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The Herpetological Research Team at the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center uses innovative tools to investigate the invasion and spread of American bullfrogs in Washington and Oregon and understand how bullfrogs are interacting with native amphibians.

Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) is one of the worst invasive plants in the South. It dominates the shrub layer and often becomes the only shrub underneath trees, especially in streamside areas. But insects and spiders living in fallen leaves and leaf litter were not affected by a privet invasion in Georgia, as a recent study shows.

Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) is a nonnative, invasive tree whose decaying leaf litter alters water quality and the microbial community in the wetland habitats. This negatively impacts the lifecycle of semi-aquatic species like frogs.

Holmes, Thomas P.; Aukema, Juliann E.; Von Holle, Betsy; Liebhold, Andrew; Sills, Erin. 2009. Economic impacts of invasive species in forest past, present, and future. In: The Year In Ecology and Conservation Biology, 2009. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1162:18-38.

Managers often struggle to calculate the ecological and economic costs associated with invasive species. Yet, knowing these impacts can boost support and understanding for invasive species management. In a new book chapter, NWRC economist Dr. Stephanie Shwiff and colleagues describe how economists determine costs of both primary and secondary impacts from invasive species and how these translate into jobs and revenue in regional economies.

In 2016 NASS began to collect data on honey bee health and pollination costs. Provides reliable, up-to-date statistics help track honey bee mortality.

See also: NOAA Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheet - Invasive Lionfish [PDF, 1.46 MB]

European green crabs are one of the most widespread invasive marine species on the planet, originally reaching Washington in 1996. When green crab populations grow too large, they compete with other shellfish, disturb the sediment, and destroy the eelgrass that is an important habitat for Dungeness crab and salmon. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is working to increase the effectiveness of Washington’s green crab early detection and rapid response program. Research conducted at the USGS' Western Fisheries Research Center aims to improve native shellfish habitat and limit the spread of European green crabs in coastal waters.

The invasive Asian jumping worm (Amynthas agrestis) has many common names: Alabama jumpers, Jersey wrigglers, wood eel, crazy worms, snake worms, and crazy snake worms. “Invasive Asian jumping worms got their name because of the way they thrash around,” said Mac Callaham, a Forest Service researcher who specializes in soils. “They can flip themselves a foot off the ground.”

Like other earthworms, Asian jumping worms eat tiny pieces of fallen leaves. But there’s a problem. Those fallen leaves make up the top layer of forest soil. The litter layer, as it’s called, is home to a vast number of tiny animals. Many plants can’t grow or spread without the layer of leaf litter. “Soil is the foundation of life – and Asian jumping worms change it,” says Callaham. “In fact, earthworms can have such huge impacts that they’re able to actually reengineer the ecosystems around them.”

This open access book describes the serious threat of invasive species to native ecosystems. Invasive species have caused and will continue to cause enormous ecological and economic damage with ever increasing world trade. This multi-disciplinary book (17 Chapters), written by over 100 national experts, presents the latest research on a wide range of natural science and social science fields that explore the ecology, impacts, and practical tools for management of invasive species. It covers species of all taxonomic groups from insects and pathogens, to plants, vertebrates, and aquatic organisms that impact a diversity of habitats in forests, rangelands and grasslands of the U.S. It is well-illustrated, provides summaries of the most important invasive species and issues impacting all regions of the country, and includes a comprehensive primary reference list for each topic. This scientific synthesis provides the cultural, economic, scientific and social context for addressing environmental challenges posed by invasive species and will be a valuable resource for scholars, policy makers, natural resource managers and practitioners.
Note: Open access for book and chapters are also available via SpringerLink
Citation: Poland, Therese M.; Patel-Weynand, Toral; Finch, Deborah M.; Ford Miniat, Chelcy; Hayes, Deborah C.; Lopez, Vanessa M., eds. 2021. Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the United States Forest Sector. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer International Publishing. 455p.

Chapter 14 (pages 305-320) in open access book; see related resource: Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the United States Forest Sector

While the subset of introduced species that become invasive is small, the damages caused by that subset and the costs of controlling them can be substantial. This chapter takes an in-depth look at the economic damages non-native species cause, methods economists often use to measure those damages, and tools used to assess invasive species policies.

Citation: Warziniack, Travis; Haight, Robert G.; Yemshanov, Denys; Apriesnig, Jenny L.; Holmes, Thomas P.; Countryman, Amanda M.; Rothlisberger, John D.; Haberland, Christopher. 2021. Economics of Invasive Species. In: Poland, Therese M.; Patel-Weynand, Toral; Finch, Deborah M.; Ford Miniat, Chelcy; Hayes, Deborah C.; Lopez, Vanessa M., eds. Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the United States Forest Sector. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer International Publishing: 305 - 320. Chapter 14.

Chapter 9 (pages 203-230) in  open access book; see related resource: Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the United States Forest Sector

Invasive species have a major effect on many sectors of the U.S. economy and on the well-being of its citizens. Their presence impacts animal and human health, military readiness, urban vegetation and infrastructure, water, energy and transportations systems, and indigenous peoples in the United States. They alter bio-physical systems and cultural practices and require significant public and private expenditure for control. This chapter provides examples of the impacts to human systems and explains mechanisms of invasive species' establishment and spread within sectors of the U.S. economy.

Citation: Marsh, Anne S.; Hayes, Deborah C.; Klein, Patrice N.; Zimmerman, Nicole; Dalsimer, Aliso; Burkett, Douglas A.; Huebner, Cynthia D.; Rabaglia, Robert; Meyerson, Laura A.; Harper-Lore, Bonnie L.; Davidson, Jamie L.; Emery, Marla R.; Warziniack, Travis; Flitcroft, Rebecca; Kerns, Becky K.; Lopez, Vanessa M. 2021. Sectoral Impacts of Invasive Species in the United States and Approaches to Management. In: Poland, Therese M.; Patel-Weynand, Toral; Finch, Deborah M.; Ford Miniat, Chelcy; Hayes, Deborah C.; Lopez, Vanessa M., eds. Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the United States Forest Sector. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer International Publishing: 203 - 230. Chapter 9.

Learn to edit Wikipedia and help improve articles about invasive species. Join the National Agricultural Library’s National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC) to learn more about invasive species, their impacts, and their control.

The event scheduled from 11am-3pm will begin with an introduction and information about the Information Center and invasive species from Joyce Bolton, head of NISIC, and other guest speakers. Then, Jamie Flood, Wikipedian-in-residence of National Agricultural Library and Ariel Cetrone of Wikimedia D.C. will lead a one-hour training on Wikipedia editing and we will spend the rest of the day updating invasive species articles on Wikipedia. During the event experienced editors will be on hand to assist and answer questions.

New research by NOAA and partners finds that two species of invasive Asian carp -- the bighead carp and silver carp, collectively known as bigheaded carps -- could be capable of establishing populations in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron and affecting the health of ecologically and economically important fish species such as yellow perch. The research, appearing online in the journal Biological Invasions, is based on a new model that simulates interactions between the bigheaded carps and a range of fish species, including walleye, yellow perch, and groups lower on the food web over a time period of 50 years. Over 180 non-indigenous aquatic species have already become established in the Great Lakes, with a handful of these producing substantial negative impacts. While bigheaded carps are established in watersheds near the Great Lakes, they have not yet become established in the Great Lakes.

Photosynthesis feeds trees and has a significant benefit for people, too, namely the removal of carbon from the atmosphere and into live tree biomass through a process called “sequestration.” But USDA Forest Service scientists and a colleague found that increased tree mortality from the impacts of nonnative insects and diseases results in the transfer of carbon stored in live trees into dead material, much of which will eventually return to the atmosphere by decomposition. This threatens the estimated 76 percent of carbon sequestration in North America that comes from forests.

Note: Webarchive; provides economic background information

Citation: Thompson, D. Q. (1987). Spread, impact, and control of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in North American wetlands. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service.

USDA Forest Service scientists are exploring the impacts of invasive species in forests and rangelands of the United States and developing early intervention strategies that land managers can take as well as strategies for restoring impacted landscapes.