Global invasive species map: which countries are most seriously invaded by alien species?
Four seas network: in nature, in a certain region, various species will form complementary living habits. Once alien species invade, it will break the ecological balance and cause local ecological disaster. Recently, an international team in the UK has drawn a global hotspot map of alien species. Let's see the details below!
Global alien species hotspot map based on alien species abundance. Only countries, federal states and islands / Islands with sampling data are included in the figure, and the number of invasive species in the red area is relatively high. This article is compiled by sihai.com.cn and reprinted with the source. The original link: http://www.4hw.com.cn/life/
The study was conducted by an international team led by the University of Durham in the UK. They analyzed biological data of eight categories, including amphibians, ants, birds, freshwater fish, mammals, reptiles, spiders and vascular plants, covering 186 islands and 423 continental regions.
The findings suggest that more effective measures are needed to prevent foreign animals and plants from entering fragile ecosystems, the researchers said. The hot spots of adult invasive species are mainly islands and coastal areas.
The Hawaiian Islands have a high number of invasive species in all eight groups involved in the study. Invasive species in the islands include peacock fish, which are now widely distributed around the world, as well as wild boars in mammals. Next to the Hawaiian Islands is New Zealand, where half of the plant species are invasive. Predatory mammals, such as rats, cats and opossum, have posed a serious threat to native birds in New Zealand, which have been accustomed to the environment without land predators in their long evolutionary history.
Although Britain is not one of the three hot spots, it has more invasive animals and plants than many other areas. Some of the invasive species found in the UK include red collared green parrots, Himalayan Impatiens growing by rivers and streams, and mammals such as grey squirrels, which are already common in London. Grey squirrels have gained the upper hand in the competition with native Eurasian red squirrels, making the number of the latter declining. In addition, the false black widow spider (scientific name: steatoda nobilis) was also inadvertently brought into the UK with imported fruit goods.
Florida is also one of the hotspots for invasive species, including Burmese Python and some non-native ant species. According to the study, Florida's wealth, population density, and climate conditions all affect the number of invasive species in the adult population, although these factors vary widely between species and regions. This article is compiled by sihai.com.cn and reprinted with the source. The original link: http://www.4hw.com.cn/life/
Wayne Dawson, the first author of the paper and a researcher in the Department of Biosciences at Durham University, said: 'our research shows that there is a high number of invasive animal and plant species in the islands and coastal areas of the mainland, which may be because these areas have more entrances, such as a large number of ports. '
'in general, richer and more densely populated areas have more alien species, but these factors have a stronger impact on the island,' added Wayne & Middleton Dawson. 'we need more work to understand whether these situations are caused by the introduction of more species into hot spots or by human activities in these areas To find space for species and opportunities for growth. '
Efforts to prevent the introduction of more invasive species should focus more on islands and coastal areas of the continent, the researchers said. "Although historically, species have been moving around the world, more and more species have been introduced into the new environment as different parts of the world have become more and more connected, while the population is growing," Dawson said. "Many of the alien species are useful, but they will not establish and spread in the new environment, but others are different, they will Impact on indigenous species and ecosystems at different levels. '
Dawson said: 'we need to understand the consequences of species mixing in different parts of the world and decide how to deal with this change and take appropriate measures to prevent the introduction of alien species into the most vulnerable areas of the ecosystem. This article is compiled by sihai.com.cn and reprinted with the source. The original link: http://www.4hw.com.cn/life/
The current approaches include strengthening biosafety measures at major checkpoints, and investigating and punishing species smuggling, which have been implemented in New Zealand. "In addition, we should conduct a very detailed assessment of the species that are ready to be introduced into the new environment, such as those of the European and Mediterranean plant protection organizations (EPPO), in order to identify those species that may establish populations and have negative impacts," Dawson said.