eli5 how invasive species make their way across oceans,for example certain beetles coming from Japan to the US

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eli5 how invasive species make their way across oceans,for example certain beetles coming from Japan to the US

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Anonymous 0 Comments

It can deliberate or not.

Here’s an example of a deliberate one: Japanese Knotweed is a rather nice looking plant. It also has flowers that can be useful for beekeepers. It was imported for some use rather than accidentally.

The thing is that it is a weed. It tends to outgrow and outcompete indigenous plants killing them. It also secretes toxins from its roots which again kills anything that didn’t evolve alongside it.

It is ridiculously resilient and getting rid of it requires some rather extreme measures.

If you want another one: pigs. Back in the colonization era, many sailors would drop pigs on islands on the way to have a meat supply on the return trip. Pigs are incredibly good at surviving and reproducing. They also tend to ravage ecosystems as a result.

One that wasn’t deliberate: zebra mussels. They were basically stowaways on ships and made it to pretty much everywhere in the world.

Another non deliberate example is insects making it on imported fruits, vegetables, crops, etc.

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