tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18646885.post7153934232122663876..comments2023-10-25T03:11:45.107-07:00Comments on The force that through...: Not all invasive species are exoticsPaul D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00535027161567978343noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18646885.post-42442218573575873392009-07-31T21:51:32.480-07:002009-07-31T21:51:32.480-07:00Anon,
I am not sure about red cedar but my unders...Anon,<br /><br />I am not sure about red cedar but my understanding is that many times seed germination is inhibited right underneath the parent tree, perhaps chemically.Paul D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00535027161567978343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18646885.post-9448750775532263022009-07-31T16:23:46.162-07:002009-07-31T16:23:46.162-07:00I have been told that the "ONLY" way Eas...I have been told that the "ONLY" way Eastern red cedar seeds can germinate In nature Is when birds eat the seeds then deposit them. I was told that seeds that fall off the tree and land on the ground can't germinate at all, Is this true? Now Im not talking someone collecting the seeds and doing It that way, Im simply talking about In nature. It would seem to me that the seeds that fall to the ground that some would be able to germinate without having to be eatin by a bird or animal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18646885.post-84907538852678612022007-03-22T10:36:00.000-07:002007-03-22T10:36:00.000-07:00I found this article and its comments interesting ...I found this article and its comments interesting and informative, especially after blogging just a few days ago (from my <I>strictly amateur</I> viewpoint) about redcedars becoming a problem in Kentucky as well as in the Sandhills of Nebraska where I grew up. Redcedar used to be called a "pioneer species" but it's probably time to consider a different label.Genevieve Netzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08004780820713448880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18646885.post-74782717773761710252007-03-21T06:02:00.000-07:002007-03-21T06:02:00.000-07:00Oops Dave you are right about Invasive species web...Oops Dave you are right about Invasive species weblog....hmmmmm now ferns as invasive species..but you're right. As for the name...maybe we do need away to distinguish these endemics from aliens but they do share invasive characteristics and may end up as successes in the reduced flora and fauna we are inadavertently encouraging.Paul D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00535027161567978343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18646885.post-40511399307550787332007-03-20T19:54:00.000-07:002007-03-20T19:54:00.000-07:00the Endangered Species Weblog.Oops! You mean "Inva...<EM>the Endangered Species Weblog.</EM><BR/>Oops! You mean "Invasive Species Weblog."<BR/><BR/>Thanks for a thought-provoking post (and discussion). I guess I feel there should be another term for native plants that go apeshit like this, to distinguish them from aliens. Here in PA, two good examples would be hayscented and New York ferns. They too release allopathogens, and carpet forest floors in many areas. Their prolifereation seems due in large part to overbrowsing by deer, but also changes in soil chemistry from acid deposition and increased light levels as a result of management for black cherry and other forest management practices.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18646885.post-78081429769537447752007-03-12T18:57:00.000-07:002007-03-12T18:57:00.000-07:00Gaia,I agree with you about the role of environmen...Gaia,<BR/><BR/>I agree with you about the role of environmental change in the behavior of some of these endemic species. To me that is one of the interesting things about species as diverse as didymo and red cedar.<BR/><BR/>See my additional<BR/><A HREF="http://theforcethat.blogspot.com/2007/03/can-endemic-species-be-invasive.html" REL="nofollow">post</A>.<BR/><BR/>And yes, I suspect that red cedar is a recent addition to the prairie flora-it doesn't seem particularly fire adapted.Paul D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00535027161567978343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18646885.post-33963364687289148762007-03-12T10:26:00.000-07:002007-03-12T10:26:00.000-07:00Interesting article about "didymo". A two part is...Interesting article about "didymo". A two part issue -1) its population explosion within its normal range, and 2) its invasiveness as an introduced species. They've seemingly done a reasonable job figuring out why didymo is showing up in new places, but I'd like to see more research on why it's getting out of control within its normal range. <BR/><BR/>If more and more endemics are acting as invasives (and they certainly seem to be), it would further suggest that the environment is changing quite a bit. I wish we'd devote some more research time and money to figuring out what's driving the boat there, although I suspect that we, as a society, don't really want to know! <BR/><BR/>Not that we seem to feel any obligation to act upon the knowledge that we already have....<BR/><BR/>Returning to eastern redcedar, I've been thinking that it is one of the few woody prairie plants that does not handle fire well. Most prairie species resprout back without too much trouble from growing points located at or near the soil surface, or they are protected by corky bark or other adaptations. Could that mean that redcedar is a more recent addition to the prairie flora? I'd be interested to know from pollen studies or other research just how recently redcedar moved into the prairie ecosystem. Any idea if my hunch is correct?Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18646885.post-54409280359950797262007-03-09T10:49:00.000-08:002007-03-09T10:49:00.000-08:00Thanks Gala,Good comment and I see what you are sa...Thanks Gala,<BR/><BR/>Good comment and I see what you are saying. but more and more endemic species are behaving as invasives. Here is another example:<BR/>http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0301/p13s01-sten.html<BR/><BR/>I like red cedars as well, and calling them invasive may be a bit like blaming the victim. After all its spread is probably due to changes in the natural ecosystems some of which are of course human induced.<BR/><BR/>So this invasiveness is perhaps an immediate opportunistic response to human disturbance. In some of these situations the response may well be an evolutionary response.Paul D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00535027161567978343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18646885.post-78567846555384343122007-03-08T20:59:00.000-08:002007-03-08T20:59:00.000-08:00I have a real issue with labeling redcedar as an i...I have a real issue with labeling redcedar as an invasive species in Kansas. It is a part of the normal Kansas flora, where it has traditionally been held in balance primarily by fire. For decades Kansas farmers and ranchers have understood that and have either burned their grasslands or physically cut down the cedars to control their spread. In fact, I was taught to judge a landowner's land management abilities at least partly by how overrun their pastures were by redcedars - a pasture overrun by cedars being a definite sign of poor land management. <BR/><BR/>This is the second time in less than a month that I've seen eastern redcedar, Juniperus virginiana, labeled an invasive species in Kansas. The first time was in an article in the Wiohita Eagle, where it was being blamed for groundwater depletion and labeled as a scourge equal to or worse than the Dust Bowl Days and the historical grasshopper swarms. <BR/><BR/>I think that labeling this plant as invasive is just an excuse by certain elements of the agricultural community to 1)justify attacking the species with herbicides and 2) to try to shift blame for groundwater and surface water shortages away from human overappropriation and overuse, often by those same agricultural interests.<BR/><BR/>I know that redcedars are a nuisance, and I've pulled and cut out many a cedar seedling or sapling myself. In fact, we've just bought a new home, complete with a 5 acre pasture that has redcedars speckled liberally throughout it. And we've started cutting them out. But a weed is just a plant out of place, and I love redcedars in their proper place. Let's not put a negative label on a plant that encourages us to "throw out the baby with the bathwater," metaphorically speaking.Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.com