invasive

The Balearic Islands welcome an invasive plant that until now was impossible in its waters

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In October 2023, a group of divers were fully immersed in the Bay of La Palma when they found something that should not be there: a tropical marine plant rooted in the bed, where we usually find either sandy bottoms or Posidonia meadows. The notice from the Balearic Center for Applied Biology was confirmed through dives by the CSIC-UIB and CEAB-CSIC teams and the discovery was published in Mediterranean Marine Science. The presentations. The name of tropical marine plant is Halophila stipulacea and it is a seagrass and not an algae (unlike algae, it has roots, stems and leaves), much smaller than the native Posidonia Oceanica, with which it now shares spaces. And although it has appeared about 3 kilometers from the port of Palma, on a sandy bottom, it is foreign: its origin comes from the Indian Ocean, Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, although as a good tropical came to the Caribbean. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 was its one-way ticket to the Mediterranean, however in these 150 years its expansion was only recorded in the eastern area, never as far west as the Balearic Islands. It is already a total colonization. Context. The waters of the Mediterranean Sea are warming more than the global average: between 1982 and 2019, its surface temperature increased by 1.3 °C compared to a global average of 0.6 °C, according to MedECC data. In summer, the temperatures of the Mediterranean Sea recorded in the Balearic Islands They are around 30 °C. This point is important because it marks a milestone: the conditions of the Mediterranean are changing. That is, Halophila may have reached this far west before, but it did not have favorable conditions to survive and now it does. As explains Andrés Arona, first author of the study and Imedea researcher, is “a clear indication of the ‘tropicalization’ of the Mediterranean.” Why is it important. To begin with, because Halophila Stipulacea acts as a biological thermometer of real change in the Mediterranean. A tropicalization that opens the doors to some species and closes them to otherslike Posidonia or corals. But it also matters because the worrying precedent of the Caribbeanwhere its rapid colonization of large areas reduced biodiversity, altering the ecosystem. Something that is already happening in the eastern Mediterranean. Potential environmental impact. Given its presence in degraded sandy bottoms, its effect is ambivalent: it can increase structural complexity, although it can also displace the fauna typical of these bottoms. The greatest risk, however, would be if it came to compete with native phanerogams such as Posidonia oceanicasomething it has already done with other species in the Caribbean, where it colonized large areas in less than 20 years. The difference between both plants is not trivial. in words from Imedea researcher, Fiona Tomàs, “Posidonia is like a sequoia, Halophila is much smaller”: Posidonia generates a structural complexity that supports breeding habitats for hundreds of species and accumulates carbon in another order of magnitude. Halophila It does not generate anywhere near that architecture or that carbon storage. A change in species dominance would profoundly alter the ecosystem. What can be done. The good news is that this detection has been early and the sooner the warning comes, the more room there is to take action. The not so good thing is that it is a plant with its seeds and that the most definitive thing would be for the Mediterranean to reverse its tropicalization, but that means stopping the global warming. Little joke. In Xataka | The Ebro is filling with brown prawns, an invasive species that we are going to find more and more on our plates. In Xataka | The US has such a big problem with Asian carp in its rivers that it has decided something extreme: electrocute them Cover | Benjamin Guichard and Mariya Oliynyk

The Ebro is filling with brown prawns, an invasive species that we are going to find more and more on our plates.

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When a fisherman from Vinaròs arrives at the fish market with his catch of the day, he finds more and more specimens of a crustacean that should not be there: the brown shrimp. Four years ago there were barely one or two per boat. Today there are days when up to 40 kilos are caught. This invasive species has arrived in the Mediterranean, has reproduced, and has no intention of leaving. The presentations. Its scientific name is Penaeus aztecus and comes from the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the United States. Although for the non-expert eye, the one who finds a plate of prawns on the table on Christmas Day, at first glance there is not much aesthetic difference with the normal one, there is. Thus, it has a uniform brown color that tends to be yellowish, it lacks those bands characteristic of the native, its body is more stylized and its head is pointed, and its antennae have a characteristic reddish tone. BioInvasions Records. Authors from the Institute of Marine Sciences (CSIC, Barcelona) Chronology of an invasion. The first time They detected the brown shrimp in the Mediterranean It was in Turkish waters in 2009. It possibly arrived as a stowaway in the ballast water of large ships that load water in the Caribbean to stabilize and then release it in Mediterranean ports along with larvae of this invasive species. From there, it has expanded rapidly westward. In 2023 the CSIC confirmed with morphological and genetic analyzes its presence on the Catalan coast and in the area of ​​the Ebro delta. Later, it has been seen in other ports of the Valencian Community and in the Mar Menor (Murcia) in record time. A perfect invasion. But the clearest proof of its expansion is not geographical but biological: the discovery of mature females in the Ebro delta confirms that the species is capable of completing its reproductive cycle in Spanish waters. It is already an established population. The testimony of the fishermen’s brotherhood of the Vinaroz fish market It constitutes a good alarm thermometer, detailing that in just four years they have gone from encountering a unit to capturing 40 kilos and the curve does not stabilize: each campaign surpasses the previous one. The brown shrimp is a thermophilic species. If it has found an ideal new home in the Mediterranean, it is partly because the sea is warming and its waters are already more and more similar to its original habitat. What’s wrong with the shrimp here? At the moment there is no data that shows the collapse of the native shrimp, but there is a reality: it is competing with the brown shrimp for space and food. And there is a mirror in which to look: in the Gulf of Taranto in Italy, the presence of the native shrimp has already reversed. And a reminder: the one with the blue crab. Is it eaten? The “good news” is that brown shrimp is edible and, in fact, gastronomically speaking, it is tasty. However, its market price is noticeably lower: 12-13 euros per kilo compared to more than 40 euros per kilo for native shrimp. But there is an underlying problem: they can give you a hard time and pay for brown shrimp at the price of native shrimp, since it is sold mixed and unlabeled. This is a traceability problem for the consumer. What can be done. Converting the consumption of brown shrimp as a way to control its population is a possibility, either directly or with preparations, although it is imperative to establish regulation in the fish market to differentiate it. In Xataka | The US has such a big problem with Asian carp in its rivers that it has decided something extreme: electrocute them In Xataka | The Iberian Peninsula is being invaded: more than 1,200 exotic species have come to stay Cover | BioInvasions Records and Natural History Sciences

The Arctic cold was the ideal barrier against invasive species. Now that barrier is falling

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The Arctic Ocean is one of the hot points as far as climate change is concerned. Separated from the surface by polar ice, this ocean is a place with its own characteristics that go beyond its icy temperature. The barrier falls. A new study headed by researchers at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) He has found evidence of the arrival of an invasive species of Percebe to the waters of the Canadian Antarctic. This has led the team to conclude that the barrier that previously represented the low temperatures of the polar ocean is falling. Amphibalanus Impherevisus. The species in question is a type of Balánido sometimes known as bay’s percebe (Amphibalanus Impherevisus). These crustaceans are disturbed in a distant way with the common perclabes (Cornucopia policipes), but its presence is considered a problem and not A food source. The species has already become a regular of the waters of Europe and the Pacific Ocean, where it causes problems when attached to ships, pipes and infrastructure of different types. However, until now it had remained absent in the waters of the Canadian Arctic. EADN. The detection of the invasive species was carried out thanks to the study of the bars coding of the Environmental DNA (Edna). Living beings are leaving our genetic imprint in our environment: detached cells, waste and other biological remains. This technique allows to detect the presence of a species (or several) without finding a single specimen, only through environmental samples, in this case, water. The details of the study were Published in an article In the magazine Global Change Biology. Climate change, the great suspect. The Arctic is one of the regions most affected by climate change. There are two factors, both related to the increase in temperatures in this region, which have contributed to the expansion of this percebe. The first factor is the increase in maritime traffic of the Arctic associated with the thaw and the opening of new routes. Generally, the team explains, these invasive species usually arrive in the ships of the ships or in their ballast tanks. The second factor is that the waters of the Canadian Arctic no longer present such hostile conditions for the proliferation of foreign species. “Climate change is really in the nucleus of this problem. The ships are increasing in number because the reduction of sea ice has opened new nautical routes. It adds to this that the invasive species that the ships bring to the Arctic also are more likely to survive and establish populations due to the warmest temperatures of the water,” explained in a press release Elizabeth Boyse, who led the study. An issue to clarify. According to the team responsible for the study, there are still details to corroborate with respect to the spread of this species in the Canadian Arctic, starting to know if the DNA detected responded to larvae in transit or a more stable and fruitful population. To know this type of detail, it will be necessary to complement the study with other techniques, such as direct observation of animals. In Xataka | A group of Dutch came up with watering the Arctic could be a good antidote against thaw. It is working Image | Ansgar Walk, CC by-SA 3.0

invasive snakes that devour their lizards

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The ecosystem of the island of Ibiza, and the Pitiusas (the archipelago formed by the Western Islands in the Balearic Islands) It has been threatened for years for a unique fight. It is the battle for the survival of a local species of lizard with a snake that has decorated the population. An unequal struggle. Balearic Islands is witnessing the progressive disappearance of one of its endemic species as a result of the introduction of a predatory snake. An imbalance that is leading to the brink of the disappearance of the local lizard, an animal that had thrown out without the threat of predators and now faces a voracious snake whose numbers do not stop growing. The protagonists. Let’s introduce the species that star in this story. The lizard in question is the so -called lizard of the Pitiusas (Podarcis Pityusensis), An endemic species of the Pitiusas. These animals are distributed in various areas of the Ibizan geography, but its presents is more common in coastal areas with denser vegetation. The one that has become the main threat of this species is the horseshoe snake (Hemorrhis hippocrepis). The habitat of this Office covers a good part of the western Mediterranean coasts, from Tunisia to the south of the Iberian Peninsula, also in areas of the Island of Sardinia. When everything started. The first time the horseshoe snake was detected in the Pitiusas It was in 2003although it is likely that this species had begun before its island journey. It is suspected that the Office was taken to the islands accidentally, with some specimen or its eggs traveling inside the trunk of an olive tree used as a decorative element. By land and by sea. 20 years have served the European snake to settle on the island and expand through it, pressing more and more to the native lizard and other non -endemic species. But the expansion of the snake has not been there. According to experts, the animal is a good swimmer who threatens the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, also to the islet network that completes the Pitiusa archipelago, each with ecological characteristics that make it unique. From Ibiza to Euskadi. The lizard of the Pitiusas is considered an endemic species of the Balearic archipelago, but in recent years a small population of these animals seems to have arrived in a very different place: the Basque coast. It is estimated that Ibizan reptiles They arrived in Bizkaia In the mid -90s and by 2011 they had displaced the Roquera lizard (Pruning muralis) In the islet of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, belonging to Bermeo. The reptile It has been expanding in other coastal and interior environments, including the immediate vicinity of San Sebastián, where Threat to the Urgull lizard (Podarcis loolepis Sebastiani). The Basque Country, we introduced, is not the only place in the peninsula to which the species has taken. An initiative to avoid its disappearance has led this Balearic reptile to the Barcelona Zoo. The first part of this project contemplates the arrival of 17 specimens of the species to the Catalan center in order to guarantee the conservation of the species. A delicate ecosystem. Insular ecosystems are particularly vulnerable in these cases: well -defined geographical borders and a more limited biodiversity may imply that the loss of a species has repercussions on local ecosystems. According to He explained to the newspaper The country Oriol Lapiedra, researcher at the Center for Ecological Research and Forest Applications (CREAF), the disappearance of a certain species can cause “a waterfall reaction” that leads to new extinctions. Echoes from another archipelago. It is not surprising that to change the archipelago We can find a similar case. On the island of Gran Canaria, the introduction of a foreign snake, the real snake of California (Californiae Lampropelties), he has also put local fauna, including reptiles such as the giant lizard (Gallotia Stehlini) and the slut (Sexlineatus Chalcides). In Xataka | Some reptiles just revealed a secret that we had millennia looking for: eternal youth Image | Dirk Pothen / Raymond Petrik

Elon Musk fired 6,000 employees two weeks ago. Now the US faces the massive entry of invasive species

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Elon Musk had several weeks ago that his efficiency department (Doge) has an advantage over the rest: they work 120 hours a week. Incredible that their words are, the facts seem to be proved, because the strenuous working days have led more than an alarming calculation error between mass dismissals and dismantling key programs. Latest: release To so many people that the country’s health controls have weakened. Administrative errors. It Wired counted in a report where he took stock since the creation of the Doge office. In just a few weeks, their actions had included the publication of classified information by accidentthe desperate dismissal and recontraction of Nuclear Safety Expertsor the erroneous inflation of governmental “savings” In 7,992 million dollars. For the medium, the failures They reflect a combination of technological arrogance and absolute ignorance of the government’s functioning, with potentially catastrophic consequences. Risks in food safety. Doge has implemented an unprecedented purge within several government agencies, but few dismissals reflect the climate of chaos such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) such an excessive scissors that has triggered a Crisis in Food Safety and trade, leaving the country vulnerable to invasive species and the increase in food. The reason? With the elimination of 6,000 jobs in Februarythe USDA lost a significant part of its highly trained personnel, including inspectors, biologists and coaches of detector dogs that protected American agriculture of pest and zoonotic diseases. In fact, Derek Copeland, former National Dog Detection Training Center coach, warned that the reduction Personnel affects the ability to detect threats such as the giant African snail or the Asian beetle of long horns, which could have devastating consequences for local crops and ecosystems. Blow to inspection and biosafety. There are more. The protection and quarantine units have been of the most affectedwith the loss of hundreds of inspectors, which has significantly reduced controls on agricultural imports. According to experts, this lack of personnel has converted inspections into A chaotic and disorganized processespecially in key ports such as Los Angeles and Miami, who have seen 35% reductions in their quarantine staff and up to 60% in their smuggling detection team. This, in turn, has generated delays in merchandise processing, which could translate into a price increase in supermarkets and a massive waste of foods that are spoiled while waiting to be inspected. Impact on economy and commerce. The damage is not limited to agricultural security. Mike Lahar, regulatory affairs manager at the Deringer customs broken National Security. It’s not A trivial theme. A single error in the detection of a plague I could tithe whole cropswhich would affect not only farmers but the entire food supply chain. In addition, the accumulation of containers without inspection is affecting other industrial sectors, as shipments are being stranded, reducing the availability of essential goods and raising costs for consumers and companies. Legal uncertainty. Trump’s government has defended cuts as An efficiency measurebut the repercussions have generated alarm. Republican senators, like Joni Ernst, previously They supported the program Of pest detection with dogs, but they have avoided ruling on the dismissals. Two federal judges have ordered reinstallation Of dismissed employees, but the White House has described these decisions as “absurd and unconstitutional,” leaving thousands of workers in uncertainty. Meanwhile, the USDA has announced a 45 -day break in the dismissals, but without guarantees of rectation for those affected. Collapse in agri -food security. If the crisis persists, experts warn about a possible scenario similar to that of pandemic, with a shortage of certain products and a Food inflation driven by lack of control in the ports. In this regard, Joe Hudicka, veteran of the supply chain industry, anticipates that large cities and supermarkets can better absorb the impact, but rural communities and small businesses will be the most affected. For his part, Kit Johnson, director of Commercial Compliance at John S. James, warns that the reduction of inspections could lead to An agricultural catastrophe If invasive species manage to establish themselves without being detected. Undecatization? Wired counted that experts slide two hypotheses to try to explain the disaster caused by Doge. The first is that the initiative never intended to make the government more efficient, but simply dismantle agencies to pave the path to privatization and obtain access to sensitive government data. Under this logic, the elimination of regulations and administrative chaos would favor the intervention of private companies in key sectors such as defense, agriculture and security. The second hypothesis is that Musk and his team really believe in their mission, but they completely lack the skills to execute it, replicating that arrogance that is presupposed to Silicon Valley by assuming that the ability to build software translates into competition to handle the government apparatus. In other words: Musk can be a genius in certain areas, but his performance as a “de facto CEO” of the government is increasingly close to a failure. Consequences. Thus, the destruction caused by Doge not only affects government efficiency, but can have economic and geopolitical implications In the long term. The purge of thousands of employees has triggered unemployment and generated instability in key sectors, which could have recessive effects on the economy. The decision to dismantle critical areas such as those of the USDA have weakened key plots such as Food security and agricultural protection of the nation at a time when the supply chain already faces challenges such as The aviar flu and the Commercial disputes with China. Meanwhile, as ports begin to feel the effects of the lack of inspections, concern grows between farmers, merchants and consumers. If the situation is not reversed, the country could face an unprecedented agricultural crisis. Image | Gage Skidmore, US Department In Xataka | In his eagerness to attack the public sector, Elon Musk has crossed a line: distorting the story of Hitler and Stalin In Xataka | Elon Musk has revealed the formula of his team’s success. The problem is that they barely have time to sleep and … Read more

The coipú, one of the 100 most harmful invasive species in the world, is at the gates of Barcelona

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You can remember the Castor or the musk, but Coipú is something else. Coming from South America, this rodent is “similar to a large rat of small ears, with the end of the snout and white cheeks.” It has the “robust and arched” body, the fur “of brown” and can exceed 60 cm long and 6 and a half kilos of weight. In addition, in Spain, it is an invasive species. An invasive species that does not stop growing. What does a mouse like you in a place like this? To Catalonia, According to the Ecological Research Center and Forest Applicationsthey were first introduced at the beginning of the 20th century with the intention of raising them to take advantage of their skin. And, although there are documented farm leaks since the 70s, only since 2000 (when a new source of coipús appeared: France) began to expand from Empordá. The problem is that they have now detected in the Congost river. That is, they are at the gates of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona and everything suggests that they will end up arriving. Because? Because “Coipú has a high fertility, so when it reaches areas with a climate favorable and with food, as it has found in Catalonia, its expansion is unlikely,” Marc Riera explainsCREAF researcher. Moreover, Barcelona would only be the beginning. “This situation causes coipu to extend through the Catalan coast” and reach “to the Valencian Community.” And what exactly is the problem? That is what many people ask. After all, we talk about a harmless rodent. However, its impact on the environment is very documented: “Coipú is having a serious impact on the wet areas of all the countries to which it has reached.” And it is not only that it competes with the rest of species for resources such as food, it “causes impacts on the plant species of the places where it lives and in the nearby crops, since it feeds on the base of the stems of the plants and excavates to also reach the roots. “ In fact, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included it in the list of 100 more harmful exotic species in the world. Spain in front of Coipú. The real problem, as explained from CreafIt is that “unfortunately, once an exotic species becomes an invader in a territory, its total eradication is practically impossible.” Above all, because we must be clear that the coipú will not be the last species that reaches our territory and threatens to put all ups up. In a context in The illegal introductions of animals are the order of the day It seems clear that we must reflect on how we are managing exotic species and what means we are putting to control the new world scenario. Image | Peleg | Exocat In Xataka | Franco introduced an exotic sheep in the Teide to content the hunters. Now it is ending its ecosystem

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