For a complete list of invasive species, log onto www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/invintro.asp. For a site that gives a complete description of such species log onto www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov.

Many people are surprised to learn that the majority of plant species they find here in Indianapolis are from other countries. Some of these exotic plants invade, quickly taking over and degrading native plant communities. These exotics reduce the biodiversity of natural areas, making them less healthy, vibrant, and resilient to change. Some weedy examples include Siberian Elm, Tree of Heaven, Amur Honeysuckle and garlic mustard.

Answer: Please visit our Identify page to find tools for identifying invasive species such as online keys and image galleries. If you have a specific question or need help with identifying or reporting an invasive species, please contact us.

Answer: Not necessarily. In invasive species terminology, the words alien, exotic, and foreign are often used interchangeably and mean not native to the habitat in question. Some invasive species are native species that naturally occur in a habitat but are experiencing a population explosion in response to an unnatural influence such as disturbance by humans (dandelions can cause economic harm even where they are native).

Along the Nexican border of Texas and in West Texas, there exist native fire ants that are difficult to distinguish from their imported cousins. However, if you can see four tiny teeth on the mandible or jaw of a fire ants, it is S. invicta. Native species possess three teeth. Over East, Central and much of South Texas, the most common native fire ant, S. geminata, can be distinguished without examination of tiny details of anatomy.

Invasive species are any non-native plant or animal that is introduced either intentionally or accidentally to a particular area that creates a negative impact on the surrounding environment.

Call us at 1-800-222-0638. We maintain calibration data for a wide variety of exotic species. Or, you may contact the USDA Forest Products Lab in Madison, Wisconsin by calling 608-231-1361 or via e-mail at info@forestprod.org. If the species correction is simply not available, you can take readings below 10 percent at face value. Any correction is so small that depending on the application; a correction may not be necessary.

The restoration project will address the issue of invasive species and predators and develop methods to reduce their impact. Control of introduced species and predators will focus on those species with the greatest impacts on native wildlife and species for which there are effective methods for control. The Project Management Team will work with the Invasive Spartina Project to determine how to control introduced species of cordgrass or Spartina.

Scientific studies strongly indicate that invasive exotic plants harm Florida’s natural environment and lead to a loss of biodiversity. Many of Florida’s unique native plant and animal communities are found nowhere else in North America. Invasive exotic plants disrupt Florida’s natural environment by forming novel habitats, and by altering ecological processes that permit native plants and animals to survive.

First, learn to identify invasive plant species and report new sightings. Always make sure you record and mark the location, species (if known) and the approximate size of the population. Give this information to the nearest land management agency or extension service. The following websites are a good place to find information on identifying invasive species: This is the USDA Invasive Species website and contains lots of information on Federal noxious and invasive species management.

Once an invasive is established, it may prey upon or compete with native species of plants, fish and wildlife, as well as carry harmful diseases or parasites. The potential environmental impacts of an invasive species include a loss of biodiversity, stunted fish stocks, decreased water quality and habitat value, and impeded water flow.

Plants form the foundation of biological communities, and invasive plant species can alter an ecosystem substantially. The five Gulf states together have more than 30 species of non-indigenous aquatic plants, which includes the notorious hydrilla. Hydrilla, shown to be a problem in all the Gulf states , reproduces by fragmentation. When it is cut each piece produces a new plant, allowing the species to quickly impede waterways, overgrow and shadow native plants and clog waterways.

The Non-indigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (Act) established the National Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force (ANSTF). The responsibility of the ANSTF is to provide coordination among the various federal agencies that have authority and jurisdiction over aspects of management and control of aquatic invasive species. In addition, there are several non-federal members (Ex-officio) who are members of the ANSTF to provide additional input from the affected public.

These species are important to know about because they may pop up in your yard or project site, or may already have naturalized into your yard, unbeknownst to you. However, the most problematic exotic species are easy to identify and learn about. Exotic species are species that are not considered native to South Florida, and have arrived here through human intervention.

Didymo is an exotic organism to New Zealand, which means it is non-native and was introduced from another geographic region. Exotic species are not necessarily harmful. In fact New Zealand has many exotic valued species such as apples, maize, and sheep.

Invasive species affect each of our lives, all regions of the U.S., and every nation in the world. Society pays a great price for invasive species - costs measured not just in dollars, but also in unemployment, damaged goods and equipment, power failures, food and water shortages, environmental degradation, increased rates and severity of natural disasters, disease epidemics, and even lost lives.

For centuries, people have moved organisms around the world. Plants and animals, and their products, are imported into the U.S. to be used, for instance, as food, construction materials, ornamental plants, livestock, and pets. Organisms that have been moved from their native habitat to a new location are typically referred to as "non-native," "nonindigenous," "exotic," or "alien" to the new environment. Most U.S.

The means and routes by which invasive species are imported and introduced into new environments are called "pathways." Some non-native organisms that are intentionally imported escape from captivity or are carelessly released into the environment and become invasive. While most importations are legal, smuggling of invasive species also occurs. Some invasive species arrive as hitchhikers on commodities such as produce, nursery stock, and livestock.

Answer: Invasive species arrive in the United States through many different pathways and may be carried by vectors; some pathways are intentional, others accidental. For example Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) was probably accidentally introduced to the United States as dried packaging material in shipments of ceramics.

Answer: The NBII Image Library has begun to build a collection of high-resolution JPG images of invasive plants and animals (and other photos). Other sources of invasive species images include the image gallery at invasive.org (a collaborative effort of the Bugwood Network, USDA Forest Service and APHIS-PPQ), DiscoverLife's species search, and The Nature Conservancy's Invasive Species Initiative's Image Archive.

Answer: There are extensive invasive species databases available online; some are regional in scope, and some are related to specific types of species. An extensive descriptive list of online invasive species information systems is available through the Global Invasive Species Information Network. For information that is related to specific US states, see our data, species lists and watch lists. If you are a fan of blogs, try this one maintained by Jennifer Forman Orth.

Answer: Visit the Global Invasive Species Database, an excellent invasive species profile database with a wealth of general information. The ISIN's state pages provide specific information on invasive species in your state, and our education page provides a list of resources for students and teachers. If you're a gardener, you might find the information on our gardening page useful, or see the What's in My Neighborhood page of the National Invasive Species Information Center's Web site .

Answer: Be sure that you have used appropriate identification guides. Depending on your location and the kind of invasive species you find, there are different reporting options. After collecting appropriate evidence of the sighting (see previous question for details), use our reporting resources to find the appropriate agencies and organizations where you can report invasive species sightings.

Answer: For aquatic species, the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database provides distribution maps. For plants, the USDA's PLANTS database has maps for both native and nonindigenous species.

Answer: A detailed description of the U.S. National Management Plan: Survey of Federal Roles and Responsibilities is hosted online by the National Invasive Species Information Center. The National Invasive Species Information Center also maintains a comprehensive list of Agencies and Organizations with an interest in the prevention, control, or eradication of invasive species.

Yes. In New Zealand, didymo exhibits several characteristics of an invasive species. In a relatively short period of time, it has grown prolifically as evidenced by the significant increase in biomass throughout the Mararoa and lower Waiau Rivers since October 2004 when it was first reported.