Comments for Aquatic Invasive Species

Comment on Analyzing the diet of red lionfish by Jonathan Marks

Jonathan Marks — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:28:14 +0000

This is a really interesting article. I understand that the red lionfish has no natural predators, but maybe, there are fish that would eat if they were in the same location. This could be looked into by finding fish that are similar to red lionfish and seeing if they have any natural predators. It will be interesting to see what the next steps will be after this study. We will know which places are in danger, but this means little if we cannot find ways to control the hardy fish.

Comment on Finding what’s at the bottom (of a ship) by sr124

sr124 — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:00:19 +0000

This is a very interesting research proposal. Ballast water has caused huge invasive species spread throughout the world. For example, the zebra mussel crossed the entire United States and hit the Bay Area solely from the release of ballast waters. DNA microarray systems is a very intelligent approach to solving this issue. Hopefully with this technology an environmentally friendly, cost-effective ballast water sterilization strategy can be developed.

Comment on Analyzing the diet of red lionfish by mer44

mer44 — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 19:26:02 +0000

The red lionfish is an excellent example of how prolific non-native species can be in introduced habitats. Determining what makes the Red lionfish so well suited to establish itself in foreign environments has several positive implications for understanding what makes an non-native species invasive. I would have liked to see a more detailed explanation of the methodology for this study. A study whose results will most likely be groundbreaking.

Comment on Analyzing the diet of red lionfish by leh29

leh29 — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 15:43:07 +0000

This is really interesting, since it sounds like not very many studies have been done on the red lionfish in its expanded habitat, or even in its original habitat. Determining why species are able to establish themselves could help in finding ways to prevent the spread (or establishment) of future populations of other organisms or spread of this one.

Comment on One Toad-ally Annoying Invader by lmm42

lmm42 — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:27:55 +0000

oh man i hope that pheromone works out, cane toads sound nasty.
good luck to ben berg, his study seems important.

Comment on Ballast Water Treatment vs. Killer Shrimp by jmb87

jmb87 — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:54:30 +0000

Wow, I had never heard of the killer shrimp before, but it does sound like a very formidable invasive species. This study sounds like it could be very helpful if carried out in real life; I hope there are research groups out there who are considering the implications of ballast water transport specifically with killer shrimp.

Comment on Larval Trajectories: Researchers Set Their Sights on the Chinese Mitten Crab by tma16

tma16 — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:36:50 +0000

I think you did a great job introducing the topic in this news brief. I like that you start with a background on the crab, describe their invasive qualities, explain how they came to the U.S., and also mention the negative impacts they have on an ecosystem. This makes the section on the research much more poignant and accessible.
On the other hand, I would have loved to have heard more about the research proposal itself. I feel like the majority of your post is just background information, and only at the very end do you discuss the research proposal itself. What were the methods outlined in the proposal? Why did Rybak specifically design her proposal this way? All in all, however, I think this is a very interesting topic and a well-written news brief.

Comment on Ballast Water Treatment vs. Killer Shrimp by ama44

ama44 — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:29:20 +0000

well written post! I got a really good, clear sense of what Bernard’s study is about and the motivation behind it too, and I thought his study was interesting too. For my pre-preposal, I am actually writing about a ballast water study as well, so I might consider adding the killer shrimp as a test organism in my study design.

Comment on European green crab’s parasite by ks180

ks180 — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 02:36:17 +0000

This is an interesting subject. I never knew that there could be a parasite that damages the reproductive system. I have a question about the methodology. How many crabs are going to be in each sample? Is it possible that in the adult form that the rate or reproduction will be greater than the rate of the parasite to damage the reproductive organs? Also, would it be possible for the parasite to harm the crabs that are essential for commercial fishing?

Comment on Building a Better Snakehead Trap by clr26

clr26 — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 02:33:50 +0000

This post does a great job of keeping the reading light yet still informational. I thought there was a great balance of background information and current research information, and it was really easy to read. I didn’t feel overwhelmed with terminology or useless info about the research methodology. As I was reading this, it was very easy to picture this appearing in an actual local newspaper.