Invasive Species - What's New on NISIC's Site

This handbook includes six chapters that discuss invasive species and their environmental, economic, and health impacts. It also reviews pathways of invasive species spread and prevention, monitoring, and control. The handbook is a resource for educators teaching children in grades 3 through 8. Learning objectives, activities, and vocabulary are also included.

Over recent decades, globalization has led to an increase in the international flow of people and goods, bringing people together but also bringing together species that have never coexisted before. Species that are introduced and successfully colonize areas outside their natural ranges are considered ‘invasive’ and can have devastating impacts on species native to the region. Invasive species can cause the decline or extinction of native species, outcompeting them for food, water and space, preying upon them or introducing them to new diseases.

The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) is seeking comments on the draft "Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Strategic Plan." All individuals interested in AIS management in South Dakota have from now through December 31, 2022, to provide suggestions and comments on the revised plan in its current form. The draft AIS strategic plan can be found online at: https://gfp.sd.gov/management-plans/.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the detection of box tree moth (BTM) (Cydalima perspectalis) at two residences in Clinton located in Lenawee County. Although not a threat to Michigan’s natural resources, extensive feeding from box tree moth can lead to significant defoliation and death of ornamental boxwood.  In May 2021, potentially infested boxwood plants were shipped to retail locations in several states including six in Michigan. The pest was then identified in three of the six Michigan facilities. It is not known whether the box tree moth populations detected in Clinton are linked or if the pest entered the state through another pathway.

Black carp, which are an invasive fish species in North America, are now known to be established in the wild in parts of the Mississippi River basin. A new study co-authored by the U.S. Geological Survey is the first to identify an established population—meaning they are naturally reproducing and living to adulthood— of wild black carp in any location across the U.S.

When a black carp is captured in the wild, it can be reported to the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database. That tool compiles information on and can be used to track the status of other aquatic invasive species as well. The USGS is involved in many invasive species projects across the U.S. and its territories. Learn more by visiting the USGS Invasive Species Program website or the USGS invasive carp website.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is replacing the common name for regulated Lymantria moths. APHIS will replace "gypsy moth" (Lymantria dispar) with "spongy moth" and "Asian gypsy moth" (L. dispar asiatica, L. dispar japonica, L. albescens, L. postalba, and L. umbrosa) with "flighted spongy moth complex." This change aligns APHIS with the Entomological Society of America’s "Better Common Names Project" and the scientific community. Spongy moths are significant invasive forest pests. They can defoliate hundreds of species of trees and shrubs and harm our country’s natural resources.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) caught 202,300 spongy moths (formerly named gypsy moth) in 10,044 traps this summer as part of the federal Slow the Spread of the Spongy Moth Program. "Wisconsin weather trends have allowed the spongy moth population to grow over the last several years," said Michael Falk, DATCP's trapping coordinator.

Spongy moth is an invasive pest that has been spreading westward since its introduction to North America. Caterpillars feed on the leaves of many species of trees and shrubs, especially oaks, and can cause severe leaf loss when feeding in large numbers. For more information, call (800) 642-MOTH (6684), email spongymoth@wisconsin.gov, or visit www.spongymoth.wi.gov.

Venom is associated with being harmful, but red imported fire ants are using their venom for its medicinal benefits by sharing the toxic substance with their nestmates, according to a study published in the Journal of Insect Physiology. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists from the agency's Biological Control of Pests Research Unit and Southern Insect Management Research Unit in Stoneville, Mississippi, discovered a new way that fire ants use their venom to prevent diseases in their colonies.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a final rule to reclassify the northern long-eared bat as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The bat, listed as threatened in 2015, now faces extinction due to the rangewide impacts of white-nose syndrome, a deadly disease affecting hibernating bats across North America. The rule takes effect on January 30, 2023.

The Northern Research Station delivers science solutions for a sustainable future, pursues collaborative research-based solutions for complex challenges, and informs land management decisions. These research highlights are just a small part of the excellent work done by the Station's researchers this year. From understanding the impacts of climate change, invasive species, and altered fire regimes, to providing science to support ecosystem management, to developing new tools for restoration and reforestation, this work will help sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation's forests and grasslands.