and, in August 2009, began attacking the late stages of blueberry, raspberry and peach crops. Some growers reported losing 20 percent of their berries and up to 80 percent of late-variety peaches.

Within weeks, researchers determined the fly was present in 15 counties, from Jackson County in southern Oregon, up the Willamette Valley, east through Hood River and Wasco counties and as far as Umatilla County.

High-value crops are at risk, farmers and researchers say. Oregon's blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and strawberry crops are worth nearly $100 million annually. The state's cherry crop is valued at $55 million, and peaches, pears, prunes and plums are worth more than $25 million.

"I don't know a berry that's safe from them," said Jim LaBonte, an entomologist with the Oregon Department of Agriculture. "They hit a huge range of fruit."

"It's the most devastating insect I've ever seen in agriculture," said Stuart Olson, a Marion County farmer. Olson, who raises cherries and peaches, shut down his peach orchard last summer after discovering damaged fruit. He estimates he lost the last 10 days of picking and 25 to 30 percent of the revenue he would normally expect from late-variety peaches.

"You couldn't even find a good peach to go out and pick, they were multiplying so fast," Olson said.

More: http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/03/asian_fly_invasion_could_ruin.html

Getting back, abstractly to the point of the OP- the nature of 20 and 21st Century wealth accelerates entropy.

[jody]

3. Understand but the OP was about plants and I just tossed kudzu in for humor. n/t