On April 23, I participated with Volunteer Marin to help with habitat restoration around Lake Lagunitas and Lagunitas Creek in Marin County where I live. Lake Lagunitas and Lagunitas Creek are both absolutely gorgeous environment with an array of diverse species of animals, plants and insects. The only problem, like in many ecosystems around the world, there are unwanted species. Though there are animals, such as the starling, and house finch that are invasive species that need to be taken care of, we only focused on the invasive plants that were inhabiting various spots around the lake and on the sides of the hill around the creek.
Invasive plant species around areas around creeks and lakes have extreme detrimental effects to the ecosystems they inhabit. Ecosystems are incredibly fragile, and it only takes one single non-native plant to interrupt it.
Plants are producers. They take sunlight and convert into energy for themselves and any other organism that consumes them. In all ecosystems, they are a key factor, and make it possible for that system to thrive in a functional manner. However, in every kingdom there are species that are detrimental to the health of other species. Species that can't co-exist with other organism and is essentially a parasite. These are the organisms that need to be removed in order to restore once functional ecosystems.
There are different types of invasive species;
-Non-indigenous species- organisms (plants or animals) that dominate a region (habitats, wildland-urban and have a detrimental affect to it. Cause of this is the lack of natural controls such as predators or herbivores. (Exotic Pest Plants, Invasive Exotics.
-Broader definition of the first one which broadens the boundaries where non-native plants disrupt native or indigenous species by dominant colonization. happens in a specific habitat and is, again, caused by the lack of natural controls (predators and herbivores).
How they spread
When plants reproduce, they release hundreds of thousands of seeds which can either drop around them, spread father away, blow away due to air, or be transported by other animals who consume them. A good example of this is a bird. Birds don't have a singular source of food, they have many, and when going from place to place, they might leave excrement with seeds in it.
-Introduced invasive species; species that is introduced to an area of indigenous species through human activity.
-Accidental introductions : A species of plant or animal brought into a new habitat and example of an accidental introduction of a species to a foreign area would be rats (Black, Norwegian and Polynesian). These rats jumped onto ships, hitchhiking their way around the world from country to country. Humans had no control over the rats getting on board, making it an accidental introduction.
Invasive species are considered amongst many to be the greatest threat to natural areas after habitat loss. They affect 34-46% of endangered species.
-Intentional introductions;
-Plants: Introduced for ornamental reasons, stock feed or erosion control.
(Peaches are originally native to China, but were distributed around the world, the Andes are the original home to the tomato, and squash, pumpkins and maize are native to the Americas.)
-Animals: Introduced for ornamental reasons as well, or to reduce a population of a specific species due to detrimental affects for humans.
In our group of volunteers, and specifically what my group was doing, we were removing various plants such as scotch broom, star thistles, calla lily, rabbit foot grass, and many others.
Scotch Broom: introduced for ornamental reasons. Have detrimental affect on environment due to its rapid colonization in different areas.
Star Thistles: introduced accidentally. Crowds out native species.
Calla Lily: introduced accidentally through garden waste. Though beautiful, displaces native species, specifically in wetland areas.
Rabbit Foot Grass: introduced accidentally. Grows in dense groups which crowds out native plants.
Other Invasive Species
Kudzu
(Mile-a-Minute-Vine)
Kudzu is one of the fastest, spreading invasive plant in the United States. Spreads 150,000 acres annually. First introduced in 1876 to the United States from Japan, was distributed throughout southeastern U.S.. Commonly seen on the sides of roads. In 2009, Leamington Ontario, a patch was discovered that was 110 meters wide and 30 meters deep. One of the most detrimental invasive vines due to its quick ability to grow and crowd out native species.
Woody Aster
This weed, is one of the reasons why many farmers lose a large amount of cattle per year. The woody aster not only invades the space of native plants, but it is also highly toxic when ingested. What makes this weed so unique is its ability to collect a high amount of selenium into its system. Selenium is a non-metal element ( Se ). Selenium is in a various amount of foods we consume and is essentially in our own bodies. However, at high concentrations, selenium, becomes toxic. (Selenium poisoning is called 'Selenosis') When consumed, neurological damage is done, (convulsions, decreased cognitive function, and muscle spams) along with other side effects such as vomiting and hyper salivation.
My Ecological Footprint
How I can reduce it
There are many things I see in my carbon footprint results that can be improved in various ways. Recycle more, remember to turn off the lights, and use less water. The one that rings truest to me, is buying more locally grown food. Locally grown food is not only really delicious, but environmentally speaking, it's sound. Transportation costs are lower which reduces the amount of energy spent shipping produce around the world. Pesticides aren't used, and if they are, they are pesticides that are environmentally friendly. More importantly, it helps lower the chances of invasive species being spread around the world.
The problem with shipping produce from place to place is that it increases the chances of non-native species entering new territory which ends up damaging it. Pests come over on fruit and veggies, along with seeds and pathogens from other plants.
Buying locally is not easy. I know this from first hand experience. Being a college student with only so much money, I can't go spending hundreds on apples and carrots. The best I can do, and the best anyone can do if money is not good, is to check the fruit from supermarkets to see where it's coming from. It's a small start, but it's a good place to start, and it's really simple to do.
There are many other ways to prevent invasive species from entering the environment:
-Identify ( know what's good and what's bad )
-Remove (removing invasive plants is not a difficult thing to do, depending on size. Many invasive plants are weeds, and many weeds branch out from a main, large root. Find the root and remove it. For the smaller things, get a small spade dig down and pry up, removing the roots. )
-Clean ( when coming back from a hike, before getting in the car, make sure your shoes are cleaned off, seeds travel very well in dirt )
- Don't pack a pest ( when traveling, don't pack the super rare, exotic, delicious fruits and veggies into your suitcase. On that note, don't smuggle exotic animals in your suitcase as well.)
-Volunteer ( pulling roots is fairly simple, and it's a great thing to do for the environment, and for everyone else. There are invasive plant organizations all over, and are easy to find and call)
Invasive species will always be around, it's inevitable, but that doesn't mean we can't keep them at bay to prevent the destruction of the environment.
Ecological Footprint
Volunteer Marin Site
