New plant recorded in India is invasive weed elsewhere
What is an invasive species?
- An alien species is a species introduced outside its natural past or present distribution; if this species becomes problematic, it is termed an invasive alien species (IAS).
- Not all non-native species are invasive. For example, most of the food crops grown in India, including onion, potato and tomatoes are not native to the region.
- To be invasive,
- a species must adapt to the new area easily
- it must reproduce quickly
- it must harm the economy, or the native plants and animals of the region
- Some of the most serious invasive species in India are Alternanthera philoxeroides, Cassia uniflora, Chromolaena odorata, Eichhornia crassipes, Lantana camara, Parthenium hysterophorus and Prosopis juliflora, etc.
Ways to deter them
- The movement of people and goods around the world increases the opportunity for introduction of IAS. The most effective way to stop the negative impacts of IAS is through prevention of spread by regulating the trade or movement of a species.
- Once an IAS has arrived, early detection, monitoring and eradication can stop the species spreading.
Why in the news?
- Scientists from Nagaland University have found Strobilanthes reptans in hills of Arunachal Pradesh for the first time in India.
Features of the plant
- Growing up to 20 cm tall on grassy hill slopes
- Prefers at 150 metres above mean sea level.
- Gives Pale violet flowers with darker veins from June to September, and yields fruit from July to December.
- But it is an invasive species all over South Asia and Indo-Pacific Islands.
- The plant has not had any adverse effect on indigenous flora as it is restricted to a single locality measuring less than 1 sq. km. But scientists have fears about its spread and have called for tracing its cultivation in India.
References:
Subscribe
Login
0 Comments