DNA from thin air: could invasive species be monitored using airborne DNA?
Invasive species are notoriously challenging to track due to their ability to rapidly spread from one habitat to another, whilst their impacts on endangered species can be even more difficult to detect. Two new studies published in the journal Current Biology have now shown that it is possible to accurately identify a variety of animal…
Raccoon dogs threaten Scandinavian ground-nesting duck populations
Ground-nesting waterbirds such as ducks have been declining across Denmark and Finland in recent decades, with breeding pair numbers falling since the 1980s. Predators of duck eggs have become more abundant during this time, including invasive species such as American mink, raccoons and raccoon dogs.
Invasive species cost US billions of dollars each year
The total cost of invasive species in the United States is estimated to be in the order of billions each year, according to a recent study. The study, which is currently published as a preprint on BioRxiv, also estimates the total invasive species cost over the past 60 years to be at least $1 trillion,…