Fire ants. Cogongrass. Zebra Mussels. Feral Hogs. These are just a few of the invasive species disrupting ecosystems across the United States and around the globe. A United Nations report found about 1 million animal and plant species are currently threatened with extinction and that invasive species play a significant part in this threat.
Native species may be threatened directly, such as ash trees targeted by the emerald ash borer, but invasive species can change ecosystems and cause the decline of native species in an indirect fashion. For example, downy brome in western grasslands has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires.
They can be a threat to human health, spreading disease. For instance, the Asian tiger mosquito serves as a vector for many diseases, including West Nile Virus and Dengue Fever.
People, businesses and governments spend considerable time, money and other resources trying to control these unwanted invaders. Nearly every ecosystem in the United States has been invaded by nonnative species, with economic losses estimated at $137 billion per year.
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) provides important support to researchers and Extension professionals in their work to learn more about the impact of invasives, to manage them and to educate the public on how they can help in the fight.
Here are just a few of the NIFA-supported projects tackling the challenges of invasive species in the United States as we mark National Invasive Species Awareness Week.
MULTI-STATE EFFORT TO REDUCE THREATS TO HUMAN HEALTH
Researchers at 23 Land-grant Universities are teaming up to develop strategies to manage ticks and mosquitoes and the pathogens they carry. Funded by NIFA Hatch capacity funding, scientists have completed multiple studies which shed new light on mosquito behavior, which helps guide effective control efforts. To help monitor ticks and mosquitoes, predict disease outbreaks and inform control decisions, they created models to predict the expanding ranges of various tick species and showed that drones and artificial intelligence can be used to monitor mosquito habitats. Scientists also developed tests that detect exposure to tick and mosquito bites and pathogens they can transmit. Read more about the impact of this work.
RECLAIMING RANGELANDS FROM INVASIVE GRASSES
A Utah State University research effort is testing a model of rangeland restoration that could improve success by pre-emptively targeting areas before they become highly degraded by invasive species such as cheatgrass. Funded by a multi-year NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive grant, researchers are refining scenarios to assess strategies for planting seedlings, seeding or a combination of both that reduce cheatgrass prevalence. Learn more about this project here.
BATTLING EMERALD ASH BORER
Emerald ash borer (EAB) is an invasive woodborer insect which threatens to destroy ash trees in North America. Since its accidental introduction in the 1990s, extensive work has been done to identify the most effective means of protecting ash trees from attack. With Hatch capacity funding, Purdue University scientists are investigating ways to limit EAB’s impact particularly in urban forests. Check out this video to learn more about this work.
Check out a few more food safety projects funded by NIFA below.
- Protecting Food Crops from Insects
- Educating Public About Spotted Lantern Fly
- Key to Controlling Mosquitoes May Reside in Their Gut Microbiota
- Managing Stink Bugs
