{"id":12506,"date":"2019-08-20T11:01:06","date_gmt":"2019-08-20T15:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=12506"},"modified":"2022-03-21T16:47:31","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T20:47:31","slug":"invasive-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/invasive-species\/","title":{"rendered":"Biology Students: It Takes a Village to Stop Invasive Species"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever wondered whether invasive species of plants are a problem in Michigan, four Kalamazoo College biology<\/a> students have your answer: Yes.<\/p>\n

\"Fiorina
Fiorina Talaba (left) and Fiona Summers are two of the four students mapping invasive species of plants this summer at the Lillian Anderson Arboretum and Kleinstuck Preserve.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fiorina Talaba \u201922 from California, Mathew Holmes-Hackerd \u201920 from Massachusetts, Fiona Summers \u201920 from Illinois and Kelson Perez \u201921 from Michigan are mapping invasive species with Biology Professor Binney Girdler<\/a> this summer at K\u2019s Lillian Anderson Arboretum<\/a> and Western Michigan University\u2019s Kleinstuck Preserve<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The results show several types of the problematic plants are common and growing quickly locally with few natural predators or pests as they choke out native species. That could be causing interruptions to important ecological processes, and potentially, endangering some native plants to the point of extinction.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn today\u2019s climate, we need to focus on biodiversity and how we\u2019re affecting the environment,\u201d Talaba said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just the gases we\u2019re emitting into the atmosphere that present environmental issues. It\u2019s also how invasive species have gotten here and changed our environment to a point where it\u2019s hard to recognize it from what it used to be. We have an obligation to protect native species.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kelson
Kelson Perez (right) is one of four Kalamazoo College biology students working on mapping invasive species of plants under Biology Professor Binney Girdler this summer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of the invasive plants the four are commonly finding in Kalamazoo include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Creeping myrtle, sometimes called periwinkle, which is a flowering plant.<\/li>\n
  • Buckthorn, a hardy shrub known for its bright, glossy leaves.<\/li>\n
  • Winged euonymus, a bush-like shrub that is sometimes called burning bush.<\/li>\n
  • Honeysuckle, identifiable as an arching shrub or twining vine that can have a strong fragrance.<\/li>\n
  • Oriental bittersweet, a vine that tends to suffocate trees and sap their nutrients, potentially creating hazards related to dead trees for arboretum visitors.<\/li>\n
  • Japanese knotweed, which is a plant with bamboo-like stems and small white flowers.<\/li>\n
  • Garlic mustard, a biennial flowering plant known for its medicinal and culinary uses, despite its invasive aspects in nature.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    How did the invasive species get here?<\/h2>\n

    It\u2019s not always clear how these invasive species, mostly from Asia and some from Europe, arrive in Kalamazoo.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt shows how interconnected our society has become,\u201d Perez said. \u201cWe can transport things like invasive species over massive distances in ways that would\u2019ve been impossible in any other age. It\u2019s like another Pangea where continents are pressing up against each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

    However, it generally can be said that people have been responsible for allowing them to spread. Some people might even be planting the invasive species in their own gardens and yards because the plants look pretty, or transporting seeds on their shoes as they walk through the arboretum.<\/p>\n

    \u201cDr. Girdler says a majority of people will just look at invasive species and see green,\u201d Holmes-Hackerd said. \u201cThey will look at all the green plants and think how pretty they are. We want to take it a level deeper. If we look at invasive species within the ecosystem and how they affect the large preserve, it can open people\u2019s eyes. It can be bizarre to see a tree completely covered in leaves when the tree is dead because an invasive plant killed it.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Hope for the future<\/h2>\n

    While invasive species are a formidable foe, the four K student researchers say the projects they\u2019re completing have provided opportunities for community outreach and established baselines that one day will help other researchers measure whether their efforts have been effective.<\/p>\n

    Their own outreach has consisted of sharing their research with other students through social media, talking with neighbors of the arboretum about the problematic plants, and encouraging community involvement in planting more native species, pulling invasive plants and protecting natural spaces.<\/p>\n

    \u201cA lot of times you think of a scientist as someone who is rigid and wears a white coat,\u201d Summers said. \u201cWe want to be super approachable and make people enjoy learning about invasive species.\u201d<\/p>\n

    A platform like social media, for example, \u201cprovides such an easy way for young people to feel the experience,\u201d Summers added. \u201cAnother reason I like it is it makes it easy to communicate our science to the general public. A lot of scientists lack the ability of explaining what they do so that anyone can understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Get involved<\/h2>\n

    Here\u2019s what you can do:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Ask your local nursery or gardening store about what you\u2019re planting to ensure it\u2019s not invasive, and plant more native species.<\/li>\n
    • Volunteer to pull invasive plants at community events that target them.<\/li>\n
    • Clean your shoes, hiking boots and pet\u2019s paws after walking on nature trails to prevent the seeds of invasive plants from spreading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Targeting invasive species \u201creally is reliant on community involvement,\u201d Holmes-Hackerd said. \u201cThe arboretum alone is 150 acres. It\u2019s not something a handful of researchers can handle on their own. We\u2019re hoping we can get the community to care and help out in any way.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      If you\u2019ve ever wondered whether invasive species of plants are a problem in Michigan, four Kalamazoo College biology students have your answer: Yes. Fiorina Talaba \u201922 from California, Mathew Holmes-Hackerd \u201920 from Massachusetts, Fiona Summers \u201920 from Illinois and Kelson Perez \u201921 from Michigan are mapping invasive species with Biology Professor Binney Girdler this summer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":12512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[231],"tags":[52],"post_formats":[],"class_list":["post-12506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-students","tag-biology"],"yoast_head":"\r\nInvasive Species: It Takes a Village to Stop Them - News and Events<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Invasive species of plants have become a local problem. Here\u2019s what you can do to help four Kalamazoo College biology students and the community stop them.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/invasive-species\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Invasive Species: It Takes a Village to Stop Them - News and Events\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Invasive species of plants have become a local problem. Here\u2019s what you can do to help four Kalamazoo College biology students and the community stop them.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/invasive-species\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News and Events\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KalamazooCollege\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-08-20T15:01:06+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-03-21T20:47:31+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/08\/Invasive-Species-Fiorina-and-Fiona.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"944\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andy Brown\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andy Brown\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/invasive-species\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/invasive-species\/\",\"name\":\"Invasive Species: It Takes a Village to Stop Them - News and Events\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/invasive-species\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/invasive-species\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/08\/Invasive-Species-Fiorina-and-Fiona.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-08-20T15:01:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-03-21T20:47:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8b54e37c984840c05e9ec797b6616166\"},\"description\":\"Invasive species of plants have become a local problem. 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aria-label=\"archive of category Students\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/students\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Students<\/a>","tags_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/biology\/\" rel=\"tag\">biology<\/a>","social_share_info":"<a data-share=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/invasive-species\/\" class=\"pl-facebook-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/invasive-species\/\" class=\"pl-twiiter-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/invasive-species\/\" class=\"pl-linkedin-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin-in\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a>","wordExcerpt_info":"<p>If you\u2019ve ever wondered whether invasive species of plants are a problem in Michigan, four Kalamazoo College <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/programs\/biology\/\">biology<\/a> students have your answer: Yes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12512\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12512\" style=\"width: 584px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-12512\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/08\/Invasive-Species-Fiorina-and-Fiona-600x610.jpg\" alt=\"Fiorina Talaba and Fiona Summers mapping invasive species\" width=\"584\" height=\"594\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12512\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fiorina Talaba (left) and Fiona Summers are two of the four students mapping invasive species of plants this summer at the Lillian Anderson Arboretum and Kleinstuck Preserve.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Fiorina Talaba \u201922 from California, Mathew Holmes-Hackerd \u201920 from Massachusetts, Fiona Summers \u201920 from Illinois and Kelson Perez \u201921 from Michigan are mapping invasive species with <a href=\"https:\/\/reason.kzoo.edu\/biology\/facstaff\/bgirdler\/\">Biology Professor Binney Girdler<\/a> this summer at K\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/map.concept3d.com\/?id=198#!m\/183224\">Lillian Anderson Arboretum<\/a> and Western Michigan University\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/wmich.edu\/kleinstuck\">Kleinstuck Preserve<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The results show several types of the problematic plants are common and growing quickly locally with few natural predators or pests as they choke out native species. That could be causing interruptions to important ecological processes, and potentially, endangering some native plants to the point of extinction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn today\u2019s climate, we need to focus on biodiversity and how we\u2019re affecting the environment,\u201d Talaba said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just the gases we\u2019re emitting into the atmosphere that present environmental issues. It\u2019s also how invasive species have gotten here and changed our environment to a point where it\u2019s hard to recognize it from what it used to be. We have an obligation to protect native species.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12514\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12514\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12514\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/08\/Invasive-Species-Kelson-Perez-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Kelson Perez and an arboretum official map invasive species\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12514\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kelson Perez (right) is one of four Kalamazoo College biology students working on mapping invasive species of plants under Biology Professor Binney Girdler this summer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Some of the invasive plants the four are commonly finding in Kalamazoo include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Creeping myrtle, sometimes called periwinkle, which is a flowering plant.<\/li>\n<li>Buckthorn, a hardy shrub known for its bright, glossy leaves.<\/li>\n<li>Winged euonymus, a bush-like shrub that is sometimes called burning bush.<\/li>\n<li>Honeysuckle, identifiable as an arching shrub or twining vine that can have a strong fragrance.<\/li>\n<li>Oriental bittersweet, a vine that tends to suffocate trees and sap their nutrients, potentially creating hazards related to dead trees for arboretum visitors.<\/li>\n<li>Japanese knotweed, which is a plant with bamboo-like stems and small white flowers.<\/li>\n<li>Garlic mustard, a biennial flowering plant known for its medicinal and culinary uses, despite its invasive aspects in nature.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How did the invasive species get here?<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s not always clear how these invasive species, mostly from Asia and some from Europe, arrive in Kalamazoo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt shows how interconnected our society has become,\u201d Perez said. \u201cWe can transport things like invasive species over massive distances in ways that would\u2019ve been impossible in any other age. It\u2019s like another Pangea where continents are pressing up against each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, it generally can be said that people have been responsible for allowing them to spread. Some people might even be planting the invasive species in their own gardens and yards because the plants look pretty, or transporting seeds on their shoes as they walk through the arboretum.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDr. Girdler says a majority of people will just look at invasive species and see green,\u201d Holmes-Hackerd said. \u201cThey will look at all the green plants and think how pretty they are. We want to take it a level deeper. If we look at invasive species within the ecosystem and how they affect the large preserve, it can open people\u2019s eyes. It can be bizarre to see a tree completely covered in leaves when the tree is dead because an invasive plant killed it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Hope for the future<\/h2>\n<p>While invasive species are a formidable foe, the four K student researchers say the projects they\u2019re completing have provided opportunities for community outreach and established baselines that one day will help other researchers measure whether their efforts have been effective.<\/p>\n<p>Their own outreach has consisted of sharing their research with other students through social media, talking with neighbors of the arboretum about the problematic plants, and encouraging community involvement in planting more native species, pulling invasive plants and protecting natural spaces.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of times you think of a scientist as someone who is rigid and wears a white coat,\u201d Summers said. \u201cWe want to be super approachable and make people enjoy learning about invasive species.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A platform like social media, for example, \u201cprovides such an easy way for young people to feel the experience,\u201d Summers added. \u201cAnother reason I like it is it makes it easy to communicate our science to the general public. A lot of scientists lack the ability of explaining what they do so that anyone can understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Get involved<\/h2>\n<p>Here\u2019s what you can do:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ask your local nursery or gardening store about what you\u2019re planting to ensure it\u2019s not invasive, and plant more native species.<\/li>\n<li>Volunteer to pull invasive plants at community events that target them.<\/li>\n<li>Clean your shoes, hiking boots and pet\u2019s paws after walking on nature trails to prevent the seeds of invasive plants from spreading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Targeting invasive species \u201creally is reliant on community involvement,\u201d Holmes-Hackerd said. \u201cThe arboretum alone is 150 acres. It\u2019s not something a handful of researchers can handle on their own. We\u2019re hoping we can get the community to care and help out in any way.<strong>\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","comment_info":"No Comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12506"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12521,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12506\/revisions\/12521"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12506"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=12506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}