invasive

Snakes: Invasive poisonous toads are killing Madagascar’s native snakes

by

There is evidence of a significant death rate among Malagasy snakes that attempt to eat the poisonous Asian common toad Life 16 February 2022 By Jake Buehler An Asian common toad in Madagascar Fulvio Licata Fears about the impact of invasive, poisonous toads in Madagascar appear to be justified, suggests new research. The amphibians are … Read more

Airborne DNA from plants could reveal invasive species, impact of climate change | Science

by

Inventorying the plants in a tract of woods or fields or searching for invasive species can take days of hot, hard work slogging through thorny brush and tick-infested grass. Now, researchers have shown that simply capturing and analyzing the DNA plants release into the air can work as well as putting boots on the ground—and … Read more

Why Invasive Plants Pushing Out Native Flora Is Pushing Us Closer to a ‘New Pangaea’

by

According to the first global analysis of plant diversity, the world’s flora is growing increasingly uniform, even on isolated islands like Australia. For decades now, scientists have been warning the world we are headed for a new geological epoch, called the ‘Homogecene’, when unique life forms become overshadowed by more adaptable species that can live … Read more

Robots: Mechanical fish scares invasive species so badly it cannot breed

by

Eastern mosquitofish, a problem invasive species, can be prevented from reproducing using a robot fish that they find scary Technology 16 December 2021 By Matthew Sparkes A robotic fish (top) that mimics the natural predator of mosquitofish (bottom right) Giovanni Polverino Robotic fish might help solve an ecological problem by scaring an invasive fish species … Read more