Invasive Species are Transforming the Everglades

Martin Nowak

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Knowable Magazine May 30, 2024

“From Burmese pythons and Asian swamp eels to Old World climbing ferns, South Florida hosts hordes of non-native animals and plants. What can be done about the ecological havoc they are wreaking?”

“Like few other places, Florida’s unintended runaway experiment demonstrates the true cost of allowing non-natives to take hold where they don’t belong.”



As usual, non-native and / or invasive species are blamed 100% on commercial enterprises and reptile keepers; totally ignoring the “authorized” introductions by game and fish commissions and academia.

“There are many reasons why Florida is an invasion hotspot. It’s a major hub for the trade of exotic pets and ornamental plants, which slip into the wild accidentally or intentionally — surprisingly often, owners release pets that have grown too big or too hard to manage.”
 
surprisingly often,
Hard data, please. ;)

"Non-native plants make up a third of Florida’s total plant biomass". I wonder what it is in Wisconsin, where I live. I'll bet it is about that. My woods is about a third invasives, and I put effort into getting them out (black locusts are nearly unstoppable -- freakin' early settlers and their stupid fence post trees). Barberries and buckthorns and honeysuckles are everywhere (escaped ornamentals), and the honeysuckles especially can take over large areas. European grasses such as brome crowd out the native grasses; reed canary grass takes over wetlands something terrible.
 
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