Invasive Species
Diversified Assets
Invasive plants add surprising richness to oceanic islands
Flush Often
Ballast-free cargo ship could slow the spread of invasive species
Illustration courtesy of University of Michigan
By John Weier
July-September 2008 (Vol. 9, No. 3)
From zebra mussels to mitten crabs, some of the worst invasive species to hit American shores have arrived in the ballast tanks of cargo ships. Together, these species have fouled beaches, shut [...]
Confessions of a Hit Man
Our mark was an invasive pest that had made a remote tropical island its home. But good and evil are not so easily discerned in ecological systems, even when a place looks like Eden.
By Jeffrey A. Lockwood and Alexandre V. Latchininsky
July-September 2008 (Vol. 9, No. 3)
Most assassins work alone. But we’re a pair of [...]
Trade Barriers
Reduced tariffs benefit wildlife
Follow the Money
Fish invasions linked to GDP
Identity Crisis
Hybridization can be both a creative and a destructive force. And it’s on the rise. Should we embrace it or quash it?
By Douglas Fox
April-June 2008 (Vol. 9, No. 2)
On a crisp February morning, several hundred hunters and spectators dressed in camouflage, Carhartts, and flannel mingled outside a metal-roofed shed in Frenchville, Pennsylvania, [...]
Walking Canes
Invasive toads prone to debilitating arthritis infections
Earthworms Steal the Floor
Invasion by nonnative earthworms triggers decline in plant diversity
Razza, the Rat
Perhaps you remember the curious tale of Razza, the rat.
Numbers in Context
As the planet is increasingly crisscrossed by air traffic, we’ve unwittingly created a network of invasion hotspots.