When a virulent material enters an ecosystem, it can wreak havoc on existing life. Bittersweet vines in Upstate New York, for example, were brought to the region in the second half of the 19th century to combat erosion and for their sinuous, woody beauty. Native to eastern Asia, these largely poisonous plants quickly became invasive, smothering other specimens and even uprooting trees.
For nearly 25 years, the Roadless Rule has frustrated land managers and served as a barrier to action prohibiting road construction, which has limited wildfire suppression and active forest management,
The scientist traipses to a pond wearing rubber boots but he doesn't enter the water. Instead, Brad Hollingsworth squats next to its swampy edge and retrieves a recording device the size of a deck of cards. He then opens it up and removes a tiny memory card containing 18 hours of sound. Back at his office at the San Diego Natural History Museum, the herpetologist an expert in reptiles and amphibians uses artificial intelligence to analyze the data on the card.
Mute swans are invasive species in California, known for their territorial behavior, which includes drowning smaller animals, making them a significant threat to local ecosystems.
Nutria are invasive rodents that reproduce rapidly and destroy habitats, leading to significant environmental impacts, particularly through erosion and flooding caused by their feeding and burrowing behavior.