When an invasive species begins to destroy its habitat, humans in the area often try to eradicate the invaders. People are setting up nets, setting traps and pointing guns at criminals.
Sometimes these efforts alone may not be enough, especially if the intrusion is widespread. More creative means are needed, and in recent years ecologists have been exploring new ways to stop destructive species.
Invasive species identification
federal government define Invasive species refers to any type of harmful “non-native” species introduced into an area through human activity. These can be animals, plants or pathogens.
For example, sea lamprey is an Atlantic fish. that’s their The route to the Great Lakes via the canal. They preyed on native species such as trout and whitefish, and by the 1950s, Great Lakes fisheries were all but destroyed. Eradication has helped reduce lamprey populations by 90%.
Read more: Familiar Plants and Animals Invading America’s Landscape
In the 1990s, conservationists began considering how trained dogs could be more effective than humans at identifying invasive species.
“Everyone knows that dogs have incredible sensitivity in detecting low-level odors. “But what many people don’t know is that dogs are also good at discriminating and distinguishing between two similar odors.” Pete Copoli.He is the executive director of Working Dogs for Conservation in Missoula, Montana.
Guard dogs can distinguish between healthy sheep and those infected with invasive pathogens. They can identify rainbow trout and brook trout. You can even tell if they are invasive by smelling the seeds.
Read more: 10 Invasive Species You Can and Should Eat
Use of detection dogs to prevent invasive species
Coppolillo’s organization takes in shelter dogs and trains them to become shelter dogs. They also work with dogs trained for other jobs. One of their dogs was a military cadet for Delta Force.
“But he didn’t like to bite,” says Coppolillo. “It works for us.”
The organization has trained more than 200 dogs to sniff out specific invasive species. One dog, Sami, is a Shibu Inu who works with biosecurity to keep rodents out in South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands.
Any vessel wishing to enter territorial waters must first stop at the Falkland Islands and smell the Sami. Coppolillo says Sami is 60 times faster than a human attempting the task. In one training session, live rats were isolated and hidden aboard a huge cargo ship.
“Five people searched the boat for an hour before giving up. Sami found it in five minutes,” says Coppolillo.
Sami is trained to alert humans if it spots a rat or other potential intruder. Coppolillo says Sami manages the rat removal work so he doesn’t have to get his feet dirty.
(Credit: Mark Vick) Sami at work
But in other eradication attempts, scientists have considered new ways for invasive species to become prey.
Read more: Detection dogs help conservation researchers detect data.
Toad hunting in Australia
Australians in the 1930s the man traveled Went to Hawaii and hunted about 100 cane toads (Rhino Marina). He released the toads in the hope that they would nibble on the insects that were destroying his crops. Instead, these poisonous toads have proven fatal to native species that try to eat them.
At first, many Australians were somewhat apathetic about the cane toads’ elimination of some of their most feared predators, such as crocodiles and snakes. But by the 1970s, Australia’s native animals were dying at an alarming rate after coming into contact with toad toxins.
Some local residents say:toad destruction” An event where volunteers catch toads and euthanize them for public officials. At times, this has helped reduce toad populations by 27 to 48 percent.
But that wasn’t enough because the infection was widespread. Cane toads can jump far 1.2 miles per nightThis is a distance that many amphibians will never be able to cover in their lifetime.
In the early 2010s, scientists was hopeful meat ants (iridomyrmex reburrus They were able to get the toad out because it was unaffected by the toxin. In experiments, scientists placed cat food to lure ants to a target area. The ants then swept through the colony of toads, killing half of them almost immediately. Of those who escaped, 88% died from their injuries within a day.
Read more: Preventing the spread of invasive species
Cane Toad Cannibalism Quest for Control
The ant idea was not a widespread approach and scientists I’ve been experimenting A new option has been added that takes advantage of the toad’s man-eating tendencies.
At the tadpole stage, cane toads are cannibals. They detect chemicals released by other tadpole eggs and swallow them. Scientists worked to identify and clone the chemicals.
Conservationists are currently testing chemical baits that can lure cane toad tadpoles (but not frog tadpoles), which can then be trapped and humanely disposed of. To date, more than one million cane toad tadpoles have been removed from Australian waterways.
Read more: Why cannibalism is a common behavior in some animals
Stop Invasive Hornets Using AI
Similar to how Australian species are defenseless against cane toad toxins, other species are helpless against invading wasps.
wasps and bees co-evolved So bees have a defense strategy against predatory wasps. But over the past few decades, Asian species have made their way into Europe and the United States, where local bees have been left defenseless.
In America., the problem is not widespread, and officials have asked local residents to be notified: Vespa Mandarinia (Also known as: giant northern hornet, murder hornet) but in Europe Vespa Velutina, A close cousin of the murder hornet, more widespread.
Scientists say we’re past relying on Europeans’ visual warnings to spot wasps or beehives. They believe early detection is needed and AI could be the answer.
One possibility currently under development is VespAI. This remote monitor features a bait station that can detect the presence of murder hornets. And distinguish it from other insects. The system then sends alerts to help conservationists manage the wasp nests.
Scientists hope that early detection programs can identify and eliminate wasps before they harm defenseless bees.
Read more: Negative Effects of Goldfish on Freshwater Life
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Emilie Lucchesi has written for some of America’s largest newspapers, including The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Los Angeles Times. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and a master’s degree from DePaul University. She also holds a Ph.D. I majored in Communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago with a focus on media framing, message construction, and stigma communication. Emilie has written three nonfiction books. Her third work, A Light in the Dark: Surviving More Than Ted Bundy, out October 3, 2023, from Chicago Review Press, is co-written with survivor Kathy Kleiner Rubin.
