Call them what you will, alien invaders, invasive species, or just aliens, these ecological-niche invaders are increasingly present in ecosystems on land and in water, and increasingly difficult to eradicate because they always seem to thrive, even when displaced, and frequently feed on – or otherwise eradicate – native populations.
In the animal kingdom, invasive species include the brown tree snake in
In the world of bugs, the African honeybee comes immediately to mind because of its aggressive tendencies and also because of the
Among aquatic invaders, we have a number of mussels, including the zebra mussel of the Great Lakes, native to the Caspian Sea region of Asia, and quagga mussels from the
I know they are invaders. I know they take over regional ecologies and are darn near impossible to eradicate. I know that the
In spite of that, I’m going to leap to their defense. At least, to the defense of some of these invaders, which are not only quite pretty (loosestrife and milfoil), but seem to have the ability (oft lacking in native species) to not only survive but thrive in global warming conditions that are accelerating much faster than predicted. I’m sure the environmental community is going to denounce me roundly for my unorthodox stance, but they say strength comes through adversity, so bring it on.
I’d prefer robins, but if things get really bad I will settle for starlings. I prefer cattails and rushes, but when lake levels fall close to nonexistent, milfoil may be the only greenery able to survive in noxious waters. I also prefer walleye, but carp are edible if highly seasoned, and I would much prefer my European honeybees, but African versions also produce honey and can be managed by the very cautious. I eat clams, but if I were starving I could easily down a zebra mussel with a little salt and lemon. We’re talking exigencies here, and the 21st century may boil down to nothing but exigency in terms of food and other resources.
Perhaps, in a warming world, with regional ecologies collapsing left and right from pollution and overuse, these aliens are Nature’s way of preserving life, however ugly, obnoxious and creepy. I’d rather have an Asian lady beetle roaming my cucumber vines than suddenly discover there were no insects at all. Because no insects will indicate the final collapse of all of earth’s ecosystems and I don’t want to live to see that happen. Do you? More important, I’m no longer sure, having made such a mess of things, we humans actually have a choice, so perhaps we should let Nature make a few decisions.