No description available.

Sleeper populations are established populations of a non-native species whose population growth is limited by one or more abiotic or biotic conditions, such as climate change. While the northeastern US is predicted to be a hotspot for future invasions, identifying potential sleeper populations before they become invasive can inform proactive, climate-smart invasive species management. I focused on 169 introduced species that are established in one or more northeastern states. I used the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) framework to systematically identify and review the peer-reviewed literature for these candidate species to quantify their negative ecological and socioeconomic impacts. I identified 49 plants with ‘major’ impacts linked to the decline of multiple native species or loss of community diversity. Using high negative ecological impact, habitat suitability, and climate suitability as selection criteria, I highlight 37 species as high priority for management in the North Atlantic –Appalachian Region.

No description available.

Biodiversity is the prerequisite for well-functioning ecosystem services that are crucial, like clean water and clean air. Invasive alien species (IAS) are a serious and long-term issue that is actively threatening the genetic diversity within ecosystems. In Sweden, 20 percent of 2000 alien species is estimated to be invasive or potentially invasive. One of the species that is assessed to be an IAS is garden lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus), which today is widely spread over big parts of Europe and it is established and reproducing in Sweden. The aim of the study was to find out wether the occurence of garden lupine in Jämtland (last 30 years) has an association with a certain type of land cover and soil moisture, and wether reported findings have increased over the years. This analysis was carried out by first statistically testing the association between the number of lupine observations and the reporting year. After that, a 5m-radius buffer was created around the reported species observations, to then compare the area of each class from National Land Cover Database (NMD) and SLU Soil Moisture Map within the buffer against the total area for each class within Jämtland County. The results of the study showed that the occurence of garden lupine can be associated with the type of land cover and soil moisture that is found on the place of occurence, and that the reports of occurence has increased over the years. The area of the land cover classes within the buffer was not proportional to the total area of those classes in Jämtland County. Lupine occured most commonly within land cover classes exploited land (50%; mainly "exploited land road/railway"), forest (30%), and other open land (20%). As for soil moisture, the garden lupine was only observed within two classes, and the area for these classes within the buffer was not proportional to the area of the same classes in Jämtland County. The soil moisture class with the highest percentage of reported occurence was the class "mesic-dry". These results are in agreeance with the literature describing nonnative habitats for garden lupine, however they do not reflect the facultative status it has received in native habitats. The spread of garden lupine can in other words be linked to the land cover and soil moisture that is found in the place of occurence. Future efforts that are needed are continous monitoring of garden lupine, harmonization of data through standardized inventory methods and validation of data. / Biologisk mångfald är förutsättningen för att avgörande ekosystemtjänster som rent vatten och ren luft ska fungera väl. Invasiva främmande arter (IAS) är ett allvarligt och långsiktigt problem som aktivt hotar den genetiska variationen inom ekosystem. I Sverige bedöms 20 procent av de 2000 främmande arterna vara invasiva eller potentiellt invasiva. En av de arter som klassas som IAS är blomsterlupin (Lupinus polyphyllus), vilken idag är vitt sprid över stora delar av Europa samt är bofast och reproducerande i Sverige. Syftet med studien var att ta reda på huruvida förekomst av blomsterlupin i Jämtland över 30 år har ett samband med viss typ av marktäcke och markfuktighet, samt om inrapporterade fynd har ökat med åren. Denna analys genomfördes genom att först statistiskt testa sambandet mellan inrapporteringar och rapporteringstillfälle. Därefter konstruerades en buffert med en radie på 5 meter runt inrapporterade artobservationer, för att sedan jämföra arean av respektive klass från Nationell Marktäckedata (NMD) och SLU Markfuktighetskarta inom bufferten mot den totala arean av respektive klass i hela Jämtland. Studiens resultat visade att blomsterlupinens förekomst kan associeras med vilken typ av marktäcke och markfuktighet som finns på platsen, samt att inrapporteringen av arten har ökat över åren. Arean av markatäckeklasserna inom bufferten för artobservation var inte proportionell mot den totala arean av respektive markatäckeklass i Jämtlands län. Lupin förekom vanligast inom marktäckeklasser exploaterad mark (50%; framförallt ”exploaterad mark väg/järnväg”), skog (30%) och övrig öppen mark (20%). Vad gäller markfuktighet så observerades endast blomsterlupin på två klasser, och arean för dessa klasser inom bufferten var inte proportionell mot arean för samma klasser i Jämtlands län. Markfuktighetsklassen som hade störst procentuell andel av inrapporterade fynd var klassen ”torr-frisk”. Dessa resultat överensstämmer med litteraturen som beskriver icke inhemska habitat, däremot reflekterar inte dessa resultat den fakultativa statusen som blomsterlupin har fått i dess inhemska habitat. Mina resultat visar att blomsterlupinens utbredning kan kopplas till den marktäcke och markfuktighet som finns på fyndplatsen. Framtida insatser som behövs är fortsatt övervakning av blomsterlupin, harmonisering av data genom standardiserade inventeringsmetoder och validering av data.

Invasive alien plant species are a major threat to biodiversity, and they have the ability to quickly disperse to new areas and change ecosystems. Human impact is one of the main causes of spread of invasive species since most species are spread through trade and transport and through horticulture. Islands can be particularly sensitive to invasive species as they often have a lower resilience than ecosystems on the mainland. The Hällaryd archipelago is a compact island group in the Baltic Sea off Karlshamn in Blekinge, Sweden. The purpose of the study is to investigate what affects the presence of invasive species on the islands, i.e., whether the size of the island, distance from the mainland, number of habitats or whether human influence has any significant effect on the diversity of invasive species, and if there is any preference for which habitat the invasive species are found in. During the summer of 2023, 18 islands in Hällaryd archipelago were surveyed, where the distribution and diversity of invasive species were investigated. The results show that human impact has a large effect on invasive species since inhabited island had higher diversity and effective species number of invasive plants than uninhabited islands. Distance from the mainland had no effect on the presence of invasive species, but larger island had higher diversity of invasive plants, but not higher effective species numbers. Islands with more habitat types had both higher diversity and effective species numbers and there was also a preference for which habitat the species were found in. The inhabited islands had a much higher numbers of horticultural plants than the uninhabited islands which mostly had species that disperse via wind, water and through birds. The study shows that there is a large difference in the diversity and distribution of invasive plants in the Hällaryd archipelago between island types and that the people living on the islands have a large responsibility, but even the uninhabited islands need supervision and monitoring. / Invasiva främmande växtarter är ett stort hot mot den biologiska mångfalden, och de har förmåga att snabbt sprida sig till, och förändra ekosystem. Mänsklig påverkan är en av de främsta orsakerna till spridningen av invasiva arter, och de flesta arterna sprids genom handel och transport eller genom hortikultur. Öar kan vara särskilt känsliga för invasiva arter då dem ofta har lägre motståndskraft än ekosystem på fastlandet. Hällaryds skärgård är en kompakt ö-grupp i Östersjön utanför Karlshamn i Blekinge, Sverige. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vad som påverkar förekomsten av invasiva arter på öarna, dvs. om storlek på ön, avstånd från fastlandet, antal habitat eller om mänsklig påverkan har någon signifikant effekt på mångfalden av invasiva arter, och om det finns någon preferens för vilket habitat de invasiva arterna påträffas i. Under sommaren 2023 inventerades 18 öar i Hällaryds skärgård, där både invasiva arter, deras utbredning och mångfald undersöktes. Resultaten visar att mänsklig påverkan har en stor inverkan på invasiva arter, dvs. att de bebodda öarna hade högre mångfald och effektivt artantal av invasiva arter än de obebodda öarna. Avstånd från fastlandet hade ingen påverkan på förekomsten av invasiva arter men större öar hade högre mångfald av invasiva arter, dock inte högre effektivt artantal. Öar med fler habitattyper hade både högre mångfald och effektivt artantal och det fanns även en preferens för vilket habitat arterna påträffades i. På de bebodda öarna fanns ett mycket högre antal trädgårdsväxter än på de obebodda öarna som mestadels hade arter som sprids via vind, vatten och genom fåglar. Studien visar att det finns en stor skillnad i mångfald och utbredning av invasiva växter i Hällaryds skärgård mellan ö-typerna och att de boende på öarna har ett stort ansvar, men även de obebodda öarna behöver tillsyn och övervakning.

In the year of 2017 in October a strange object with a hyperbolic trajectory was observed in our solar system. There were several hypotheses that scientists used to try to explain what kind of an object it was, but no one could, according to the scientific community as a whole, perpetuate any of these explanations as accepted consensus. One of the scientists who had an interest in this object is Professor Avi Loeb at Harvard University. He wrote and published a popular scientific book called “Extraterrestrial”. In this book Loeb make quite a few arguments that are backing up his hypothesis that this object is no ordinary asteroid or comet, it is in fact a relic from an advanced, technological, alien civilization which originates from a solar system far away from our own. Many people in the scientific community have not accepted these views by Loeb and one of them is Jonathan I. Katz who challenges Loeb’s hypothesis directly. Loeb on the other hand believes that the general resistance to his views is founded in the usual conservatism and that many scientists are afraid to advocate for something like this and risk their credibility and careers. / I oktober 2017 blev ett intressant objekt observerat i vårt solsystem. Det presenterades flera olika hypoteser av forskare som försökte förklara vad för typ av objekt detta var men ingen av dessa kunde ena hela den vetenskapliga gemenskapen och ingen konsensus kunde således uppnås. En av vetenskapsmännen som uppvisade ett intresse för detta objekt är en professor från Harvard University vid namn Avi Loeb.  Han skrev en populärvetenskaplig bok som heter ”Utomjordiskt”. I denna bok presenterar Loeb flera argument som har som syfte att stärka hypotesen att detta inte är någon vanlig asteroid eller komet, det är en kvarleva från en avancerad, teknologisk, utomjordisk civilisation, som härstammar från ett solsystem långt ifrån vårt eget. Den här ståndpunkten som Loeb uppvisar har blivit utmanad av flera fysiker inom vetenskapsvärlden inte minst av astrofysikern Jonathan. I Katz. Själv menar Loeb att detta generella motstånd beror på gammal konservatism hos flera vetenskapsmän som inte vågar sticka ut hakan och således riskera att skada anseende såväl som karriär.

El cine siempre me hipnotiza. Desde pequeña tuve una enorme facilidad para entregarme a la convención y dejarme llevar por aquello que veo en la pantalla, sin mayores pretensiones. Tal vez es un hábito heredado de mi abuela, a quien le encantaban las películas del cine de oro mexicano, o heredado de mis padres, que eran asiduos al cine de desastre de los setenta y al cine de terror. En realidad, es difícil saber. Lo único seguro es que lo disfruto mucho. Mi gusto por el terror y la ciencia ficción empezó temprano. Cuando nació mi hermana menor, mi mamá me regaló un televisor de 9 pulgadas, pequeñísimo, en el que podía ver la programación hasta muy tarde. Siempre sintonizaba Última función del canal 2. Obviamente, no tenía permitido ver televisión hasta tarde, pero ¿Quién se iba a dar cuenta?. En teoría, yo estaba “bien dormida”. Mi mamá me acostaba a las 8 de la noche. Aquella Última función empezaba a la medianoche. La matemática en este caso es bastante simple.

Prior to 1993, freshwater angling in South Africa had been governed by the respective nature conservation legislation of the four South African provinces, the four “independent homelands" and the six so-called Bantustans. In 1993 a South Africa with nine provinces was created, of which only Limpopo and Mpumalanga promulgated its own laws governing freshwater angling. From 2008 angling for listed threatened and protected freshwater fish species has been regulated by the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, supplemented by the Threatened or Protected Species Regulations. In addition, it is anticipated that the Alien and Invasive Species Regulations, which will regulate angling for listed alien and invasive freshwater fish, will be promulgated in the near future. The result is that freshwater angling is currently being governed by a plethora of pre-1993 provincial, homeland and Bantustan legislation, two post-1993 provincial acts, as well as post-1993 national legislation. In this dissertation the South African freshwater angling legislative framework was critically analysed. It was found that the multitude of fragmented and complex laws, created 15 “angling provinces” which leads to confusion amongst anglers and government officials alike. In the process legal certainty and reasonableness, cornerstones of a sound legal system, are being compromised, indigenous freshwater fish are not adequately protected and alien or invasive freshwater fish are not properly managed. In the light of the above, and after taking comments by anglers and enforcement officials into account, recommendations are made for an improved legislative framework for freshwater in South Africa. It is recommended that all freshwater fish species be managed and/or protected on a catchment basis, as opposed to the current provincial basis. This will ensure legal certainty and reasonableness and that all indigenous freshwater fish which are subject to the similar threats are protected adequately and uniformly. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Prior to 1993, freshwater angling in South Africa had been governed by the respective nature conservation legislation of the four South African provinces, the four “independent homelands" and the six so-called Bantustans. In 1993 a South Africa with nine provinces was created, of which only Limpopo and Mpumalanga promulgated its own laws governing freshwater angling. From 2008 angling for listed threatened and protected freshwater fish species has been regulated by the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, supplemented by the Threatened or Protected Species Regulations. In addition, it is anticipated that the Alien and Invasive Species Regulations, which will regulate angling for listed alien and invasive freshwater fish, will be promulgated in the near future. The result is that freshwater angling is currently being governed by a plethora of pre-1993 provincial, homeland and Bantustan legislation, two post-1993 provincial acts, as well as post-1993 national legislation. In this dissertation the South African freshwater angling legislative framework was critically analysed. It was found that the multitude of fragmented and complex laws, created 15 “angling provinces” which leads to confusion amongst anglers and government officials alike. In the process legal certainty and reasonableness, cornerstones of a sound legal system, are being compromised, indigenous freshwater fish are not adequately protected and alien or invasive freshwater fish are not properly managed. In the light of the above, and after taking comments by anglers and enforcement officials into account, recommendations are made for an improved legislative framework for freshwater in South Africa. It is recommended that all freshwater fish species be managed and/or protected on a catchment basis, as opposed to the current provincial basis. This will ensure legal certainty and reasonableness and that all indigenous freshwater fish which are subject to the similar threats are protected adequately and uniformly. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Invasive alien plants have widespread ecological and socioeconomic impacts throughout many parts of the world, including Swaziland where the government declared them a national disaster. Control of these species requires knowledge on the invasion ecology of each species including how they interact with the invaded environment. Species distribution models are vital for providing solutions to such problems including the prediction of their niche and distribution. Various modelling approaches are used for species distribution modelling albeit with limitations resulting from statistical assumptions, implementation and interpretation of outputs. This study explores the usefulness of Bayesian networks (BNs) due their ability to model stochastic, nonlinear inter-causal relationships and uncertainty. Data-driven BNs were used to explore patterns and processes influencing the spatial distribution of 16 priority invasive alien plants in Swaziland. Various BN structure learning algorithms were applied within the Weka software to build models from a set of 170 variables incorporating climatic, anthropogenic, topo-edaphic and landscape factors. While all the BN models produced accurate predictions of alien plant invasion, the globally scored networks, particularly the hill climbing algorithms, performed relatively well. However, when considering the probabilistic outputs, the constraint-based Inferred Causation algorithm which attempts to generate a causal BN structure, performed relatively better. The learned BNs reveal that the main pathways of alien plants into new areas are ruderal areas such as road verges and riverbanks whilst humans and human activity are key driving factors and the main dispersal mechanism. However, the distribution of most of the species is constrained by climate particularly tolerance to very low temperatures and precipitation seasonality. Biotic interactions and/or associations among the species are also prevalent. The findings suggest that most of the species will proliferate by extending their range resulting in the whole country being at risk of further invasion. The ability of BNs to express uncertain, rather complex conditional and probabilistic dependencies and to combine multisource data makes them an attractive technique for species distribution modeling, especially as joint invasive species distribution models (JiSDM). Suggestions for further research are provided including the need for rigorous invasive species monitoring, data stewardship and testing more BN learning algorithms. / Environmental Sciences / D. Phil. (Environmental Science)