When Kudzu, Pueraria montana var. lobata, was first introduced to the United States no one suspected that the semi-woody vine would be capable of enveloping forests across the country. Today, the plant sprawls across an estimated 810,000 hectares of land from Eastern Texas to Florida all the way up to Kentucky. When it was originally planted, Kudzu was seen as a “miracle” plant, able to grow extremely quickly and stop erosion dead in its tracks. Given continuous encouragement by the government through the late 1800s and into the 1900s, Kudzu ran rampant and is now considered a Federal Noxious Weed as of 1997. Due to Kudzu’s exceptionally hardy root systems, which can be 30 cm in diameter and grow almost 4m into the ground (Harrington…
photosynthetic rates, and frequent rooting at stem nodes make kudzu an aggressive competitor with native shrubs and trees. This aggressive species is known for forming large stands and suppressing the growth of native tree and understory species making them effective structural parasites in forest communities (Forseth, 2004). The economic impact of kudzu in the United States is estimated at $100–500 million lost per year in forest productivity. In addition, it takes about $5,000 per hectare…
You might know it as the plant that ate the south. In this essay I will argue that humans should take action regarding invasive species because they could be dangerous for the environment and for the health of the humans. As is the case with the kudzu. Many people seem to be feared by the kudzu, yet they seem to not be doing anything about it. The kudzu is very known as the plant that ate the south. This type of species grows up to 1ft (30cm) every day in the summer months and can break…
In the United States to the southeast inhabits an alien species destroying and deadly to the environment. This invasive species is known as the kudzu plant and according to the U.S Fish and Wildlife service there are approximately 50,000 invasive species in the U.S, some causing more damage than others. Invasive species are species that come in contact with an area that they are not native too and can drive out animals. Some invasive species have even caused extinctions of native animals and…
A species that has been moved by humans from its normal habitat to a new habitat, either intentionally or by mistake. A deliberate introduction is when you forcefully get a species in your area, it's not by accident and you know it will be part of your ecosystem. An accidental introduction, however, is when a species comes over unplanned. Maybe an animal gets under a boat in Europe and travels to America, no one said to get the species into the USA. Most people call this plant by Kudzu, but its…
They were first identified in 2009 near the airport in Atlanta and spread quickly throughout Georgia. By 2012, kudzu bugs had expanded their range to include Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. In 2017, kudzu bugs were identified in Texas as well as Maryland. Kudzu bugs received their nickname because of their fondness for the kudzu vine, which is itself an invasive species from Asia. However, kudzu bugs are equally fond of soybean plants, wisteria and…
Hey David, it is nice to meet you and welcome to class! Firstly, I can only imagine how humid it is in Houston, Texas. I lived in Dallas, Texas for some years and the summers were the absolute worst! The humidity was crazy and we were located in northern region of Texas. I can only imagine what you go through down there in the southern region of Texas. I currently live in Georgia and I must say the humidity here is bearable. This past summer was not bad at all, besides the pollen, I really…
not be brought to different environments because of the harm that they do. Do you know that there are over 380 non-native species in the Great Smoky Mountains? Non-native species are really harmful because they can severely damage the environment. This can be seen with the rabbit population in New Zealand, the Kudzu plant, and zebra mussels. First of all, the rabbit population is out of control in New Zealand. First of all, rabbits were brought to New Zealand in the 1700s and 1800s by European…
In a case study conducted by the U.S. Department of State, they reported $500 million annual cost to remove Zebra Mussels that cover submerged surfaces, clogging up water intakes at water treatment facilities and power plants in the Great Lakes alone (Source E). Zebra Mussels aren’t the only species raising damage costs, the Kudzu vine corruption, as previously discussed, is estimated by power companies to spend an estimated $1.5 million each year to control growth on power lines. These species…
The Megacopta cribraria (F.), an invasive alien insect, commonly known as bean plataspid, kudzu bug, globular stink bug, and lablab bug, are a major concern, throughout Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It was first reported from Georgia in 2009 and in Florida it was first found in 2012 and since then it has spread rapidly and now found in 29 counties. This plant feeding insect is related to the stink bugs (Pentatomidae)…