#InvasiveSpecies #America #Africa #Asia #Europe
Have you ever wondered if there are invasive species from the Americas wreaking havoc in Africa, Asia, or Europe? ๐๐ค Invasive species are a global issue that can have devastating consequences on ecosystems and native biodiversity. Let’s explore whether countries outside of the Americas also face challenges with invasive species from this region.
Invasive Species Know No Boundaries
My fiancรฉe and I see a lot of invasive plants and animals here in America that come from Asia or Europe, often they outperform native species for all the reasons that invasive species often do. I had me wondering if countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe have to deal with invasive species brought to them from the Americaโs the way we have to deal with them here.
Invasive species have a remarkable ability to spread across continents, adapting to new environments and outcompeting native species. While some invasive species may originate from the Americas, they have indeed made their way to other parts of the world.
Examples of Invasive Species from the Americas
1. **North American Bullfrog:** Originally native to North America, this amphibian has been introduced to various countries in Asia and Europe for commercial trade purposes. They have disrupted local ecosystems by preying on native species and competing for resources.
2. **American Signal Crayfish:** Native to the United States, this crayfish species has invaded water bodies in Europe, outcompeting native crayfish and causing declines in biodiversity.
The Global Impact of Invasive Species
Invasive species pose a significant threat to biodiversity and can have negative impacts on ecosystems, agriculture, and human health. International efforts are crucial in managing and preventing the spread of invasive species across borders.
Conclusion
While invasive species from the Americas may not be as prevalent in Africa, Asia, or Europe as those from other regions, they still pose a threat to global biodiversity. Collaborative efforts and measures are essential to combat the spread of invasive species and protect native ecosystems worldwide.
Next time you see an invasive species in your area, remember that it may have traveled a long way from another continent to cause harm. Stay informed and take action to prevent the spread of invasive species in your community. ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฆ
yep! did undergraduate research on the Lantana camara species complex, a group of closely related plants from the Americas that are very popular to grow because of their beautiful flowers and hardiness
unfortunately they are incredibly invasive in many warm regions in the eastern hemisphere, including Israel and a lot of places in Africa
Mink, racoons, American lobster, spiny creek crayfish, crayfish plague (probably using the wrong term, it’s an infectious fungal disease that spread to European crayfish from the invasive American ones). Probably others as well. So, yes.
Largemouth bass were stocked across the world for their value of game fishing, its lead to high travel for people to catch โtrophiesโ bringing in plenty of income to many countries. Theyโre also voracious predators, impacting endemic species.
Yes. Many. A big one being the gray squirrel. Squirrels are native to North America and were transported over to Europe. Also a whole lot of insects. Birds such as the Canada Goose. Also the north american beaver.
Edit: wasps are not invasive as I thought
The greatest threat from American expatriated invasive species is from the furry *horror* that is the Gray Squirrel in Great Britian. Obviously I’m being facetious, but the GS is displacing their native squirrels, but they don’t seem too upset about it over there.
Yes Racoons are invasive to Germany/Europe. So there was an article about a racoons that got drunk from the leftovers at Oktoberfest and the article ended with “the raccoon was then terminated by authorities. People joked it was a little harsh of punishment for a drunk in public charge.
The American crawfish (crawfish boil) is also invasive in German water ways.
The American gray squirrel in Europe
https://tidewaterteddy.com/2023/02/02/american-squirrels-are-conquering-europe-and-its-bad/
The American Raccoon in Japan
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/childrens-book-behind-japans-raccoon-problem-180954577/
The Black Locust tree in Europe
https://neobiota.pensoft.net/article/71949/
Blueclaw crabs, normally found in the waters along the coast of the eastern US, have become invasive in the Mediterranean.
American bullfrog is invasive in Europe and many other places outside of its North American range.
Nutrias that were kept in pelt farms a long time ago and spread in Europe after release or escape. Not the worst kind of neighbor if I’m to be perfectly honest, but they upset the ecosystem because we have no large predators that will hunt them (at least not in Germany).
Yes invasive species are a problem on every continent including Antarctica https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-023-02113-2. Invasive species hitchhiked with ancient mariners and have likely been occurring since humans first started traveling at distance. Example: introduced Polynesian rats https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2017.00052/full
Phylloxera, a louse native to North America that was introduced to Europe in the mid 1800’s. It ate the grape vines that were used in wine making and by the 1870’s had reduced France to 1/3 of its normal wine production. It had a similar effect in Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Hungary and Turkey.The solution was to graft the native vines onto rootstock from North American vines who were naturally resilient to the insect. This took 20+ years and cost the various nations a ridiculous amount, I have been unable to find a trustworthy estimate, but at least $50+ billion adjusted. 30% of French vineyards were unable to ever be replanted.
Red swamp crayfish/Louisiana crawfish is invasive in Europe and concerning because it overcrowds small waterways, outcompetes local species and destroys the soil around the waterways making it cave in. Most annoying for countries that have intricate water management such as the Netherlands.
The [Colorado Potatoe Beetle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_potato_beetle), the [Fall Armyworm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_armyworm), and most recently the [Western Corn Rootworm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_corn_rootworm).
The Cane Toad was introduced from the Americas to various pacific nations in hopes that it would do good pest control for crops. Instead it (unsurprisingly in hindsight) became a major invasive pest itself in several countries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_toad
Hi! Iโm surprised I donโt see this one mentioned yet because itโs so historically significant in my field – but phylloxera! This had a tremendous impact on the world of wine.
Phylloxera is a wee little louse that was accidentally transported to Europe around the mid-1800s and eventually spread worldwide hitching a ride on the pant legs of vineyard laborers and botanists. There are a few exceptions that were spared, like Chile, which benefits from the protection of the Pacific Ocean and the incredible height of the Andes mountains to help prevent spread.
What was so significant about this tiny bug was that it insatiably feeds on the roots of grapevines and the European species vitis vinifera had no natural defenses against this bug. Within a few decades Europe had lost nearly 2/3 of all its vineyards (over 2 million hectare!)
Thankfully, the solution to this disaster also came from America. The reason it wasnโt a known risk to transport soil or vines from America to Europe was that the native species of grapevine found here are incredibly hardy against this bug. The vineyards of Europe were torn up and replanted using a technique where you graft vitis vinifera plants onto the rootstocks of native North American species like vitis rupestris and vitis riparia. Nearly every vineyard is planted this way now, especially if they have any commercial interests then itโs not worth the risk. There are some rare instances of old vines on original rootstocks (looking at you Barossa Valley) but the grapes that were all so familiar with today; Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, etc. were all once at a very real risk of becoming non-existent due to an invasive critter from North America.
Some native American plants in Europe are major invasives, such as common milkweed and Canada goldenrod.
Bullfrogs, bluegill, red-eared sliders have been introduced to freshwater areas across Europe and Asia and can be big problems.
Raccoons in Japan and Germany. Gray squirrels in many places.
There are many such examples.
Canadian Goldenrod (solidago canadensis) and fleabane (Erigeron annuus), lupins (lupinus polyphyllus, locust tree (Robinia pseudacacia) and wild black cherry (Prunus serotina) are considered invasiv in germany and as far as I know partly in other european countries.
Cacti (Opuntia, Cereus, cholla, etc, etc), mesquite trees, pines (eg Monterey pine), pin oaks, black/honey locust, zinnias, Argemone (prickly poppies), etc are all highly invasive plants that have invaded Africa, Australia, and elsewhere.
Pumpkinseed or whatever the name. I had those fish, they came to Bulgaria as aquarium fish and now are everywhere. They outcompete local species and are awful to try and cook them. I really can’t stress how much I hate those.
phylloxera are a bug from North America that decimated the wine industry in Europe. European vineyards now have to graft American grape vines to their plants to keep them from dying as American grapevines are resistant to them
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_potato_beetle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_potato_beetle)
Fun fact. In my country (Poland) back in the 1950s communist propaganda was saying that american planes are dropping it into the Baltic sea to sabotage our farming. In reality it was already present for decades but the lack of effective countermeasures made the problem worse over time.
Raccoons were introduced to Japan in the 1970s, because a popular anime made a bunch of Japanese people want them as exotic pets, only for them to quickly find out that raccoons actually make terrible pets in general, leading to huge numbers being released into the Japanese countryside, where they continue to be a problem to this day.
I also know that North American deer species have sometimes been introduced to Europe for sport hunting, and in a few cases introduced populations have taken hold, like with white-tailed deer (*Odocoileus virginianus*) in Finland (where thereโs now an estimated population of around 110,000).
Iโm sure there are plenty more examples, but those are the two I can think of off the top of my head.
This isnโt Africa, Asia, or Europe, but cane toads (*Rhinella marina*) are a species from Central and South America that are notoriously a *huge* problem in Australia, causing full on infestations in many areas, and poisoning a lot of local wildlife that tries to eat them.
So yes, species from the Americas can most definitely be invasive.
Haven’t seen anyone say anything about red-eared sliders yet. Large, semi-aquatic pond turtles endemic to the southern USA.
Sliders are the most popular pet turtle (they inspired the TMNT series and canonically the ninjas are RES turtles), but are actually very difficult and demanding pets, as a result many have been exported around the world and were ultimately abandoned or released into wild habitats to which they were not native. They’re large, cantancerous turtles that eat everything and compete fiercely for territory and basking space. They’ve had a pretty severe impact on turtle species diversity and endemic turtle populations pretty much everywhere they’ve been introduced, which includes other areas of North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. They’re potential range is only supposed to increase as climate change creates more favorable habitat for them and greater difficulty for rare and endemic turtle species.