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posted by CoolHand on Tuesday June 13 2017, @06:34PM   Printer-friendly
from the space-invaders dept.

A global study of invasive species has identified "hotspots" where ecosystems are dominated by invasive plants and animals:

Scientists say islands and mainland coastal regions are global "hotspots" for alien species. They are calling for more effective measures to stop further introductions of plants and animals into vulnerable ecosystems.

[...] Alien species are plants or animals that are non-native (or alien) to an ecosystem and whose introduction is likely to cause harm. International researchers studied data on eight groups of plants and animals across 186 island and 423 mainland regions.

[...] The top three global "hotspots" for alien species are the Hawaiian Islands, the North Island of New Zealand and Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Islands. [...] Among coastal mainland regions, Florida in the US is the top hotspot, with invasive ants and reptiles such as the Burmese python. Islands and mainland coastal regions are thought to have higher numbers of established alien plants and animals because they contain major points of entry such as ports.

Global hotspots and correlates of alien species richness across taxonomic groups (open, DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0186) (DX)


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  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 13 2017, @10:54PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 13 2017, @10:54PM (#525134)

    Poor New Zealand.

    Just like your weak and ill-prepared birds, the people living there now will soon be hunted and overpowered by foreign invaders within a century. Your amazing 100+ year history you're so proud of will be wiped out and replaced with a 10,000+ year Asian history. There'll be just a tiny, tiny footnote that this beautiful Chinese province was (some say) roamed by an extinct white flightless bird that lacked any ability to defend itself. Same goes for the USA ;)

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