Feral World Globalised Ecosystems

luka

Well-known member
Craner first took me to see the wild parakeets around 2004 when they were still confined to the south west of the city round Richmond. There was a pub with a beer garden that looked out onto an island in the Thames and there they were

 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Saw those green parrots on Hampstead Heath during my infamous acid trip. I had no idea they were there or anywhere in London so it absolutely blew me away, like a visitation from the angelic host.
 

luka

Well-known member
Feral boar in New Zealand (nicknamed Captain Cookers because supposedly descended from pigs Cook released into the wild.)

 

luka

Well-known member
Saw those green parrots on Hampstead Heath during my infamous acid trip. I had no idea they were there or anywhere in London so it absolutely blew me away, like a visitation from the angelic host.

Love stuff like that. Opened a window to the impossible. And they flew in. Wormhole to the tropics.
 

luka

Well-known member
Scorpions on the Isle of Sheppey.


"It is thought they arrived in the 18th century on merchant ships carrying Italian masonry."
 

luka

Well-known member
Common invasive species traits include the following:

Fast growth
Rapid reproduction
High dispersal ability
Phenotype plasticity (the ability to alter growth form to suit current conditions)
Tolerance of a wide range of environmental conditions (Ecological competence)
Ability to live off of a wide range of food types (generalist)
Association with humans[18]
Prior successful invasions[19]
Typically, an introduced species must survive at low population densities before it becomes invasive in a new location.[20] At low population densities, it can be difficult for the introduced species to reproduce and maintain itself in a new location, so a species might reach a location multiple times before it becomes established. Repeated patterns of human movement, such as ships sailing to and from ports or cars driving up and down highways offer repeated opportunities for establishment (also known as a high propagule pressure).[21]
 

luka

Well-known member
An invasive species might be able to use resources that were previously unavailable to native species, such as deep water sources accessed by a long taproot, or an ability to live on previously uninhabited soil types.
 

luka

Well-known member
The 11th Duke of Bedford introduced the muntjac, a small asian deer, to his Woburn estate at the turn of the century. Escapees successfully bred and have now spread over much of the country. They have since become widespread throughout the Epping Forest district.

 

version

Well-known member
Feral boar in New Zealand (nicknamed Captain Cookers because supposedly descended from pigs Cook released into the wild.)


There's something really grim about using animals as weapons against one another. Obviously they fight and kill each other in the wild too, but that's just how it is.
 

freakyrixx

Active member
Javan mongooses in the Adriatic (island of Mljet):

Small Asian mongooses were introduced onto the island in the early 20th century in order to reduce the venomous snake population (the island was apparently completely overrun). Whilst the mongooses completed this task, they also disposed of pretty much all the birdlife of the island. To this day, the island is notably short of hedgerow birds, such as sparrows. Mongooses are a hazard for domestic poultry, and are also known to cause damage in vineyards and orchards.

eradication seems to be the standard way of dealing with invasive species populations and it just sounds horrible. like yeah we brought you here, that's on us, but look since you turned out to be too fit to survive and thrive here we'll need to exterminate you all.

so now i have a lot of sympathy for invasive species even though there's no doubt they can cause massive damage to ecosystems.
 

luka

Well-known member
It's almost impossible to eradicate them once established. New Zealand managed it on a very small island that had a rat problem once but anything on a larger scale you're going to fail
 
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