dxb105@csc.anu.oz (David Bofinger, Theoretical Physics, RSPhysS ANU) (10/10/89)
I'm cross-posting this to sci.bio, partly to get this line of the conversation out of sci.space, and partly in the hope an expert can help out. In article <5661@portia.Stanford.EDU>, joe@hanauma.stanford.edu (Joe Dellinger) writes: > Well, I would tend to agree with you, but there are precedents to > the contrary. South America is a much larger continent than North > America, I suppose in biomass terms this is probably true. > so you would expect it to be able to "hold its own" > evolutionarily against invaders... and yet when the isthmus of Panama > formed (quite recently geologically speaking) the North American mammals > almost _immediately_ spread South and _totally wiped out_ all the native > South American mammals. I think the point was that South America was isolated. North America had a (tenuous) link to the _real_ powerhouse of terrestrial evolution- Afro-Eurasia. It wasn't North American mammals that colonised South America: it was Asian ones, via the Bering strait. ______________________________________________________________________________ David Bofinger ACSNet: dxb105@phys0.anu.oz [@munnari.oz.au] (Australia) Snail: Dept. of Theoretical Physics, RSPhysS, ANU, ACT, 2601 Annex space now. Canada wants us to, and Tom Neff can't stop us.
joe@hanauma.stanford.edu (Joe Dellinger) (10/10/89)
In article <767.25311054@csc.anu.oz> dxb105@csc.anu.oz (David Bofinger, Theoretical Physics, RSPhysS ANU) writes: > >I think the point was that South America was isolated. North America had a >(tenuous) link to the _real_ powerhouse of terrestrial evolution- Afro-Eurasia. >It wasn't North American mammals that colonised South America: it was Asian >ones, via the Bering strait. > >David Bofinger ACSNet: dxb105@phys0.anu.oz [@munnari.oz.au] (Australia) Guess you caught me there. Hope you're enjoying our Texan prickly-pear cactus! I think my point still stands, though (even though I admit it's more the exception than the rule). If North America wasn't so isolated, then how about: 1) Brazilian Water Hyacinths (taking over everywhere with a decent climate) 2) @#*$*^&@# British House Sparrows (far and away most common bird in almost all of North America, all descended from a handful released by some idiot.) 3) Grasses in California (the "golden hills" of California are caused by introduced grasses. I'm not sure where they came from.) \ /\ /\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\.-.-.-.-.......___________ \ / \ / \ /Dept of Geophysics, Stanford University \/\/\.-.-....___ \/ \/ \/Joe Dellinger joe@hanauma.stanford.edu apple!hanauma!joe\/\.-._
overt@antony (Christian Overton) (10/11/89)
In article <5715@portia.Stanford.EDU>, joe@hanauma (Joe Dellinger) writes: >I think my point still stands, though (even though I admit it's more the >exception than the rule). If North America wasn't so isolated, then how >about: >1) Brazilian Water Hyacinths (taking over everywhere with a decent climate) >2) @#*$*^&@# British House Sparrows (far and away most common bird in almost > all of North America, all descended from a handful released by > some idiot.) >3) Grasses in California (the "golden hills" of California are caused by > introduced grasses. I'm not sure where they came from.) I'm glad this came up on the net. I was trying to explain to my seven-year old son about the problems that can arise when plants and animals are introduced to new environments by man; he got excited by the idea and wanted me to compile a list of recent invaders mostly to N. America (n.a.). I'm looking for any interesting additions to my current list, and sources where we can find more information: ORGANISM ORIGIN INTRODUCED TO killer bees africa n.a. fire ants s. america? n.a. kudzu japan n.a. walking catfish africa? n.a. gypsy moth europe? n.a. xenopus leavis (clawed toad) s. africa n.a. various foreign cockroaches too numerous to name n.a. med. fruit fly mediterranean area? n.a., hawaii rabbit europe australia Not sure about these: blackbirds (grackles) europe n.a. seen in large flocks? pigeons europe n.a. An additional list he is interested in would include problems arising when an animal or plant is eliminated from an area. I guess I'm thinking mostly about examples like the explosion in the deer population when predators such as wolves are eliminated, but I was also under the impression that destruction of the manatee had resulted in overgrowth of water plants in Florida, and over-harvesting of California sea urchins was causing a problem with overgrowth of kelp. Are these examples correct? Are there any other good examples? Thanks, Chris -- +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | G. Christian Overton, Staff Sci. || Telephone: (215) 648-7533 | Unisys Paoli Resarch Center || Internet: overt@prc.unisys.com | P.O.Box 517 || FAX: (215) 648-7390
turpin@cs.utexas.edu (Russell Turpin) (10/11/89)
In article <11681@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM>, overt@antony (Christian Overton) writes: > I'm glad this came up on the net. I was trying to explain to my seven-year old > son about the problems that can arise when plants and animals are introduced to > new environments by man; he got excited by the idea and wanted me to compile a > list of recent invaders mostly to N. America (n.a.). I'm looking for any > interesting additions to my current list... Johnson grass was introduced in the last century. Is this late enough? Russell
goddard@aic.hrl.hac.com (10/11/89)
In article <11681@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM> overt@antony (Christian Overton) writes: >son about the problems that can arise when plants and animals are introduced to >new environments by man; he got excited by the idea and wanted me to compile a >list of recent invaders mostly to N. America (n.a.). I'm looking for any >interesting additions to my current list, and sources where we can find more >ORGANISM ORIGIN INTRODUCED TO > cane toad ?? australia This was introduced to control some other creature (cane snake?), which might also have been non-native. Anyway, it is eating everything in sight and is considered an ecological disaster (wiping out native species). There is a movie CANE TOADS which documents the story, I saw a clip and it looked great. I think they are now looking for some non-native predator to introduce to eat the cane toads - who knows where this could end. Nigel Goddard
joe@hanauma.stanford.edu (Joe Dellinger) (10/11/89)
In article <11681@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM> overt@antony (Christian Overton) writes: >blackbirds (grackles) europe n.a. > seen in large flocks? I don't think you have grackles in Pennsylvania. True, they are "invading" Texas, but I believe the invasion is a natural extension of their central American range. (For those of you who have never seen one, Grackles are dark colored birds. The males can have extremely large tails, and are brightly iridescently colored. They are most known for making extremely loud, extremely strange sounds something like the sound of a squeaky door hinge overlayed on top of a fuzzy buzz. They are unmistakeable.) Another recent natural invader of Texas is the Cattle Egret. They came from Africa, crossed to S.A. apparently by themselves, and have been spreading North ever since. Now they've made it to Texas. True to their name you often see them standing on cows! As for other natural invaders into Texas... how about scrub jays? Armadillos? \ /\ /\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\.-.-.-.-.......___________ \ / \ / \ /Dept of Geophysics, Stanford University \/\/\.-.-....___ \/ \/ \/Joe Dellinger joe@hanauma.stanford.edu apple!hanauma!joe\/\.-._
dietz@cs.rochester.edu (Paul Dietz) (10/11/89)
I recall hearing about the introduction of the prickly pear cactus to Australia. It ran out of control, and was a serious nuisance to ranchers. The investation was controlled by introduction of a moth whose caterpillar ate the cactus. Isn't the Japanese beetle an immigrant in north america? Let's also not forget syphilus and smallpox. Paul F. Dietz dietz@cs.rochester.edu
dmark@acsu.Buffalo.EDU (David Mark) (10/11/89)
In article <5748@portia.Stanford.EDU> joe@hanauma.stanford.edu (Joe Dellinger) writes: >In article <11681@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM> overt@antony (Christian Overton) writes: >>blackbirds (grackles) europe n.a. >> seen in large flocks? Overton probably is trying to refer to European Starlings. > >I don't think you have grackles in Pennsylvania. ... Wrong. There ARE grackles in Pennsylvania. There are 3 species of grackles in the USA. The one known as "Common Grackle" occurs through most of the US and Canada, except for the cordillera and the west coast. Then, there are 2 much large grackles, that were split from each other in 1973. The "Great-tailed Grackle" is common in Mexico and Texas, and is spreading north, east, and west. The "Boat-tailed Grackle" is more or less restricted to salt marshes on the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. They all are native to North America. > ... True, they are "invading" >Texas, but I believe the invasion is a natural extension of their central >American range. Those are the Great-tailed Grackles. David Mark dmark@cs.buffalo.edu
turpin@cs.utexas.edu (Russell Turpin) (10/11/89)
In article <5446@hacgate.UUCP>, goddard@aic.hrl.hac.com writes: > cane toad ?? australia > > This was introduced to control some other creature (cane snake?), > which might also have been non-native. Anyway, it is eating > everything in sight and is considered an ecological disaster (wiping > out native species). There is a movie CANE TOADS which documents the > story, I saw a clip and it looked great. I think they are now looking > for some non-native predator to introduce to eat the cane toads - who > knows where this could end. Reminds one of the children's song, no? Each verse gets a little longer as the old lady increasingly contaminates her internal ecosystem. (The 1st verse is the summary.) The last verse, as well as I remember, it goes like this: I know an old lady who ate a horse, she died -- of course, she ate the horse to chase the dog, she ate the dog to catch the cat, she ate the cat to eat the mouse, she ate the mouse to scare the spider, (which wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her), she ate the spider to trap the fly, I don't know why, she ate the fly. There is probably some good psychological or social reason why they don't teach this song to children any more, but I'm always reminded of it when I think of cane toads or rabbits in Australia. Russell
palosaari@oxy.edu (Jedidiah Jon Palosaari) (10/12/89)
Although not a problem in North America, the mongoose was introduced in Hawaii to reduce the rat population about 100-200 years ago. Instead, the mongooses decided they liked bird eggs better, and reduced the Hawaiian song bird population to some 23 species, allowing the mongoose to become populous enough to become a pest. In fact, all mammals except for one type of bat were introduced to Hawaii, although most long ago by the polynesians.
haake@osprey.cvs.rochester.edu (Bill Haake) (10/12/89)
I am partial to fish myself so here are a few interesting additions off the top of my head: In article <11681@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM> overt@antony (Christian Overton) writes: > >ORGANISM ORIGIN INTRODUCED TO > Cyprinus carpio (carp) Eurasia N.A. and elsewhere Carassius auratus (goldfish) Eurasia N.A. and elsewhere Salmo trutta (brown trout) Eurasia N.A. and elsewhere Onchorhyncus sp. (Pacific Salmons) Pacific Northwest Great Lakes Many tropical freshwater species Africa and S.A N.A. (mostly in Florida) The last group is another good example of how exotics can take over. In many places in South Florida near Miami almost every fish in the water is an exotic. Most are escapees from the home aquarium trade. Bill Haake haake@cvs.rochester.edu (128.151.80.13) University of Rochester (716) 275-8680
gary@softway.oz (Gary Corby) (10/12/89)
We're missing the really big invasion into Australia -- sheep! They eat away shrub and farmers clear away bushland for them to graze. The kangaroos love this and consequently there are more now than before European settlement. Many other species, especially koalas, suffer as the native bush is pushed back. I'm not sure if the crown of thorns starfish was a native or an invader but some years ago it was a plague upon the Barrier Reef. Gary -- Gary Corby (Friend of Elvenkind) Softway Pty Ltd ACSnet: gary@softway.oz UUCP: ...!uunet!softway.oz!gary
andrewt@cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) (10/12/89)
>ORGANISM ORIGIN INTRODUCED TO >cane toad ?? australia Cane toad were introduced to Australia (not to mention Hawaii and Fiji) to control insect pests in sugar cane, which they haven't. They are steadily spreading through Australia from Queensland, the site of their introduction. Native predators can't control them because they secrete a potent poison. I haven't heard of any candidate for a biological control. The best hope is probably that some native predator will learn to eat only the non-poisonous bits. Australia has far too many introduced species for me to remember them all but there is a few below for your list. Australia's main contribution to the rest of the world seems to be Eucalypts, it seems most countries have some Eucalypt species growing wild. They are quite problem in some places e.g California. Andrew Domestic Animals gone wild (feral): cats*, dogs, cattle, goats, pigs*, horses, donkeys, camels. Introduced mammals: House Mouse*, several Rat species*, European Rabbit*, European Hare, Red Fox*, an assortment of Deer species, Water Buffalo* Birds: Domestic Pigeon, Spotted Turtle-Dove, European Starling*, House Sparrow*, Red-Whiskered Bulbul, Common Mynah, Mallard, European Goldfinch, Greenfinch Fish several Carp species*, European Perch*, several Trout species*, Gambusia* several tropical aquarium species Invertebrates: Garden Snails & Slugs, Honey Bee, European Wasp, several Cockroaches Plants Prickly Pear(was *), Lantana*, Bitou Bush*, Blackberry*, several Thistles* Water Hyacinth, Salvina and many more * = particularly disasterous
usenet@agate.berkeley.edu (USENET Administrator;;;;ZU44) (10/13/89)
An example of imported species in the San Francisco Bay Area is the French garden snail, imported (according to local folklore at least) as food; it has taken over in a big way and is a major pain for any causal gardener. A more serious disaster is the polyester garbed tourist, imported from Podunk Iowa, which has driven most native species to distraction.
isaak@apolling (Mark Isaak) (10/14/89)
I heard this story from an entomologist in Australia. I don't guarantee
I remember all the details correctly.
Australia has lots of grasslands. Ranchers saw this, said "great
pasture!", and started raising cattle.
The cattle, of course, leave droppings. Unfortunately, the dung
beetles in Australia have been raised for generations on a diet of
kangaroo droppings and have no taste whatsoever for cow patties. Thus
the cow patties just sit there and bake in the sun. Eventually, the
cow patties break down from microbes and other reasons, but by then
they've killed the plants underneath them, leaving little round bare
spots in the fields.
But is this so bad? It may look a little unsightly, but there's
plenty of grass left. However, consider the grasshopper. Grasshoppers
not only need grass to eat, they need bare ground to lay their eggs.
The pock-marked praries are ideal for them, so you get lots of locusts
eating up not only the cattle pasture, but neighboring croplands and
gardens as well.
The Australian government is working on this problem. They've
researched bringing in a new species of dung beetle from India, but
that didn't work because the new beetle didn't have sufficient defenses
against a native parasitic wasp (if I remember correctly). The problem
is still unsolved. Who knows where this story will end.
--
Mark Isaak imagen!isaak@decwrl.dec.com or {decwrl,sun}!imagen!isaak
"To undeceive men is to offend them." - Queen Christina of Swedennewton@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (Mike Newton) (10/15/89)
oxy!palosaari@csvax.caltech.edu (Jedidiah Jon Palosaari) writes: >>Although not a problem in North America, the mongoose was introduced in >>Hawaii to reduce the rat population about 100-200 years ago. Instead, the >>mongooses decided they liked bird eggs better, and reduced the Hawaiian song >>bird population to some 23 species, allowing the mongoose to become >>populous enough to become a pest. In fact, all mammals except for one type >>of bat were introduced to Hawaii, although most long ago by the polynesians. i'd correct the last sentence to read _land_ mammal. (minor quibble) (still not sure of it's correctness, but it'd be closer) the mongoose story is worse than the above hints : mongeese are inherently daytime critters. rats are noctural. hawaii also offers many examples of plant `infestations' too. these can be serious enough to drive out dependent, native, non-plant species. - mike -- newton@csvax.caltech.edu Beach Bums Anonymous, Pasadena President Caltech 256-80 (Hilo -- it's not just another rainy day!) Pasadena CA 91125 Life's a beach. Then you graduate. -- newton@csvax.caltech.edu Beach Bums Anonymous, Pasadena President Caltech 256-80 (Hilo -- it's not just another rainy day!) Pasadena CA 91125 Life's a beach. Then you graduate.
andrewt@cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) (10/16/89)
>Although not a problem in North America, the mongoose was introduced in >Hawaii to reduce the rat population about 100-200 years ago. Instead, the >mongooses decided they liked bird eggs better, and reduced the Hawaiian song >bird population to some 23 species, ... Is this correct? My understanding is the major factor in the decline of Hawaii's endemic birds is thought to be the introduction of mosquito-borne avian diseases. Andrew