Primer of Ecological Restoration by Dr. Karen Holl

Author:Dr. Karen Holl
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Island Press
Published: 2020-03-09T16:00:00+00:00

Biological Control

Biological control agents have been used successfully to control invasive species in some cases. For instance, sterile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) have been introduced to lakes to consume a variety of invasive aquatic plant species and are more cost-effective than physical or chemical removal methods (Natural Resources Council 1992). Saltcedar leaf beetles (Diorhabda spp.) have reduced the cover of invasive Tamarix spp. in much of the southwestern United States (Tamarisk Removal case study). Biological control agents should be thoroughly tested prior to widespread release to evaluate their effects on nontarget species. In some cases, insect and disease biological control agents have spread beyond the intended species to dramatically reduce populations of closely related native species (Louda and O’Brien 2002). For example, the mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus), a small carnivorous mammal from Asia, was introduced into Hawaii to control rats in Hawaiian sugarcane plantations. However, because the mongoose is active during the day and rats are nocturnal, the mongoose ate native bird eggs and destroyed native bird populations.

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