Abstract: “You know, one of the most shocking things about it is to realize how easily we have lost a world that seemed so safe and certain.” (From “Day of the Triffids” by John Wyndham)
Throughout the history of human civilization people have facilitated the spread of many species of plants, animals and fungi, as well as bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.
The necessary conduit for the spread of these organisms, whether intentional or accidental, is the human economy. As global economic trade intensifies increasing numbers of species are moving from place to place. Most introduced species do not become established, or do become established and end up being benign members of their host ecosystems.
However, a small number of species introductions result in established populations of “invasive” pest species. As global economic interconnectedness intensifies, numbers of invasive species are expected to increase exponentially. By definition, invasive species end up “winners”, and in many instances out-compete native species that end up “losers”. In concert with habitat destruction and fragmentation and the loss of many native species, increasing numbers of invasive species represent a transition from the world we know to a world of ragweed, cockroaches, mice and pigeons – a world the natural history author David Quammen calls a “planet of weeds”.
Presenter Bio:
Ron Ward - a native Upper Midwesterner - is originally from Grand Forks. He now hails from Nordeast Minneapolis, where he lives with his wife of 12 years and his 5 year old son. He received his Bachelors in Geography from the University of Minnesota, and his Masters and PhD from the University of Georgia, where he specialized in biogeography and human-environmental relationships. His dissertation research, which he finished in 2002, is titled "Biogeomorphic Effects of Ligustrum sinense (Chinese privet) invasion on the Upper Oconee River Floodplain, North Georgia". He is still quite active among invasive plant researchers, but now needs a new project because last summer he finished the last of 7 years of follow-up on his research site at the Georgia State Botanical Gardens.
Related Links:
Minnesota DNR - Invasive Species
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