Author: kcd

This author has written 359 articles
Read more about the article A biocontrol agent persists under climate change
Cyrtobagous salviniae, the biocontrol agent for the invasive water fern Salvinia molesta (Photo credit: Jessica Allen)
2015 / News

A biocontrol agent persists under climate change

The water fern (Salvinia molesta) is an aggressive invader of freshwater systems where it affects the services that these ecosystems deliver. Fortunately, the use of a natural enemy of the water fern (a biological control agent), the weevil (Cyrtobagous salviniae) has been highly successful in many countries, including South Africa where the water fern is no longer considered to be problematic.  

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29 April 2015
Read more about the article Prosopis: a weed or resourceful tree in South Africa?
Stands of Prosopis along the Huntams River, Loeriesfontein. Photo credit: Ross Shackleton
2015 / News

Prosopis: a weed or resourceful tree in South Africa?

Prosopis is an agroforestry tree that was introduced globally to over 100 countries – including South Africa. Prosopis went through mass scale distribution and planting, to aid farmers with fodder, shade and fire wood in the arid parts of South Africa.

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24 April 2015
Read more about the article Comparing impacts of alien plants and animals using a standard scoring system
Lantana (Lantana camara) is poisonous to humans and animals, and responsible for livestock losses in South Africa
2015 / Highlighted papers

Comparing impacts of alien plants and animals using a standard scoring system

Knowing which species to manage amongst all the species introduced outside of their native ranges is a huge challenge. Many factors play a role in the decision making process, one of the most important ones being whether or not the alien species causes harm to native ecosystems and species, or damages the economy.

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22 April 2015
Read more about the article Drivers of global change: interactions of invasive species and habitat loss
An experimental tank with an example of intermediate densities of the simulated habitat complexity. Photo credit: Mhairi Alexander
2015 / News

Drivers of global change: interactions of invasive species and habitat loss

Global biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate. Causes of these declines include the destruction of natural habitats as a result of human development, and the introduction of non-native species.

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14 April 2015
Read more about the article Using forestry trial data to evaluate species distribution models
An example of a successful forestry trial planting of Acacias in Vietnam (Photo credit: John Wilson)
2015 / News

Using forestry trial data to evaluate species distribution models

Predicting which introduced plants and animals are likely to become invasive is a key challenge for invasion biology. To help make these predictions, scientists use models that can predict the potential spread of introduced species.

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10 April 2015