Releasing A Foreign Fungus To Kill Tumbleweeds?

[longknife]

When are we going to learn? Since introducing cats and rats to isolated islands in the oceans to bringing plants like this where they don't belong – we never seem to recognize the problems it causes.


Here's the latest @ Unleashing An Epidemic To Kill The Tumbleweeds Popular Science

 

[depotoo]

Then when it is too late they will find out there was an actual good environmental effect from them they had missed.

 

[SSDD]

There is a reason they are known as the kings of unintended consequences. They let you know how far off base they are in the first line when they call tumbleweeds an invasive western plant...what they are doing is introducing an invasive species to kill a bona fide citizen of the western landscape.

 

[longknife]

There is a reason they are known as the kings of unintended consequences. They let you know how far off base they are in the first line when they call tumbleweeds an invasive western plant...what they are doing is introducing an invasive species to kill a bona fide citizen of the western landscape.

Did you even bother to read the link in the OP?

Anyone who has lived, or farmed, or ranched in the west knows that tumbleweed is actually Russian thistle brought here by mistake. It has no natural predator and therefore grows unchecked to the point of creating environmental damage. It reduces grazing land.

However, my concern in this is having yet another alien element introduced to wipe out an invader.

Do you live in the south or know anyone who does? What about feral pigs? Swine were NOT native to North America and are destroying croplands and natural environment everywhere.

 

[mamooth]

Invasive Purple Loosestrife used to choke our waterways. An insect that ate only Purple Loosestrife was introduced, and the stuff is now much less of a problem. There's an example of very successful control of an invasive.

Invasive Multiflora Rose used to choke the hillsides in great thorny tangles. Then a virus showed up (it was not introduced deliberately), and the stuff is way less common now. However, big downside to this one, since the virus also targets garden roses. So, mixed record there.

Invasive Emerald Ash Borer. It's killing native ash trees by the millions. Biocontrols are being experimented with. I hope that turns out well.

 

[elektra]

Have the 50,000,000 people without a job grab a shovel for this shovel ready job.