Invasive Species B/C

[tm-scioli]

here it is (Click to Show Hidden Text)

[img]http://www.pestid.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Spotted-knapweed-rosette.jpg[/img]
1. names
2. when, how, and where was it introduced
3. Is there any biological control, Chemical control, Mechanical control, or Cultural control?  Describe them and note which one is most effective
4. This plant is very effective at forming monotypic stands.  Give the main reason why this is the case.

[John Richardsim]

here it is (Click to Show Hidden Text)

[img]http://www.pestid.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Spotted-knapweed-rosette.jpg[/img]
1. names
2. when, how, and where was it introduced
3. Is there any biological control, Chemical control, Mechanical control, or Cultural control?  Describe them and note which one is most effective
4. This plant is very effective at forming monotypic stands.  Give the main reason why this is the case.

. (Click to Show Hidden Text)

1. Spotted Knapweed, [i]Centaurea stoebe[/i]

2. First introduced to North America in the 1890s as a contaminant in alfalfa seed from Asia Minor (though the only specific account of where that I have found is Victoria, British Colombia in 1893, but in ship ballast soil). In the U.S. was first reported at San Juan Islands, Washington in the early 1920s.

3. All of those types exist. Cultural control helps prevent the introduction of spotted kanpweed to an area through maintaining competitive native vegetation. Because of the fact that it aids in prevention, it is in general considered the most effective, though it can only prevent introduction where it has not already occurred (it may create competition with current infestations though).

Mechanical control through hand pulling or mowing is most effective for small populations. When pulling by hand, remove the entire taproot if possible (and wear gloves, as it may cause contact dermatitis in some individuals, such as myself...). The ideal time for mowing of shoots is just prior to flowering or early into it (in other words, before seed production).

For biological control, at least thirteen insect species and one fungus have been released in North America. The seed‐feeding weevils,[i] Larinus minutus[/i] and [i]L. obtusus[/i] and the root‐mining weevil [i]Cyphocleonus achates[/i] are the primary biocontrol agents used. Other pathogens are known to attack spotted knapweed, including the black leaf blight fungus [i]Alternaria alternata[/i], a common soil fungus [i]Sclerotinia sclerotiorum[/i], and a stem blight fungus [i]Fusarium avenaceum[/i]

For chemical control, application of a herbicide containing aminopyralid in the spring before the plant flowers is recommended. Applying 2,4-D to rosettes in the fall or early spring also is effective.

Chemical and biological treatment are more suited for larger infestations, though the specific control program would vary depending on the potential to harm desirable non-target species or otherwise contaminate the environment.

4. Spotted knapweed produces catechin, an allelopathic chemical, inhibiting the growth of surrounding plants.

I better not have misidentified this...

[tm-scioli]

Yup, pretty much (Click to Show Hidden Text)

flies of genus urophora are also good biocontrol

[John Richardsim]

Identify the species from the following description:

-Native to the Black Sea and Caspian Sea areas
-First detected in the St. Clair river in 1990, introduced via ballast water
-In fresh water, prefer rocky and vegetated lake shores and areas of large rivers. Can tolerate a wide spectrum of water-quality conditions.
-Outcompete the very similar, native sculpins

[tm-scioli]

pretty sure this one is round goby (I was just studying this a few hours ago)

[John Richardsim]

pretty sure this one is round goby (I was just studying this a few hours ago)

Yep, good timing! Your turn.

[tm-scioli]

describe the factors that have made the following organisms so successful

[b]Image A[/b] (Click to Show Hidden Text)

[img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Potamopyrgus_antipodarum_2.png[/img]

[b]Image B[/b] (Click to Show Hidden Text)

[img]http://www.invadingspecies.com/wp-content/gallery/butternut-canker/credit-barb-boysen-july-06-2.jpg[/img]

[b]Image C[/b] (Click to Show Hidden Text)

[img]https://s3.amazonaws.com/user-media.venngage.com/469729-1bd7edd64ccbd79408b2b70fcf25d2ce.jpg[/img]

[b]Image D[/b] (Click to Show Hidden Text)

[img]http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/image/ecology/1361046.jpg[/img]

[cpagan]

Organism A is the New Zealand mud snail. It reproduces very quickly and mass in high densities

[tm-scioli]

pretty much (Click to Show Hidden Text)

B is butternut canker which has been successful due to lack of native tree resistance
C is round goby which has been successful due to a great food source provided by zebra mussels
D is formosan subterranean termite which is very effective due to large hive populations and prolific alate production
also new zealand mud snail has next to no native predators

[gavinnupp]

pretty much (Click to Show Hidden Text)

B is butternut canker which has been successful due to lack of native tree resistance
C is round goby which has been successful due to a great food source provided by zebra mussels
D is formosan subterranean termite which is very effective due to large hive populations and prolific alate production
also new zealand mud snail has next to no native predators

I'm gonna politely and constructively add to your explanation of the round goby;
It has been so successful due to the abundance of resources it encountered. The Zebra Mussels were and are more of a secondary food source, as the Gobies are generalist predators. They did what many invasives do; they exploited a niche. The niche was a bottom dwelling predator, which had been filled previously by Cottus bairdii and various darters. What i'm saying is the gobies succeeded because they eat everything, not just zebra mussels.