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INVASIVE SPECIES
In 1935, an Australian entomologist shipped 102 cane toads from Hawaii to fight crop beetles; 2,400 were released before anyone tested the planAustralian scientists introduced toxic cane toads to control sugar cane pests in 1935. These toads failed to eat the target beetles and spr...- In 1869, a French entomologist breeding European moths for an American silk industry let some escape; their descendants defoliated entire forestsAn amateur entomologist's escaped moths in 1869 led to widespread forest defoliation across America. This invasive insect has since damaged...
- In 1872, a Jamaican planter imported nine mongooses to kill rats in his sugarcane fields; the predators then turned on native birds and reptilesJamaican planters introduced mongooses to combat rat infestations destroying sugarcane harvests. These predators, however, did not stop at ...
- In 1962, a conservationist moved to a near-barren Bermuda island without electricity or a phone; 47 years later, its first cahow chick in 300 years fledgedA young conservationist moved to Nonsuch Island in 1962 to restore its lost forest. David Wingate planted over 10,000 native seedlings to r...
- In 1850s, a Brooklyn scientist imported 16 English sparrows to eat urban caterpillars; by 1915, the invasive birds had spread across AmericaHouse sparrows were introduced to America in 1850, which quickly led to their widespread establishment. These birds, initially intended to ...
- How Australia’s Brown Tree snakes reached Guam after World War II and left biologists baffled by the invasionBrown tree snakes, an invasive species on Guam, have baffled biologists for years. Their population is believed to have started with only a...
- From a 1937 garden planting to an ecological crisis: One Miconia tree now spreads 8.9 million seeds, endangering Queensland's iconic rainforestsToday, a single mature Miconia tree can produce over 8.9 million seeds in one season. What began as a 1937 garden introduction in tahiti ha...
- Britain dropped more than 300 tons of poison across South Georgia to kill every rat; by 2018, over 100,000 hectares were rodent-freeSouth Georgia island successfully removed its rat population after a massive eradication effort. Helicopters dropped poisoned bait across t...
- A juice company dumped 1,000 truckloads of orange peel on dead Costa Rican pastures in 1997; 16 years later, the plot had 176% more biomass than the land beside itA Costa Rican juice company's waste helped restore a degraded pasture. Discarded orange peels and pulp enriched the soil, fostering new gro...
- In 1900, Chicago made its river flow backward to keep sewage out of Lake Michigan, redirecting the water toward the Mississippi Basin insteadChicago reversed its river flow in the late 1800s to protect its drinking water. This engineering feat sent waste away from Lake Michigan a...
- 1,500 ships trapped in Gulf of Hormuz are quietly multiplying an underwater army that could unleash World's biggest bioinvasion eventGulf of Hormuz underwater army: Nearly fifteen hundred ships stuck in the Persian Gulf after fighting closed the Strait of Hormuz. These id...
- Brazilian scientist who defied a dictatorship bought 63 African queen bees in 1956; a year later, 26 escaped and became one of America's most notorious invasive insectsTwenty-six African queen honey bees escaped a Brazilian apiary in 1957, beginning a continental spread. These bees, known as Africanized ho...
- In 1969, a Texas businessman asked a realtor to find him the worst ranch available; decades later, the lifeless land had become a 5,500-acre preserve with flowing springs and 220 bird speciesA Texas businessman transformed a severely degraded ranch into a thriving nature preserve. He cleared invasive cedar trees and planted nati...
- Since 1969, Florida has battled the giant African land snail, smuggled in as exotic pets; the fist-sized invader eats 500 plant species and even the plaster off housesGiant African land snails, introduced as pets, caused a major Florida crisis. These hermaphroditic snails reproduce prolifically, laying hu...
- In 2010, Australian scientists fed native predators toad sausages spiked with a nausea drug so they would learn to avoid deadly cane toads: a trick now used to train quolls before toads arriveBaby quolls learned to avoid toxic cane toads after experiencing nausea from a special snack. This conservation method helps protect the en...
- Catch a giant snake, get a free pizza: Florida restaurant is handing out free python pizza during the state's $10,000 snake huntA Florida restaurant is offering free python pizza for participants capturing invasive Burmese pythons. This promotion supports efforts to ...
- Snake eggs in your garden? Don't move them until you know these thingsFinding snake eggs in your garden requires careful consideration before any action. Moving reptile eggs can pose risks to developing embryo...
- A $7 billion seafood species has become an invasive resident on the US East Coast - here's why scientists are concernedManila clams, a valuable seafood species, have established a breeding population in Boston Harbor. This marks the first known successful es...
- Quote of the day by Harrison Ford, 'Nature Doesn't Need People – People Need Nature; Nature Would Survive the Extinction of the Human Being and Go on Just Fine, but Human Culture, Human Beings, Cannot Survive Without Nature', shows nature's influence on human health, happiness and human civilization's dependence on natureQuote of the day by Harrison Ford expresses a profound truth about humanity's place in the world. Nature has sustained life for millions of...
- Hawaii, in the late 1800s, planted Leucaena trees for fodder and fuelwood, but scientists now say the invasive trees have replaced native habitats that evolved nowhere else on EarthHawaii's idyllic image belies a significant ecological challenge: Leucaena, an introduced shrub, now covers 10% of the islands. Brought for...
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