"Invasive Species, and the Critical Threat to Riparian Ecology"
Bring a brown bag lunch and share with me!
ADDENDUM: Just call him the Dragon Fly King! See https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/ecology-professor-says-more-dragonflies-likely-means-fewer-mosquitoes/
ADDENDUM: Just call him the Dragon Fly King! See https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/ecology-professor-says-more-dragonflies-likely-means-fewer-mosquitoes/
Scribe Post:
ReplyDeleteSummmary: Dr. Diggins presented a lecture detailing the threats to riparian ecology, specifically due to the repercussions of invasive species. He provided background information regarding his area of study - the Lake Erie Gorges in Western New York, and listed several of the tree species most often found at various stages of stand development. Among the discussed invasive organisms were insects such as the emerald ash borer and hemlock wooly adelglid, fungi including chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease, and of special focus were two invasive plant species - bush honeysuckle and Japanese knotweed. Dr. Diggins described how these plant species disrupt the natural growth of riparian ecosystems, emphasizing their threat to the balance of these critical zones.
Question: What are some strategies for controlling the populations of bush honeysuckle, Japanese knotweed, and other invasive species that threaten natural riparian zones without further disrupting these native species?
Maybe the good old human intervention of plowing or deforesting the Japanese Knotweed would correct the problem that humans caused to begin with. Or putting psuedocanopy up since honeysuckle does not like shade, the psuedocanopy might trick it into not growing.
ReplyDeleteFor long-term results, the rhizome clumps that birth the Japanese Knotweed could be dug up and properly disposed of. This would be a tough job, where a crew would need to focus on the largest growth areas and be careful to dispose of the entire rhizome clumps. Even tiny roots can cause significant growth of Japanese Knotweed.
ReplyDeleteI think that mechanical methods could be an effective method to eliminate most of these invasive species without destroying the native species. By digging up, pulling, uprooting,complete removal of the root system/starve the root system and considering proper method of disposal this plants especially the Japanese knotweed could be reduced/eliminated.
ReplyDeleteA combination of both mechanical and use of herbicides for Japanese knotweed. This could be another way to completely kill the tiny root system that might remain after digging by applying the herbicides.
By understanding its physiology(Japanese knotweed),it could be easier to know which season is best to use which method of elimination and how to use it.
If done carefully and thoroughly, being sure that there are no rhizomes that can reform or form new growth downstream, I think that the physical removal of the Japanese knotweed would be an effective way of controlling their population and reclaiming the cobble bars of riparian systems. However, I think more work should be done to find other, not so labor-intensive methods of removing them, but I would not jump straight to using commercial herbicides unless we can develop a very specific, target approach. Using any kind of chemical agent near a river to control the invasive species population could affect the native plant species and wildlife. Finding easier ways to remove an invasive species is a bit of a slippery slope because not only are you dealing with removing the organism of interest, but also how will your method affect everything else in the ecosystem. I would suggest that we start with a more “damage control” mind-set to control the invasive population, as opposed to focusing on the complete removal of the invasive species. In order to control the population of these invasive species that are already established, I think it would be important to first address how they spread across the riparian systems. It would be an up-hill battle if every time we were to effectively remove one section of bush honeysuckle or Japanese knotweed, another section would establish along a different part of the river.
ReplyDeleteI think physical labor to remove the invasive species would help them from spreading so quickly. Also since they require sunlight and certain soil maybe building a canopy where no sun can get through over highly populated spots. Also maybe ripping them out and replacing the soil or adding certain minerals to that soil so that they are not able to grow there anymore.
ReplyDeleteInvasive species are, by their very nature, difficult to control. Developing a sound management plan and maintaining realistic expectations is very important.Efforts have been made to eradicate invasive species but it seems almost impossible to reach the goal of complete "eradication". However, there are many approaches and techniques that are effective even without the use of herbicides (which need a lot of skills and expertise before applied), which include Biological control, Cultural practices, Mechanical techniques and many others. Early Detection and rapid response to invasive species is another effective approach to implement. This approach plays a key role in determining the needed level of effort and potential success; the smaller the population and the more recently it was established, the easier it will be to control.
ReplyDelete