The Inspecting Invaders Quiz

We all read the Journal of Hymenoptera Research don't we? What you don't? Gotta say you're missing out as they've just published a cracking piece on the invasive species Sphagneticola trilobata. You don't know what that is either? Sometimes I wonder if you guys actually care about environmental change at all....

I'll give you a chance to redeem yourselves though. Welcome to the first ever Inspecting Invaders Quiz! And guess what, you're the contestant. No backing out now. Read this piece and answer the following questions in the comments section below. Your marks go towards your degree. No pressure.

Question 1. The creeping daisy (Sphagneticola trilobata) could have a positive influence on...?
A. Wild bee species
B. Crops
C. Biodiversity
D. All of the above.

Question 2. What is the likely cause of the bee species (Braunsapis puangensis) arrival in Fiji?
A. Climate Change
B. Teleportation
C. Anthropogenic activity
D. Hurricanes

Question 3. The global decline of honey bee populations is?
A. A sticky situation
B. Celebrated by wasps
C. A growing concern for crop pollination reasons.
D. Not important, they're only bees.

Question 4. How many arthropod species are associated with road side patches of Sphagneticola trilobata?
A. Over 100
B. None, invasive species kill everything else, duh.
C. 12
D. 3

Question 5. 'flowering plants considered as invasive may have ________ effects on insects, especially on nectar and pollen feeding species'
A. Negative
B. Positive
C. The Doppler
D. Mass

The answers are here. No peeking til you've submitted below. No one likes a cheat.

If you got 5, give yourself a pat on the back. If you scored less than 5, shame on you. That was the easiest quiz ever.

However, regardless of your score, what I want you to take from this is more than just a gold star or a greatly enhanced/deflated sense of pride. Take a deeper meaning, look beyond the obvious negative connotations associated with invasive species, free your minds of prejudice and embrace species for what they do, not what they are labelled as.

I'll post a piece expanding on that point later this week with more examples of positive invasive impacts and a critique of research bias. I can hear the ecologists quaking in their boots already.

Over and out

The Invader Inspector

The Caribbean Ghost Fish: Invisible Threat, Visible Problems?

I wasn't planning on doing another post this week, but when there's a ghost fish in the news, I reckon that's worthy of some brief investigating. It also ties in with my ocean ecosystem post earlier in the week (avoiding terrestrial bias ftw). Now, let's get ghost busting!

You may be wondering, ''ghost fish?', that sounds like a really awful villain from a Scooby Doo cartoon (it wasn't the ghost fish, it was the sheriff, as always), has The Inspector gone mad?' But no I'm serious. Well kind of...

The fish I'm actually talking about is The Venomous Red Lionfish. It is dubbed 'the ghost fish of the coral reefs' as it can turn invisible to its prey.

A venomous red lionfish.

Owing to its hunting prowess and lack of natural predator or parasite its colonising success is very high. This has allowed it to become highly abundant, which is good for the lionfish, but not so much for biodiversity and could potentially cause an 'environmental disaster'.

The species is thought to have been introduced by humans into Floridian waters, but is now present in the Amazon, The Bahamas, The Caribbean and North Carolina's coastline, so its impact could potentially become much greater.

See full article here: http://www.jobsnhire.com/articles/6298/20131021/lionfish-invasion-threatening-atlantic-ocean-ecosystem.htm

Over and out

The Invader Inspector

EDIT: Just came across this , number 10 covers some Lionfish impacts in the Caribbean.

(Invasive Species + Marine Ecosystems) x Climate Change = Ocean Commotion?

That's right folks, the national press is true. Invasive species aren't limited to the terrestrial environment and so this blog shouldn't be either. For now, we're waving goodbye to dry land and waving hello to some, erm... waves?

As Hannah Mallinson touched upon in her blog, our oceans are facing a number of threats, including the 'deadly trio':  ocean acidification, ocean warming and deoxygenation (Bijma et al. 2013). But this is an invasive species blog so..

Successful marine invasions can significantly modify ecosystem structure, trophic networks and even cause local extinctions of natives (Artioli et al. 2013). This can have a large impact when considering a broader picture, with potential disruptions to ecosystem functions and ecosystem services (the functions that humans make active use of) such as fisheries (which already also face numerous threats). 

The connections are everywhere

But why are marine ecosystems suffering invasions? Well one reason, luckily enough for a blog on the subject of 'Global Environmental Change', is climate change. But as we will see, just like last week, humans can also play a direct role.

Climate change and invasive species are among the most serious marine ecosystem threats (Cockrell and Sorte, 2013). As a combination, climate change can lead to ocean warming (remember the 'deadly trio'?) which can accelerate invader growth rate and fecundity (Dijkstra et al, 2011). 

This phenomenon has recently been investigated by Cockrell and Sorte (2013) in the marine epibenthic community of Bodega Harbor, California. The Harbor has experienced increases in water temperature and invasive species abundance over the last 35 years, meaning that the ecosystem community is currently ~70% non-native (Sorte and Stachowicz, 2011).

The invasive tunicate Botryllus schlosseri first appeared off the Californian coast in the 1940s (Cohen & Carlton, 1995). Cockrell and Sorte's data indicate that its growth rate increases with increasing water temperature, so much so that at a temperature increase of 4°C could, in favourable conditions, cause a 19 fold population increase in 90 days. 

Botryllus schlosseri, close up on right.

Given its highly invasive and cosmopolitan nature, implications of the potential B. schlosseri population explosion are extremely serious worldwide. One ecosystem service that could suffer is aquaculture. Fouling organisms such as B. schlosseri encrust manmade structures used in aquaculture and can out-compete commercial species such as oysters and scallops, leading to reduced aquaculture yields (Rosa et al. 2013).

Tunicates have invaded many other countries coastal waters in recent decades. They usually arrive on ship's hulls or in ballast water (what is it with us humans instigating these invasions...?) They can also be introduced via mollusc shells brought in for marine cultivation. One region experiencing this issue is the Mediterranean (see section on Ascidians if your interest has been piqued). 

Invasive species are by no means our oceans' biggest threat, but they certainly represent one. Their importance is evidenced by the fact that marine ecosystem invasion susceptibility was raised at 2013's European Geosciences Union General Assembly. The issue will likely become evermore prevalent as climate change continues to make marine ecosystems increasingly invadable, thus it is more than worthy of our attention now.

Over and out

The Invader Inspector

Squirrel S-quarrels - Reds Dead With No Redemption?

So, now it's time to get down to some nitty-gritty stuff on invasive species. But first, here's my topic deciding thought process:

*Hmm what do people like? Cute things? Hmm.. what's cute? Unicorns! Damn they're not real... Teddy bears? Crap, not actually alive...*

Sorry Charlie, this blog just isn't for you...

Things were looking bleak, but luckily I came across  this video and thought a piece on the ongoing squirrel saga would be a good theme.

I'm sure most of us are aware of the UK's red squirrel decline, so I'm going to cover some things you may not be aware of. Ladies and gentleman, fasten your seat belts... we're taking a trip to Italy!

The red squirrel: endearing but endangered.

But before we jet off, consider this:

Imagine you're about to race Usain Bolt... let's say, for a succulent acorn 100m away. Given that you have the same transport resources (just yourself), who will win? Probably him right? You'll just have to get your food somewhere else...

BUT it turns out there are thousands of Mr Bolts and they are EVERYWHERE you used to get your acorns.

AND, even worse, you've now got the ruddy flu. That acorn is looking more and more unattainable... before you know it what was your territory now belongs to the Usains and then, the ruddy flu finishes you off. Damn...

It's hard to compete when you're up against someone more athletic.

That was a depressing scenario right? But that's (kind of) a metaphor for what the red squirrel has to deal with when in the same environment as greys. I mean, if you're not empathetic right now, you're probably heartless.

The grey squirrel, originally North American, arrived in Britain in 1876 and has had an Italian presence since 1948 (Bertolino, 2008). The spread is a concern as greys can have negative impacts on biodiversity, forestry and crops (Bertolino et al., 2013). 

In Piedmont, NW Italy, Bertolino et al (2013) confirm replacement of native reds by the invasive greys. In 1970 reds were 'widely distributed' and greys restricted. However, by 2010, reds were extinct in 120 out of 194 2 x 2 km² sites. Overall the red is no longer present in 1689 km² of area where it was previously. The significance of these changes is confirmed by statistical testing. 

A clear shift: Occupancy area of grey and red squirrels from 1970 to 2010 and fitted regression curves

So, why this trend? Time to step away from the metaphor to the real ecological goings on...

Native replacement is due to competitive exclusion that reds are unable to avoid (Wauters et al., 2002). The two species use the same food and space resources (Bertolino, 2008). The grey is bigger, faster and more aggressive (must be something about the Grey's Anatomy...), essentially meaning it gets dibs on crucial resources. This reduces juvenile body growth and breeding success of reds, both positive feedbacks accelerating their decline.

Scrat: Even the movies know that the greys get the acorns.

Ecologically speaking, niche partitioning is required for related species to co-exist in the same environment (Wauters et al., 2002). This means that they require different resources or have different methods of utilising the same resource. In this case, there is no niche partitioning and the red squirrel is, sadly, out-competed.

And, to top it all off, grey squirrels carry a squirrel parapoxvirus that does not affect them but causes high mortality in reds (Rushton et al., 2006). How nutty is that? 

Pox problem: Symptoms include death.

If the greys spread across the Italian border then the long term survival of the native red in Europe is under serious threat (Bertolino et al., 2013).

Luckily for red squirrels, schemes are in place to save it, including in East Anglia and, as we saw before, the Isles of Scilly. In my opinion, programs like these are essential if we want to preserve biodiversity in the face of threats such as invasive species and Italy should attempt similar projects to save the red squirrel and prevent the grey's further spread. Especially as the greys are only present in Europe because us humans introduced them.

If action is taken, the reds may yet have their redemption.

Over and out

The Invader Inspector

A new chapter: Invasive Species 101

'Calling all units, I repeat, calling all units. This is your inspector calling and I have some important news. I'm going to give up fighting crime and start a new career. I've decided to begin a blog on invasive species and from now on, would like to be referred to as... 'The Invader Inspector!'.

A new career path (If this picture had something more on the right it would undoubtedly be invasive species related)

Now I know, calling myself an 'inspector' is a bit presumptuous (I haven't really risen through any ranks), but it has a better ring to it than 'The Invader Police Constable', so I'm cool my self promotion...

Anyway, now that you know my quite frankly awesome back-story, I should probably explain what I'm actually going to be blogging about!

The subject of invasive species is one that I find incredibly fascinating due to the complex nature of many of the ecological processes associated with the phenomena. In many ways, understanding these processes and their links is like trying to piece together a crime-scene... bloody difficult!

Not clueless: The evidence is there, explaining the how and why is the difficult part...

The word 'invasion' probably conjures up different images in people's minds. Many will think of wars that have devastated millions of lives . Fans of 1970's video games may picture themselves shooting down retro style aliens. Others could even associate it with an obscure movie. 

DISCLAIMER: This blog does not intend to cover extraterrestrial invasions, but if one happens in the next three months, I'm willing to adapt.

 However, a proper definition would probably be useful here. So here goes. The word 'invasion' is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as:

noun. The action of invading a country or territory as an enemy; an entrance or incursion with armed force; a hostile inroad.

Clearly this is an accurate definition, but to me it conjures up an image of a clan of grey squirrel with spears charging through no-mans-land into the realms of the red squirrel. I think things need to be ecologied up a bit...

Squirrel warfare, sounds nuts to me.

Ecologically speaking, invasive species are non-native species (ones that do not occur naturally in an area) that spread and rapidly dominate over native species.

In fact, invasive species introductions are capable of transforming 'a pristine forest to pasture', implicated in species extinctions and are increasingly viewed as one of the most prevalent anthropogenic global changes in the biosphere. They've even been suggested as singular grounds for a new geological epoch.

Here today, gone tomorrow: could invasions cause more species to join the dodo in extinctionland?

Now that's more like it, clearly this is a serious issue within the realms of global environmental change and well worthy of an active commentary and discussion.

Over the course of this blog I hope to portray the subject in a way that allows you to actively share in, understand and enjoy my own personal interest.

Here's just some of the things you can look forward to:

• Case studies on the causes and impacts of individual invasive species.
• Pieces placing invasive species into a broader context, with regards to topics such as ecosystem functioning.
• Journeys into the past to analyse the drivers of today's invasions.
• Management strategies for dealing with invasions.

And plenty more!!!

Sounds good right? Tune in for some more soon folks.

Over and out

The Invader Inspector