invasive species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has changed the status of two rare Southwest fishes—the spikedace and loach minnows—from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act. With this action, the agency designated 710 miles of streams as critical habitat, meaning FWS must approve any new projects there.

Posted by Melissa Lamberton | on January 19, 2012
In the Southwest, a plant's citizenship status often determines its fate. Conservationists work to keep invasive species at bay with chainsaws and chemicals even as climate change begins to turn ecosystems into jigsaw puzzles. As global temperatures rise and precipitation patterns shift, native and exotic species alike head for new locations. Bethany Bradley, a biogeographer at the University of Massachusetts, has a novel suggestion: Make climate change an ally in our efforts to restore the damage caused by invasive species.

In a forum on the risks of climate change on California agriculture, experts discussed the potential for complete crop failure—especially among fruit—as winter lows continue to rise, according to the Contra Costa Times.

Increasing temperatures will favor invasive grass species over native grasses in California, according to a new study published in Global Change Biology.