The impact of Invasive non-native species on the Terrestrial Environment.
Welcome to day one of #INNSWEEK 2022. INNS Week is a national initiative to raise awareness of the negative impact of invasive species across the UK. Each day we will be discussing a different theme. Today we will be talking about the impact of INNS on the terrestrial environment.
What is a terrestrial environment?
So before we get into the impact of invasive species, what is a terrestrial environment? According to National Geographic a terrestrial ecosystem or environment is "a land-based community of organisms and the interactions of biotic and abiotic components in a given area". Examples of terrestrial ecosystems in the UK include:
Woodlands
Grasslands
Wetlands
Heaths
Moorlands
Essentially, terrestrial environments are everywhere, they are really important to support our wildlife.
INNS Impact
Invasive non native species are one of the top 5 causes of decline in biological diversity in the world. Invasive species are capable of causing extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and altering habitats. When invasive species are present in terrestrial environments, they cause a negative knock on effect to the native species present on the land.
Example
Himalayan balsam is an example of an invasive non native species that negatively impacts the terrestrial environment. It can grow in a range of habitats, but highly present in woodlands, grasslands and riverbanks. Although it is a pretty looking plant, it has a detrimental impact on the environment. As the Himalayan balsam grows, it creates large monocultures, which outcompetes native plant species for light and space. As Himalayan balsam is an annual plant, as it dies back in the winter it leaves the ground bare and susceptible to erosion. The quality of soil is compromised which has a knock on effect on the invertebrates as well as the mammals that feed on them.
Control
So how can we control invasive non-native species in the terrestrial environments? One of the most up and coming ways you can control invasive species is through biological control. At the moment, Tees Rivers Trust have 16 biological control sites throughout the catchment, specifically targeting Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed.
We have also been given additional funding from Northumbrian Water for a further biological control site to be released in the Summer 2022.
For more information about our biological control, you can read our earlier blogs here or visit the CABI website.