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Post by ICPS-bob on Jan 29, 2012 17:32:04 GMT
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Post by bobtheglob on Jan 29, 2012 17:43:41 GMT
Did they at least transplant the Sarrs?
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Post by Apoplast on Jan 30, 2012 20:01:24 GMT
Hi Bob - Those quotes sound like the might be spurious claims by well meaning individuals. I'd like to see the data showing that either: 1. the pitcher plants are competing with and lowering the populations of dews (given that the three UK native Drosera species co-occur with purps in eastern North America) 2. or that predation by the purps has seriously impacted the populations of any of the UK native insects.
Either may be true, but without data, are the types of claims that make people doubt the validity other conservation efforts. I am not claiming that removal of exotic species isn't warranted, only that as someone representing "scientific authority" the ranger is doing that and all other conservation efforts a disservice if there isn't hard evidence of his claim of harm.
Does anyone know if there is data to support his assertion, or if this is pure speculation?
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Post by meadowview on Jan 30, 2012 21:58:18 GMT
Hi Apoplast: The assertion that pitcher plants are a competitive threat is bogus in our opinion. In the limited study that we did we found that the opposite was true, Sarracenia may be commensals supplying limiting nutrients to the ecosystem. See www.pitcherplant.org/Abstracts/competitive-threat.html from 1996. Virginia Journal of Science 47: 154. Of course there is the greater issue here of a non-native plant in a natural area. Removal because of that point alone makes sense to me. Sincerely, Phil Sheridan, Ph.D. Director Meadowview Biological Research Station
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Post by Apoplast on Jan 30, 2012 23:44:06 GMT
Hi Phil - I couldn't agree more, and I am certainly not making an argument against removing exotic species for that reason alone. My beef was solely with what appears to have been unfounded claims of harm as justification for their removal project. Especially given that your study suggests otherwise for those species. The possible caveats being if the UK native dews are an eco-type that does not do well when purps are present or if the UK climate causes these species to negatively impact each other, as unlikely as those possibilities may be.
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